Friday, May 30, 2014

The Mathman Retires

"How can I motivate my students to get more interested in doing math?" was the question I posed to Don Cohen back in 1972 at a Saturday morning math workshop in NYC.  "The problem is that your kids are not really doing math," Don replied as we strolled down a picturesque Greenwich Village street. "What you need to do is get your students to create their own math. But first the teacher needs to do the same. That's the purpose of the workshop I am leading here." That one comment has stayed with me ever since as I continue my effort to inspire teachers to aim for that vision for themselves and with their students.

After 38 years of math tutoring, Don Cohen will hang up his hat as "The Math Man" at the end of this month. (Read more)

You can hear Don interviewed by Maria Droujkova at a Math 2.0 Webinar back in 2010 where he talks about his experiences with Calculus by and for Young People.