{"id":57606,"date":"2019-06-19T15:27:46","date_gmt":"2019-06-19T19:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=57606"},"modified":"2025-09-30T10:54:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:54:34","slug":"math-enrichment-centre","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/math-enrichment-centre\/","title":{"rendered":"Math Enrichment Centre Caters to High Schoolers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n\n \n \n \n \n
\n\n
<\/div>\n \n
\n
\n\n

\n Math Enrichment Centre Caters to High Schoolers\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not an expert on a Rubik’s Cube myself, and I know that there are some experts in this room,\u201d says Yuly Billig.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

\u201cBut I still think there are couple of things that I can teach you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In a whir of chalk dust and sliding blackboards, the professor and director of Carleton\u2019s Math Enrichment Centre<\/a> is demonstrating how to use algebra to solve a Rubik\u2019s cube to students in his MathLink 9-10 enriched math course<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of them \u2013 already an expert at the challenging puzzle – sits in the front row paying rapt attention, pausing periodically to quickly scramble and unscramble a Rubik\u2019s cube he\u2019s brought with him to class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s one of about 600 Ottawa-area students enrolled in courses at the Math Enrichment Centre \u2013 and one of about 30 who have turned out for this Wednesday evening class in the Tory Building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative of the School of Mathematics and Statistics<\/a> offers enrichment courses for students in grades 3 to 12 who are excelling at school. Courses cover more advanced material for each grade level — from a grade 3 to 4 Math Adventures program<\/a> to a Grade 11 to 12 Foundations of Calculus course<\/a> to prepare students for university.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Mastering<\/figure>\n\n\n

Delving Deeper Than the Standard Curriculum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At all levels, the centre\u2019s instructors are mathematicians with the academic background needed to answer tough theoretical questions that might stump some schoolteachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe typically go much deeper than the Ontario school curriculum,\u201d Billig says.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

\u201cThe courses are rather challenging for the students, and we\u2019d like to keep it this way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This rigorous approach helps prepare students for demands of post-secondary studies. Students educated in the Ontario curriculum can lack some math skills that are critical in STEM disciplines. (science, technology, engineering and math).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe see this in the area of trigonometry,\u201d says Billig, noting that a solid foundation in the subject is especially important for aspiring engineers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe way that trigonometry is taught in high school is a weak spot in the Ontario curriculum. Students are often not ready for university courses, and we have a course that tries to put their knowledge on a solid basis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Mastering<\/figure>\n\n\n

Ensuring Students are Sufficiently Challenged<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supported by an Endowment Grant from the Canadian Mathematical Society<\/a>, the Math Enrichment Centre focuses primarily on the study of math, but also has offerings in physics, computer algorithms and computer programming. The MathLink 9-10 course is free, but other courses have a registration fee that can be waived for families in financial need. In all of its offerings, the Math Enrichment Centre invites students who are excelling to tackle a new challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grade 7 student Ray Wang is doing exactly that. He\u2019s enrolled in an enriched high school course at the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe math here is a lot more interesting than at school,\u201d Wang says.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

\u201cYou get to go into a lot more detail. At school, the math lessons are short and they\u2019re boring.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ensuring that bright young students like Wang are sufficiently challenged is rewarding for course instructors, but it also serves a broader purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have amazing students,\u201d Billig says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to nurture their talent, and we are very happy to see how they grow. Math is very important for the future of our economy. The high tech industry is math intensive and it’s important that there are young people with excellent knowledge of mathematics. This is important for the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the Math Enrichment Centre\u2019s course offerings<\/a>. Contact the centre via email at: enrichment-admin@math.carleton.ca<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019m not an expert on a Rubik’s Cube myself, and I know that there are some experts in this room,\u201d says Yuly Billig. \u201cBut I still think there are couple of things that I can teach you\u2026\u201d In a whir of chalk dust and sliding blackboards, the professor and director of Carleton\u2019s Math Enrichment Centre […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":57621,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[28],"cu_story_tag":[1919],"class_list":["post-57606","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-community-partnerships","cu_story_tag-faculty-of-science"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/57606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/57606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97404,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/57606\/revisions\/97404"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=57606"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=57606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}