Bozeman Magazine

Matt Larson, author, educator and current president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, will give a colloquium talk on “Overcoming Obstacles to Make Mathematics work FOR Students” at4:15 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, in the Strand Union Building’s Procrastinator Theater at Montana State University. The talk is free and open to the public.

 

Larson, who began his career as a high school mathematics teacher, will address issues related to closing learning gaps between groups of students while improving the mathematics learning of all. He will highlight obstacles that have traditionally stood in the way of mathematics working for students, discuss steps necessary to overcome these obstacles, and engage attendees  in examining principles of effective mathematics programs.

 

“We continue to practice detrimental aspects of mathematics instruction that have been around for centuries in too many classrooms, even though the urgency that each and every student reach higher levels of proficiency in mathematics, our knowledge of what constitutes effective teaching and learning, and the students themselves have all dramatically changed,” Larson wrote in a recent blog post. “Most of us would not want our physician to treat us the way physicians treated patients decades or centuries ago. The same should be the case with respect to our, and the general public’s, expectations for mathematics teaching and learning.”

 

Larson’s visit is sponsored by the Department of Mathematical Sciences in MSU’s College of Letters and Science.

 

“We are excited to have Matt Larson speak at Montana State,” said professor and department head Beth Burroughs. “His message about providing all students with access to success in mathematics is timely and will provide the university and broader community with many new ideas and strategies to consider.”

 

Prior to becoming NCTM president, Larson spent more than 20 years as the K-12 curriculum specialist for mathematics in Lincoln, Nebraska. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and held an appointment as an honorary visiting associate professor at Teachers College, Columbia University.

 

Larson has authored or co-authored several books, including a series on professional learning communities and Common Core mathematics. He is co-author of “Balancing the Equation: A Guide to School Mathematics for Educators and Parents,”  and he was on the writing team of 2014’s “Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All.” He is also the co-author of a widely used K-12 mathematics series.

 

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the world’s largest mathematics education organization, has 60,000 members and more than 230 affiliates in the United States and Canada. In 2020, the organization will celebrate its centennial.