FALL 2019 Volume 60 Issue 2 By understanding their experiences with finances and giving them opportunities to practice financial skills, I hope to empower my students through this curriculum and give them the confidence they need to be financially capable citizens. Alisha Parashar-Choukulkar CONTENTS Fall 2019 | Volume 60 | Issue 2 08 Math Catcher: Indigenizing Mathematics Through Culturally-Based Storytelling By Alana Underwood 15 Rekenreks By Stephanie Turner 19 Why History of Mathematics? By Glen Van Brummelen 24 A Public Math Gathering in Chicago By Janice Novakowski 37 33 28 NCTM Annual Meeting and Exposition, San Diego By Alex Sabell 30 A Culturally-Relevant Financial Literacy Curriculum By Alisha Parashar-Choukulkar 38 Connecting Our Colleagues: 27 A Book Club Study Using Open Questions By Tamara DeFord and Marie Fanshaw 41 Lego Robotics CoLab in SD73 By Elizabeth deVries 45 BCAMT Award Winners 47 Using Self-Determination Theory to Engage Learners IN EVERY ISSUE Errata • Spring Vector 2019 By Jeff Irvine 07 President’s Message 52 Math Challengers The editors would like to apologize to Chris Hunter, 44 Cartoon By Matt Branch whose article “A Function of Freedom and Constraints” 56 Book Review was printed with the draft version instead of the final 57 Problem Set 53 Social Justice and edited version in the Spring 2019 issue of Vector. For an Mathematics updated version of his article, please visit our website at 59 Math Links By Janice Novakowski https://www.bcamt.ca. 60 BCAMT BCAMT EXECUTIVE The views expressed in each Vector article are those of its author(s), and not necessarily those of the editors or of the British Deanna Brajcich, President Jen Carter, Treasurer Sooke School District Vernon School District Columbia Association of Mathematics Teachers. [email protected] [email protected] Articles appearing in Vector may not be reprinted without the explicit written permission of the editors. Once written permission Susan Robinson, Vice President Brad Epp, Membership Chair is obtained, credit must be given to the author(s) and to Vector, Gulf Islands School District Kamloops School District citing the year, volume number, issue number and page numbers. [email protected] [email protected] Notice to Contributors Colin McLellan, Secretary and Listserve Manager We invite contributions to Vector from all members of the Richmond School District mathematics education community in British Columbia. We will [email protected] give priority to suitable materials written by BC authors on BC curriculum items. In some instances, we may publish articles written by persons outside the province if the materials are of ELEMENTARY particular interest in BC. REPRESENTATIVES Submit articles by email to the editors. Authors must also include Adam Fox Alex Sabell a short biographical statement of 40 words or less. North Vancouver School District Surrey School District [email protected] [email protected] Articles must be in Microsoft Word (Mac or Windows). All diagrams must be in TIFF, GIF, JPEG, BMP, or PICT formats. Debbie Nelson Photographs must be high print quality (min. 300 dpi). Comox Valley School District [email protected] The editors reserve the right to edit for clarity, brevity and grammar. SECONDARY Notice to Advertisers REPRESENTATIVES Vector is published two times a year: spring and fall. Circulation is Ron Coleborn Chris Hunter approximately 1400 members in BC, across Canada and in other Surrey School District Surrey School District countries around the world. [email protected] [email protected] Advertising printed in Vector may be of various sizes, and all Josh Giesbrecht materials must be camera ready. Abbotsford School District Usable page size is 6.75 x 10 inches. [email protected] Deadline for Submissions Spring: FEB 1 (for peer review, December 1) POST-SECONDARY NCTM AND Fall: SEP 1 (for peer review, July 1) REPRESENTATIVES NCSM REPRESENTATIVES Peter Liljedahl Marc Garneau Advertising Rates Per Issue Simon Fraser University Surrey School District $300 Full Page [email protected] [email protected] $160 Half Page $90 Quarter Page INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS Membership Enquiries REPRESENTATIVES If you have questions regarding membership status or have a Darian Allan Richard de Merchant change of address, please contact Brad Epp, Membership Chair: Collingwood School St. Michaels University School [email protected] West Vancouver Victoria [email protected] [email protected] 2019/20 Membership Rates $40 + GST (BCTF Member) $20 + GST Student (full time university only) $65.52 + GST Subscription (non-BCTF) VECTOR EDITORS Sean Chorney Susan Robinson Cover Art: This diagram was created by Eden Weiss, April 2019, for Donal Duncan's Foundations of Mathematics 12 class at Gulf Simon Fraser University Gulf Islands School District Islands Secondary School. The assigned task was to create a Voronoi [email protected] [email protected] diagram using GeoGebra, and then to four-colour it according to the Four Colour Map Theorem. Eden's artistic inspiration for this diagram was to create an abstract representation of a flower. Photos taken by Sean Chorney and Susan Robinson CONTRIBUTORS Ray Appel Elizabeth deVries his portfolio was Mathematics a passion for developing Grades 7–12. He has taught Thinking Classrooms. Michael Ray has taught elementary Elizabeth is the Coordinator at three faculties of education believes that mathematics is a school, been a mathematics/ of Technology in School (Brock University, Queen's social endeavour and is best science helping teacher, spoken District 73. Elizabeth has University, Daemen College) learned through collaborative throughout Canada and the US, a Bachelor of Science in and at Sheridan College. Jeff activity. and has authored mathematics animal biology, a Masters is coauthor or contributing curriculum. He is currently of Education in Leadership author for 11 high school Alex Sabell retired, delving deep into and Administration and has mathematics textbooks. He is reading, painting, drawing, taught French Immersion in currently a PhD candidate at Alex has been an elementary walking, website design, a bit of elementary school. Elizabeth is Brock University. school teacher in the Surrey mathematicsconsulting, home always eager to share her love School District for nine years building and more! His website, of learning, critical thinking, Janice Novakowski during which time she earned zapple.ca is used by thousands outdoors, adventure, and play. a masters of education in of educators worldwide. She loves to connect with other Janice is currently a district Curriculum and Instruction, educators to share ideas and teacher consultant working with with a focus on Numeracy. Matt Branch stories. K-12 educators and students in This degree has fostered Alex’s the areas of mathematics and passion for mathematics which Matt joined Math Challengers, Marie Fanshaw numeracy in the Richmond is now an integral part of her then known as Math Counts, in School District. She is also a teaching practice. In 2018, 2004. In 2016 Matt was elected Marie is in her third year member of the BC Numeracy Alex received the Outstanding to the executive as Vice-Chair, working in the role of Network and facilitates the BC Elementary Teacher Award, and was elected into his current Numeracy Resource Teacher Reggio-Inspired Mathematics as well as the Ivan. L Johnson Chair position in 2017. Matt for the Prince George School Project. Janice is interested Memorial Award. She is Branch is graduate of the uni- District. Prior to this, she was in curricular structures and currently on the executive versity of Waterloo Engineer- a teacher for 25 years with a pedagogy that is inclusive and of the BC Association of ing, has been a Professional focus on primary grades. She responsive to all students. Mathematics Teachers Engineer since 2007. Matt is a is passionate about helping devoted to his family and two teachers build capacity in the Alisha Parashar- Brian Taylor children. Matt believes strongly area of numeracy. She has been Choukulkar in community and support- involved in helping facilitate Brian is a mathematics teacher ing tomorrow's math leaders books clubs and professional Alisha is a Business Education at Point Grey Secondary in through Math Challengers. development both locally and teacher at the Vancouver Vancouver. He earned his provincially. School Board. She completed mathematics degree and Tamara DeFord her Bachelors of Arts at the teaching degree at UBC. When Adam Fox University of British Columbia not in the classroom he can be Tamara DeFord is an with a specialization in found swimming in the ocean. Adam teaches kindergarten in intermediate teacher in Prince international relations. She the North Vancouver School George School District. She has also received her masters in Stephanie Turner District. Prior to becoming been involved with the district Educational Administration a teacher, he was an IT mathematics enhancement and Leadership with a focus Stephanie has been teaching consultant in England. He team since 2015, working on Financial Literacy. primary students for 20 years Fridays to support teachers recently completed his Master’s and is currently teaching and district projects in the in Mathematics Education at Michael Pruner grade two in the Surrey School area of numeracy. She has Simon Fraser University. district. She is passionate about taken the lead on many book Michael is a high school creating learning experiences clubs and workshops some