In Emma Willard School’s math classrooms, there are always problems, to which students quickly learn they have the answers.
Some Emma math classrooms are problem-based, which means that girls are taught to examine each step they make and think about varied ways in which to use the information they have. Rather than simply memorizing formulas and equations, students are taught to discuss various solutions to problems and how their steps connect to other problems. Emma math students dive right in as advocates of their own learning.
Students place into general sequence courses, and they can also take such courses as Mathematical Methods, to work on non-routine problems in math, and Finite Mathematics, which focuses on analysis and game theory, among other areas.
At Emma, math is visual and language-based, too. Geometry students use GEOGebra, an interactive geometry software to create strong visuals of graphs during their labs, and they also use calculators to graph sketch patterns. Students are encouraged to “talk math” by keeping math journals in which they write about the process of solving problems and making connections.
