Math Walk engages kids, families

Seventh grade math teacher Scott Phillips had a lofty goal at the start of this school year -- create outdoor opportunities for his class to spread out and do some math; engage families in the process; and, perhaps long term, erase some of the “right brain, left brain” stigma that convinces some people they aren’t good at math.
Any way you add it up, Saturday’s first-ever Math Walk was a success in Aurora in his eyes, with an estimated 150 people strolling through Cole Park solving math problems, together.
“Math is kind of an emotional subject for people because they either love it or they hate it and a lot of it stems back to their own experiences as a kid,” said Phillips, now in his 11th year teaching at Aurora Middle School. “Going into this school year one of my main goals was to change that discussion about math at home.”
Saturday’s Math Walk was designed to do just that.
The event featured a series of 20 problems, all clearly explained on laminated yard signs posted along the Cole Park trail. Some were easier than others, by design, though some had even large groups of participants stumped -- at least for a while.
“I wanted to make sure there was a varying level of difficulty,” Phillips explained. “All of them were something that parents and kids could work together and solve without seeking outside help.”
One particular puzzle, a maze which had to be solved without taking any right hand turns, proved to be particularly challenging. (See attached puzzle)

To read complete story, with reactions from students and parents, see this week's ANR.