Teresa Colucci
Hello! I am
Teresa Colucci and I love teaching mathematics as much as I love using mathematics to solve problems, work out puzzles and understand the world around me. I have taught math at Nouvel Catholic Central High
School in Saginaw, Michigan for the past 11 years and I am also the Coordinator of the Advanced Learning Pathways for Students
(ALPS) program in the Saginaw Area Catholic Schools.
When math is taught as though it is one dimensional, and the right answer reigns supreme, there is little room for students to creatively play around within the subject. I would love for my students to view mathematics as a multi-dimensional system of interconnected concepts and processes that can be used in solving problems and creating new understanding of the world.
Mathematics: a playground of discovery!
Note: The ice cream bucket was my creative version of a "purse" when I needed one for my end-of-program banquet at UConn. (Summer 2011)
When math is taught as though it is one dimensional, and the right answer reigns supreme, there is little room for students to creatively play around within the subject. I would love for my students to view mathematics as a multi-dimensional system of interconnected concepts and processes that can be used in solving problems and creating new understanding of the world.
Mathematics: a playground of discovery!
Note: The ice cream bucket was my creative version of a "purse" when I needed one for my end-of-program banquet at UConn. (Summer 2011)
Holly Kincaid
Hello, I am Holly Kincaid, and I love to teach mathematics to secondary indigenous students from Alaska and Montana. I have taught mathematics for 7 years in Alaska, and this is currently my first year teaching mathematics to indigenous students in rural Montana. I believe the most important skill I teach is creative problem solving. I allow my students to use their creative and critical thinking skills to solve problems using mathematics within their own culture. I have found success in this because I am showing my students how problem-solving takes place within real world examples from their culture. Teaching mathematics to students who dislike the discipline in the beginning can certainly be a challenge, so my ultimate goal is reach in and learn about my indigenous students, so I can help them become creative problem-solvers for the rest of their lives!
Linnea Haase
Hello, my name is Linnea Haase, and I teach math to high school students in Norfolk Public Schools in Norfolk, Virginia. This is my twelfth year teaching, and my first in Virginia. I moved here this fall with my new husband, who is in graduate school nearby. The previous eleven years, I have taught in Charleston, South Carolina. My long-term focus has been working with academically gifted high school students. I have studied Educational Psychology of Gifted Students at University of Connecticut, which is my connection to the co-authors of this site. I feel strongly that there is almost always more than one approach to a problem. I try hard to reflect this belief in my teaching every day. I like to explore the multiple solutions because I usually learn something new, which I find both exciting and valuable! I think all genuinely new ideas come from people whose creative minds were developed when they were young, in part by their teachers, and so I think the use of creativity in the classroom is a very important part of our mission as educators. When I am not teaching math creatively, I enjoy cooking, jewelry design, and spending time outdoors.