NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s Department of Mathematics held the inaugural Math 4 Fun event Sept. 21 bringing together 27 teachers from Natchitoches, Sabine, Red River, Desoto, Bossier and Caddo parishes as well as the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts, NSU and East Texas Baptist University.

Dr. Judith Covington, director of Math 4 Fun, said it’s exciting to see such interest from the local teachers. Math 4 Fun is a local organization with plans to offer similar events in the upcoming months. Serving with Covington on the leadership team are Dr. Leigh Ann Myers, NSU; Randy Key, LSMSA, and Zenda Owens, Natchitoches Central High School.

“This community of math teachers joined together to celebrate the joy of working on fun math problems,” Covington said. “The meeting started at 10 a.m. and participants quickly started exploring the problem that was presented to them. This inaugural meeting was held at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame which was an excellent location for visitors to Natchitoches. The meeting ended with drawings for door prizes and a lunch catered by Lasyone’s. There is no cost to attend Math 4 Fun meetings, and all local teachers of mathematics are invited.”

“Math Circle offers a unique blend of collaboration, creativity and professional growth,” said Sarah Ray, a math teacher at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport. “It’s the perfect place for math teachers to recharge and discover new teaching strategies.”

“The activity was, at one level, a very simple arithmetic problem, but it led to patterns and deep questions.  A teacher could use it with both fourth graders and graduate students,” said Brad Burkman, LSMSA faculty.  “I enjoyed meeting and talking with math teachers at other schools, from middle school to college.  It’s useful to know where my high schoolers came from and where they’re going and to figure out how to tie that together. “

The next meeting of Math 4 fun will be Saturday, Nov. 9 on the Louisiana School for Science, Math and the Arts campus. Participants will explore the mathematics behind solving the Rubik’s cube. Dr. Leigh Ann Myers will facilitate this session. This year is the 50th anniversary of the Rubik’s cube and each participant will not only learn to solve the cube but will receive their own cube to take home.

Covington obtained a grant from the American Institute of Mathematics to help create a local Math Teachers’ Circle. She was the director of the North Louisiana Math Teachers’ Circle from 2010 until 2018 when she came to NSU and is excited to be starting a similar program in Natchitoches.

For more information about please contact Covington at covingtonj@nsula.edu.