“From the Archives–1949” Mathbits

Posted on by

Article Series by Mark Nechanicky, Region 1 Director

April 1949 was Volume 1 Number one of the MCTM newsletter

Highlights about the Spring Conference held on April 29 and and April 30.

    • Keynote speaker was the president of the NCTM, Mr. E.H.C.Hildebrandt
    • Packed with new ideas and materials for the mathematics classroom
    • Discussion groups where you can ask questions and share experiences
    • Successful teachers will share their “tricks of the trade”
    • Exhibits of new films, models, teaching devices and recreational mathematics books.
    • Featured speaker, Mr. Mark Graubard of the University of Minnesota, well known lecturer, will give interesting sidelights on the calculator.

May 1949

MCTM boasts a statewide membership of over 100 members and over 225 people attended the April 1949 conference. Annual membership dues were $1.00 ($32.23in 2025 dollars adjusted for inflation)

A student device for measuring distances indirectly using similar triangles:“With full teaching schedules and busy out of school lives, most of us have too little time and too little energy…Let’s get away from this apartment house living where we know nothing about our neighbor or even worse when we know him only for his infernal snoring or weird singing. Do you know all of the mathematics teachers in your school?…We can make ours (council) work for us by getting acquainted and by finding out what others are doing and thinking.”

December 1949

Heard at recent mathematics meetings

“Our success in teaching mathematics can be evaluated by our own answers to these questions:

    1. Do my students have a clear understanding of basic principles?
    2. Can my students use mathematics?
    3. Do my students like to study mathematics?
    4. Am I doing something new and different each year?
    5. Am I improving my evaluation methods?

Resources:

    • Film: Algebra in Everyday Life. Motivational film for 9th grade
    • Book: The Makers of Mathematics. Excellent, readable history of mathematics
    • Pamphlet: Just for Fun: A collection of mathematical jokes
    • Device: Dynamic Geometry Set (set of triangles, parallelograms, and circles)
    • Game: Magic Number. A card game for relaxation and mental exercise.