In-school workshops
The CEMC visits schools in Ontario to meet with students and educators of mathematics and computer science. There is no charge for these visits. Visits outside of Ontario are also possible.
Purpose of school visits
Our goal is to have fun with mathematics and computer science. Specifically, we design our classroom visits to solve engaging problems together
- to share our enthusiasm and enjoyment of the subject areas,
- to highlight the importance of mathematics and/or computer science, and
- to encourage students to work both within and outside the curriculum to develop and enhance their own problem solving skills.
CEMC impact
CEMC Visits Schools – Information and Guidelines
Our CEMC Visits Schools programs are designed for students in Grades 7 to 12 and are aimed at groups of students and/or classes who already have some interest in math and/or computer science.
- Educators from the CEMC meet with students to solve interesting problems in mathematics and/or computer science. These sessions often include discussions of real-world applications and careers in mathematics and computer science. The sessions involve students working on problems individually or in groups.
- Workshops of 20 to 40 students are best, although larger and smaller groups are possible. We can meet with entire classes, math or computer science clubs, or other such groups of selected students.
- We recommend session durations of 60 to 90 minutes in length for Grades 9 to 12, and 60 to 75 minutes for Grades 7 and 8.
- We can visit schools where interested students from multiple surrounding schools gather for a session.
We prefer to do our visits in school classrooms, but frequently use libraries, and other appropriate spaces. Having a data projector, screen and blackboard/whiteboard is important. Students should be seated at desks or tables where they can easily work.
Students should bring a pencil and some paper. Some students might find a calculator useful. Our sessions involve the students doing lots of mathematics themselves.
For the benefit of the students, the teacher and the presenter, it is important that the regular classroom teacher be present and involved in the workshops, recognizing that last-minute, unplanned absences can occur.
We can also meet with groups of educators during the school day, at lunch, or after school to discuss such topics as
- preparing students for CEMC contest writing and problem-solving
- resources for educators offered by the CEMC
- careers and real-world applications in mathematics and computer science
- math and/or computer science at the University of Waterloo
