MTC Network

You are here: home >> about us >> background >> mission

Mission

The mission of the national Math Teachers’ Circle (MTC) program, developed at the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM), is to establish the foundation for a culture of problem solving among middle school math teachers in the U.S. By fostering the confidence to tackle open-ended math problems, middle school teachers become better equipped to initiate more student-centered, inquiry-based pedagogies in their classrooms. The two primary goals of the program are 1) to engage middle school math teachers in mathematical problem solving and involve them in an ongoing dialogue about math with students, colleagues, and professional mathematicians; and 2) to provide guidance, materials, and resources to middle school math teachers that will enable them to promote open-ended problem solving as a way of learning, thinking about, and practicing mathematics in their classrooms.

A prototypical local MTC has two components: a) a residential summer immersion program for 15 to 20 teachers that launches the program, and b) monthly follow-up meetings held throughout the following academic year and indefinitely thereafter. During the immersion component, teachers engage in various open-ended problem-solving activities throughout the day and evening, guided by professional mathematicians and experienced facilitators. The monthly meetings continue to provide a content-based enrichment outlet for teachers but also have a more pedagogical focus intended to help teachers bring problem-solving techniques into their classrooms.

The Math Teachers’ Circle Network links together MTCs from around the U.S. (please see our Member Circles page). To help the MTC community grow, AIM organizes workshops designed to inform teams of middle school math teachers, school administrators, and research mathematicians about the program and equip them to begin MTCs of their own. These local MTC chapters are intended to become self-sustaining over the long term, and thus much of the workshop is spent preparing each team to set goals for their MTC and discuss the recruitment of teachers and mathematicians, the evaluation of their program, and fundraising at the local or state level.

AIM

The Math Teachers’ Circle Network is a project of the American Institute of Mathematics.