Burr and Burton’s Mike Caraco Receives National Science Foundation Travel Grant
Burr and Burton Academy mathematics teacher Mike Caraco has received a
National Science Foundation grant that will allow him to attend the
International Congress of Mathematics Education in Monterrey, Mexico, this
summer.
The National Science Foundation awards are administered through the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Only ten percent of the applicants are
funded through the grant.
The International Congress on Mathematical Education’s (ICME) goal is bring
three to four thousand math professionals together from over 100 countries
to discuss what happening in mathematics research and teaching practices.
Caraco said he was very much looking forward to talking to other teachers
about their methods and learn about recent advances in mathematics as a
discipline.
“I am very interested in gaining an international perspective on the
teaching of math,” he said. “ I am especially intrigued by the math
productivity in eastern European countries.”
Caraco believes that interacting at the international level is invaluable to
the school’s math program. “I want to bring back the kind of information
that will help us make the best decisions about math instruction, ensuring
that Burr and Burton is at the forefront of math education.”
Caraco, who is in his second year at Burr and Burton, teaches Pre-calculus
and Intermediate Algebra. Before coming to Burr and Burton, he taught at Mt.
Greylock in Williamstown, Mass., and is the co-author of a calculus
textbook.
ICME participants will have the opportunity to hear world-renowned scholars in
mathematics and mathematics education as well as take part in small, focused
discussion groups on a wide range of topics, including the relationship
between research and practice in mathematics education, the professional
development of mathematics teachers, and information and communication
technology in mathematics education.
