UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 25, Page 7
March 23, 1995
More than 2+2; Professor challenges young math students

     William Moody, professor of educational development and
mathematics, has been dreaming up math problems all his life. Lately,
he's been using these academic puzzles to put excitement into
elementary school math.
     Moody's Solve It program was born 15 years ago. It currently
involves 113 teams from 36 states qnd 213 teams from the state of
Delaware. Each team consists of 10 students.
     Solve It is not just answering questions on a test, Moody said.
Instead, the program's focus is on problem solving. The program's main
objective, Moody said, is to excite children about math.
     But Solve It questions aren't the average math problems where
students add or multiply stacks of numbers. One particular test
involves two bikers, a nine-mile tunnel and a hyperactive fly. Other
problems deal with the Richter scale and the metric system, and
another uses Corvettes, Mustangs and Firebirds.
     "There are often more ways to solve a math problem than just
grinding out the numbers," Moody explained. "I encourage the teachers
to work with their students on strategies for solving problems after
the test is over."
     The key to better math teaching is a more secure math teacher,
and Moody said he believes that a comfortable teacher will foster a
number of different strategies for solving a problem and also accept
other strategies from students.
     Moody's suggestion is to "try and adjust." He said he wants
students to try to come up with a solution one way, but if it doesn't
work they should learn to adjust their thinking and try another.
     "Most people think that the answer to a math problem will just
come to them. Usually, if it doesn't come right away, they quit,"
Moody said. "But, these kids really get the idea of problem solving,
and they come up with some ingenious solutions."
     To some participants, the Solve It program has made an
impression, Moody said.
     "At last year's award ceremony, one sixth grader said he'd been
thinking about a problem on his fourth-grade test," Moody said with
obvious pleasure. "My goal is to write good questions that hold the
student's attention beyond the test."
     He said the future looks good for the Solve It program. He
expects to have more than 500 teams participating next year. With that
number, the program will be self-supporting, and Moody will be
challenging more and more students to Solve It.
                                                          -David Scott