Published: March 21, 2008 09:28 am         

Making math fun adds up for MWHS teacher

Editor’s note – “At Random” looks at individuals; however, the Index would like to acknowledge that Mineral Wells ISD has several teachers who employee “best practices” in their classroom and this is one example.

By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com

Proving that learning math can be fun and effective, simultaneously, Mineral Wells High School math teacher Bill Carter strategically employees innovative lessons and sees positive results.

Carter, who is married to Carey Carter, one of MWHS’s assistant principals, came to Mineral Wells ISD from Fort Worth ISD’s Western Hills High School. While there, Carter benefited from a grant that sent FWISD teachers to prestigious and historic New England schools during two summers. In 1992, Carter attended a program at Phillips Academy, a private boarding school founded in 1778 in Andover, Mass., and Dartmouth College, founded in 1769 in Hanover, N.H. Again in 1994, he attended a similar program at Phillips Academy in Exeter, N.H.

According to Carter, these programs taught him successful strategies used in these prestigious private schools.

Today, MWISD students benefit from how Carter has synthesized these learning opportunities and honed his teaching skills after 17 years as a math teacher.

Simply visiting with his students shows positive attitudes toward math as well as varied learning at work. In fact, Carter, somewhat reluctant to be in the limelight, said he preferred letting the students speak about who he is and his strategies to help them become better learners.

According to one student, Carter gives his classes the lesson, but encourages them to work with others to figure out the best strategy for each individual.

Carter works through formulas with the class then leaves them on the walls, so students can refer back to them whenever they need to.

If someone is in doubt and asks for help, Carter said he “redirects” the student, so they can find the best source for the answer – whether it’s a peer, the written formula on the wall or simply thinking through the problem.

Student Katy Clarke said her classmates work together to solve the problem when they are in groups.

“In this class, we actually get to work together and go over it and see what we’re doing wrong rather than [only] getting a grade,” noted Clay Parish.

“You already know you learned it and it grew,” added Kurt Rosengrant about learning mathematical concepts.

See one, do one, teach one

The medical education mantra, “see one, do one, teach one,” can easily apply to Carter’s class.

Discovery learning is alive as students learn formulas via multiple means, including using visual examples – many via technology – and having students make things.

“Everything we do in here, he uses examples and helps us understand better,” explained student Katherine Witschorke.

“He makes it fun,” added Rosengrant.

Making learning fun is one byproduct of having a teacher who Principal John Kuhn describes as having “a fearlessness to try new things.”

Within four days last fall, Carter implemented a mammoth hands-on learning project when he had his two geometry classes build a replica of a 70-foot-long inflatable Blue Whale.

Carter said he presented the project to students as if they were working for a company like Lockheed-Martin. He assigned “project foremen” for each part of the whale and enlisted students to serve in quality control, “checking the numbers.”

With 100-foot rolls of heavy-duty plastic and a design, Carter set students free to measure, cut and bring all the pieces together. With their knowledge and teamwork the two classes succeeded in creating the inflatable behemoth the size of a teenage whale.

During the project, students learned mathematical concepts like: the surface area of the whale; the volume of the whale; the length of the whale; and the height of the whale.

More than this alone, they learned “how to cooperate with people, in a partnership,” said Abel Betancourt.

Jessica Lawrence agreed with her classmate that they learned teamwork. “Once we had it all set out and started measuring, it was hands-on. It makes it easier because I’m a visual learner.”

Rosengrant used his knowledge of Web mastery to create a Web page showing documentation of the whale project, which is accessible from Carter’s page on the high school site.

The Blue Whale taught students, “you can do anything if you work as a team,” said Carter, adding that multifaceted projects like this “validate someone’s learning style.”

Not only does he use hands-on methods for math, Carter also has students learn to teach themselves as well as each other.

“We do a lot of peer-based learning. He guides us through it so we can teach ourselves,” said Kali Purfely.

There are no rows in Carter’s classroom. Instead, groupings of four desks form somewhat of a mini round-table atmosphere.

“Here, it’s basically all teamwork. If we get lost, we go to our neighbor,” noted Betancourt. “We have sources.”

Can school be fun?

Many of Carter’s fifth period math students used the word “fun” to describe their geometry class.

In addition to the whale, one student shared a colorful, artistic abstract square, which he said illustrated his name. When he folded the square down to a triangle, his name became evident.

One of Jaimie Hipol’s favorite hands-on class projects was Pi day – a chance to enjoy learning the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Students brought cookies and circular food, Hipol explained. “We had to find the circumference. It was a lot more fun because we got to eat it afterwards.”

MWHS Principal John Kuhn said he “learned” Pi during high school and in college, but admitted it never really sunk in.

He knew it was Pi day in Carter’s class, so he came in to observe and watched as students measured their edible circles and then verified that Pi really is 3.14.

“Walking through his class, I learned [Pi] from a student,” Kuhn said.

“In high school, I learned Pi was 3.14. In Bill Carter’s class, I learned why Pi is 3.14,” said Kuhn. “In one day I walked out of his class knowing something.

“I was so impressed,” added Kuhn, “I told people, ‘I know what Pi is and understand why.’”

Kuhn explained that he has to share Carter, who teaches four classes at the high school and two at the junior high.

“His classes are so much fun, kids want to get in,” he said, crediting Carter with helping MWHS “build our Advanced Placement program.”

“I’d like to clone Bill Carter,” Kuhn said. “He just has that passion and willingness to break out of the boundaries. He’s not in a rut with teaching and doesn’t do the same thing every day.”

“We have a lot of best practices going on in our school,” concluded Carter. “It’s because [those teachers] care about the end result.”

said Carter. They do what they do because they want [students] to succeed when they leave, [whether] in college or in their personal life.”