Livingstone College students go to statewide math conference in Greensboro

Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 15, 2018

SALISBURY – Math professors and math majors from Livingstone College attended the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics 48th Conference at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro Nov. 1-2.

The conference, under the theme “Cultivating Coherence and Connections,” gathered more than 2,000 K-12 math teachers, principals, administrators and college professors from every school district and county in the state.

The lobbies and conference rooms of the Convention Center were abuzz with activities both days. Some of the back-to-back workshops on site included “Uncommon Ways to Solve Equations,” “Hands-on and Self-Correcting Math Centers,” “Math Digital Escape Rooms,” “Drain The Dread: Changing Mathematical Mindsets,” “Building A Coherent Progression of Proof” and “A Better Way to Build Math Fluency.”

Livingstone College math professors participated in workshops on digital technology use in the classroom and formed a partnership with the N.C. Network of Math Teachers’ Circles. The participating math students were intrigued and inspired by workshops that included “Making Worksheets Work!” and “Digital Technology: Activities and Ideas for Your Classroom.”

The second day of activities for Livingstone College students consisted of a visit to the N.C A&T State University Mathematics Department, where the participants were introduced to graduate mathematics faculty to develop connections for possible graduate studies in the field.

Subsequent to the visit, both math majors and math faculty of Livingstone College attended a seminar in W.T. Gibbs Hall for a lecture from Stephanie Kelly, associate professor of business communication, on how to modernize the formats for résumés and curricula vitae.

“This conference was so beneficial and impactful that the math department intends to make the NCCTM an annual visit,” said Gregory Battle, Livingstone math professor and chair.

Primary sponsors of the conference included Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, CENGAGE, Casio and Texas Instruments.

Among the vendors and exhibitors were Didax, the NC Network of Math Teachers’ Circles, the Worchester Polytechnic Institute, AQR Press, National Training Network and IXL Learning.

HBCU representatives included Fayetteville State University, Winston-Salem State University, N.C. A&T State University and N.C. Central University, as well as N.C. State University and the University of North Carolina at Greenville.