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TEACHER EDUCATION SERIES

Making Math

Are you a math teacher or parent wanting to create innovative hands-on materials for your students? Or, perhaps you are a makerspace teacher wanting to find new ways to support your math teachers. These courses for parents and teachers do not assume prior knowledge of any specific math beyond basic algebra, programming or 3D printing. The instructors will adapt and model ways of presenting the material to students of uneven backgrounds. Prepare to play along! These first sessions will investigate new ways of learning (or re-learning!) calculus with just basic algebra as a foundation. 

 You can sign up either for just session 1 or both sessions 1 and 2. Since Session 2 will assume you have been introduced to OpenSCAD in session 1, we do not advise only taking Session 2.  

 These sessions will cover a lot of material that is also in the book Make: Calculus. The book is not included in the course fee, but attendees can buy a paper or Kindle version from Amazon or the publisher’s site, the Maker Shed. A screen-reader-accessible epub3 version for visually impaired participants is available on the Maker Shed.  

Making Calculus Session 1: Basics with Lego Bricks and Paper

  • DATE: Tuesday, January 24, 2023
  • LOCATION: 540 S. Marengo Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101
  • TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Calculus is about how things move and change. It’s usually buried in a lot of algebra, but it doesn’t have to be! Join IEA instructors Joan Horvath and Rich Cameron, the authors of the books “Make:Calculus” and “Make:Geometry,” to learn about techniques for teaching calculus fundamentals with hands-on models, starting with LEGO bricks and moving on to folding paper. This first class explores the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and the intuitive meanings of derivatives, integrals, and limits. Then we will look at the free, open-source program, OpenSCAD,which can be used to create models of more advanced ideas to either view and manipulate on-screen or 3D print.  

Making Calculus Session 2: 3D PRINTS

  • DATE: Tuesday, February 7, 2023
  • LOCATION: 540 S. Marengo Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101
  • TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

This session goes more in-depth into the use of OpenSCAD, and we do a detailed walkthrough of the 3D prints associated with the Make:Calculus book. Mathematical topics covered will include systems of ordinary differential equations, periodic systems, series, coordinate systems, and calculus topics that arise in basic electronics. We will also talk about good 3D printing practices and ways to manage classroom job flow. 

FEES

One session for $75 or both sessions for $125. For information about bulk pricing for multiple members of your school or district, reach out to nendacott@educationaladvancement.org.

Please fill out the registration form below and to be forwarded to the payment form. You must complete payment to be registered for the series.

REGISTER TO ATTEND

About The Instructors

Joan Horvath and Rich “Whosawhatsis” Cameron are the co-founders of Nonscriptum LLC (www.nonscriptum.com). Since 2015 their Pasadena-based consulting and training firm has focused on teaching educators and scientists how to use maker tech, with a particular focus on teaching math and science with 3D printing and other hands-on activities. Joan is an MIT alumna, recovering rocket scientist and educator. Rich is an open-source 3D printer hacker who designed the RepRap Wallace and Bukito 3D printers. They have written nine books together, most recently the hands-on math books, Make: Geometry and Make:Caculus, with another one in the works.