At Creo, students receive math lessons individually and in groups. Typically, students are placed into one of three groups during their middle school years-- Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Geometry. Students progress at their own pace and occasionally move into different groups when the need arises. 

 

All lessons are followed with independent and collaborative work time. During this time, skills are practiced and developed as the teacher is able to provide direct instruction based on individuals’ needs. Older students are frequently seen helping younger students during these times, as well, which further concretizes knowledge and skills in the mind of the older student while building comradery and community between the mixed-age groups. 

 

All students engage in a daily warm-up exercise that we call the problem of the day (POD). Students write the problem, solve the problem, and then listen as their peers explain their methods of forming a solution. The word problems are sometimes borrowed from standardized tests and provide an opportunity to review test-taking skills and strategies in a low stakes and conversational manner.

 

 

Meaningful, math-based projects are a great way to engage students by applying math to real-life situations, actual community needs, and to other curricular areas of the program. The community's student-run business is fertile ground for these types of projects, as students often go about the work of planning garden beds, doing cost analysis, and writing grants. Scale maps and models are frequently incorporated into other curricular areas, as well, such as Language Arts and Humanities. 

 

Once a week, students engage in Math Seminar. This is a group approach to solving complex work problems. Students are given a series of word problems a few days before the seminar and work to solve them on their own. At the seminar, students go through each problem together. They voluntarily get up in front of the class to show how they solved the problems, which gives them the opportunity to see that there are many ways to approach problem-solving. The adult guide mainly observes during this time, stepping in only when needed. 

 

Student comprehension is regularly evaluated through assignments, assessments, and dialogue. Regular homework is given for the purpose of strengthening skills and developing tenacity. Textbooks are used regularly for lessons, assignments, and homework.