ISA Connections Issue 02

ISMT In late March, six ISA students, along with two mathematics teachers, attended the two-day International Schools Mathematics Teachers Foundation (ISMTF) Middle School Mathematics competition at the International School of Toulouse.

Students were placed into teams of three, joining 37 additional teams from other international schools to compete through ten rounds of multiple choice, short and long questions.

Patrick Olsen, grade 7, participated for the first time this year. Preparing for the competition was a way for him to extend his knowledge of the subject in a more challenging setting.

“It was a great experience,” says Olsen. “I was able to meet different people from around the world with the same interests as me and see how different skill levels handle different math problems.”

The competition also allowed students to get to know other students outside of their own school by placing them into mixed teams. Each team had to answer mathematics questions to win tokens to “buy” equipment needed to construct a miniature catapult that would be used to launch a small cannonball. Teams had to quickly decide what to buy and in which order, who would build, who would answer questions and, finally, who would operate the catapult. The event culminated with the launching of the cannonballs through different sized windows, testing the range, accuracy and overall ability of each team’s design.

Anna Economon, grade 7, was also new to the competition this year.

“Our teachers prepared us well with the same types of tests, so the math was easier than I thought it would be,” explains Economon. “The second day was great, because it allowed for a social element and involved working with new students and learning about our different math strengths. I really enjoyed it all.”

Brian Wiesner, Upper School Math Club coach, agrees. “It was a fantastic opportunity for our students – they were able to work as a team both within ISA and outside the ISA community. The entire weekend was spent learning and applying mathematics, design and even economics in a fun, collaborative and nurturing environment.”

Tricia Apel, Upper School mathematics teacher, was equally enthusiastic. “Going to Toulouse for the math competition was an incredible experience for me as a math teacher,” she said. “To be surrounded by students and teachers [from 39 schools around the world] who love mathematics was rejuvenating. The competition was academically stimulated, but it was also a lot of fun. I think all the students learned at least something new regarding the application of mathematics by the end of the weekend. I know that I got great teaching ideas to use in my own classroom from the many math teachers at the competition.”

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