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Staff writer

In conjunction with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) regional conference in Minneapolis, the council’s president visited Anoka and Andover high schools Nov. 4.

Hank Kepner’s ambition to observe teachers’ use of technology in educating their students on the fine points of all things mathematical was indeed welcome.

According to Paul Kelly, Anoka High School math teacher, after an hour-long stop at Andover High School, Kepner spent the remainder of the day observing Anoka High School teachers “using technology to great effect in their classrooms.”

The technology Kelly referred to includes interactive whiteboards, iPod Touch quizzes and response units (clickers) in geometry.

“About technology...does it get students to make intelligent math decisions? That is the question,” said Kepner.

Kepner and a couple of NCTM colleagues then stopped by Chris Fenwick’s honors algebra 2 class at Anoka High School.

Fenwick employed an interactive whiteboard to assign this task:

Graph the quadratic function f(x)= -2x – x – 2.

Students employed hand-held technology to complete the task, then compared their process with that suggested by Fenwick.

“The question is, are the kids reasoning? Are they incorporating creativity and foreknowledge to arrive at a solution?” said Kepner, insisting that “math is not just calculations, but why did you do that calculation?”

Kepner regularly visits schools around the country, bent on studying what students are doing in mathematics and eager to learn from classroom teachers in different locations.

These visits provide valuable information in support of NCTM’s national dialogue with policy makers, administrators and other constituencies committed to high-quality mathematics education, Kepner said.

In addition to serving as NCTM president, Kepner is professor of mathematics education in the department of curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The NCTM has 100,000 members and 230 affiliates in the United States and Canada.

It is the world’s largest organization dedicated to improving mathematics education from preschool through grade 12.

The council recommends that math education for all students go beyond the basics to include higher levels of mathematics, Kepner said.

To learn more about the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, visit www.nctm.org.

Sue Austreng is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it