“I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux.”

The is what the British great mathematician, philosopher and writer Bertrand Russell said about his obsession with the powerful charm of mathematics in his world-known speech, What I have lived for.

Yes, the world of mathematics is wonderful. In Kaiwen Academy, a school valuing students’ all-round development, mathematics is naturally highlighted and the teaching has been proven effective and fruitful.

The opening ceremony

As the world’s foremost math contest for secondary school students, the tournament attracts more than 100 prestigious high schools across the U.S. annually. Five students as a group compete in universal tests as that in the U.S. A global ranking will be given. 

The competition tests not only students’ innovative thinking in math, but also the capacity of solving problems in team working. It also examines the education methods of a school across the board.

“Wolves should keep the dignity as a predator”

As a line in the film, the Wolf Totem, goes, “A wolf should keep the dignity as a predator rather than be fed.” Math teachers in Kaiwen Academy know what the line means. In our daily teaching, we guide the students to find the answers rather than directly tell them.

Instructor-guided teaching helps inspire students to think and highlights students’ active roles.

Before coming to the Kaiwen Academy, students used to take it for granted that math classes were about theorems, formulas, examples and massive practice. Their knowledge was limited to several types of problems. As long as there are new problems, they became confused. In addition, students tended to be estranged by math - after they came to high schools, they found math problems would not appear in daily life.

In Kaiwen Academy, our math teaching stresses concepts as driving forces and application in reality as a purpose.

Students do practice in group discussions or competitions

For example, students could make an Olympic golden medal ranking with math thinking under the guidance of the teacher. Students also use stimulation for FIFA World Cup lottery to better understand concepts like probability and mathematical expectation. This represents the daily class in the Kaiwen Academy.

With their own thinking and exploring, students could get more insightful understanding of mathematical concepts and their actual applications and experience the charms of the subject.

Math carnival event for pupils of elementary and junior high schools

Moreover, we introduce tailor-made teachings to students. For example, Chinese students usually do poorly in geometry and statistics. In response, the teacher has come up effective ways to help students’ improve, like by launching intensive training courses for students of different grades and studying stages.

Being able to is different from doing it right

In math teaching, teachers in Kaiwen highlight the standard of operation and problem solving besides helping them understand the concepts and build mathematical thinking.

Class in Kaiwen Academy

Many students think they know how to solve the problems, but still make mistakes because they failed to follow the normative way of doing them. In this case, the teachers have devices a standard procedure in solving the problems and enabled students to learn why they are designed in that way. The method effectively reduces the probability of making mistakes. In the Kaiwen Academy, people say only take the practice as tests, can you turn the tests into practice.

Mathematician Klein once said that mathematics is a kind of rational spirit, makes possible the use of the human mind to the point of the most perfect.

We hope our little cranes, during this stage of growth, could be full-fledged, determined and able to see themselves and the world with scientific perspectives. We hope them could experience the charms of both the science and the life.