SAGEMONT PREP SAGEMONT PREP Staff Spotlight Staff Spotlight KEVIN GUTTERMAN

E D U C A T I O N

State University of NY Binghamton

Bachelor of Arts

City University of NY Queens College

Master of Education

Mathematics lends itself to a natural curiosity about the world. Often students see mathematics as just answering problems on paper and following formulas. The key to accessing that natural curiosity is to tap into prior experience with counting, fractions, and algebraic and geometric thinking. Students then realize they have really been doing mathematics their whole lives, even prior to entering school When we solve problems, we connect to real-world experiences Middle schoolers may be doing surveys to acquire data, and high schoolers may be studying graphs of viruses to understand exponential growth.

My classroom is filled with manipulatives, charts, and signs that bring math to life. In a prior lesson, middle schoolers drew circles with compasses to see the connection between a circle's radius and circumference. High schoolers had to plot the Exponential Growth of Bacteria and its corresponding Logarithmic Growth. We are always drawing images, measuring and relating concepts to real-life situations. Students must develop numeracy like they develop literacy: by applying concepts to real-life situations. How do you know how much money you will have in an account earning a specific interest rate in a specific time period? This can be answered through understanding the concept of Compound Interest. When students develop these connections through a consistent application of real-life problems, they become capable of addressing issues and tackling many situations by thinking mathematically.

Our world's history is based on a consistent development of technology that has improved the quality of life and the growth of civilization. I always incorporate these ideas into mathematics instruction. Starting with ancient civilizations, there has been a community of mathematicians that have worked to solve fundamental problems and often apply the solutions to everyday life. As students think about problems and mathematical connections, they begin to see how they can participate in the future