|
2008 State Competition praised by students and teachers In an evaluation of the 2008 State Competition, participating coaches gave the event high marks. All of the coaches who participated in the evaluation said they would recommend the experience to other teachers and will participate in the program next year. Some of their comments were: • Is it well run and a great opportunity for our students • It’s a great way to get kids excited about math. Also, it is also good for students to see so many other students deeply involved with their math. • It’s very helpful to the kids. We live a long way away from many of the opportunities available in the metro area • Most clever, challenging, and instructive problems available for 7th and 8th graders…bar none • It lets the students see that academic achievement can receive recognition and gives an extra incentive for students to work hard at math • It is an opportunity for students that are good in math to compete in a meaningful, organized, and challenging venue • The kids seem to like the challenge and it is one of the only programs that rewards the mathematically talented students with more than a medal or certificate. The Friday night activity also got high marks as did the hotel facility. "I would have thought it impossible to hold the attention of 120 smart kids…bravo!" one teacher commented about the Friday activity. A suggested was made to try to have a period that "roommates" from different schools have an opportunity to meet and get to know one another. What would they change or improve? Teachers, understandably, want to know who their students did. They asked to get, in addition to their students' scores, their placements and how it compares to others. Other suggestions were: • It would be nice to have engineers set up “booths” to help the mathletes see what their profession is “about” and explains what they do, the type of education they need, etc. These are the types of students that are likely to become engineers themselves an to get this exposure at this age would be great! Many have no idea what an engineer not to mention the different types of engineering that is out there and what can be done with an engineering degree, salary opportunity. • Give awards to the top 6 teams. Students really like those awards, and getting top 6 teams at state is something special. I know awards cost money, but I think it’s worth it. That extra award will be sitting at that school for years, motivating other students to work hard. Student Evaluations Students who responded to the evaluation were also positive about the experience, citing both the challenging tests and the fun of meeting other students, although the ability to miss a day of school was a positive for one student! The competition motivates them, the students reported, because it encourages them to do better and they like to do their best. And "it's 'state' and it' fun to go to the competition," one said. Others added that it is an honor to go and they like being able to compete against really smart people. |