I attended the December meet-up of the Math Teacher Circle (MTC) at Rutgers University.  The topic this evening was “The Story of Algebra” with a discussion on “completing the square,” facilitated by Dr. Alex Knotorovich.  Described as a twisty turny story of solving polynomial equations, and the dramatic effect such problems had on mathematics, and the world.  NCTM provides a geometric exploration of the “completing the square” process.

Dr. Knotorovich did a wonderful job at demonstrating a good way for teachers to integrate history and physical representation into the instruction of an abstract area of algebra.

Math Teacher Circles are wonderful opportunities for math teachers to meet math professors in an informal setting all about problem solving with our learners in a collaborative environment.  Teachers can earn 2.5 hours of professional development time by attending. Keep an eye out on Eventbrite for the next MTC planned for spring.