Exploring Math Through Math Competitions At The Elementary School Level: Case Study Of A K 12 Approach

Studies have shown that engineering enrollments nationwide are declining or flat and US students lag in math behind other developed countries. Leading educators have challenged engineering educators to intervene at an early stage to improve math education. This paper is a case study of a decade old, volunteer-run, beforeschool “math club” enrichment activity at an elementary public school in Washington State for fourth through sixth graders. Math is promoted among students by preparing them to participate in various math competitions at the local, state, national and international level. The process of establishing the club, development of a work schedule, various math competitions available to Washington State elementary school students and their levels of difficulty, and challenges, rewards and lessons learned through the past seven years are described. By getting involved in such programs engineers have an opportunity to teach students the art of problem solving along with team building, leadership and negotiating skills, keeping schedules and meeting deadlines which are important skills for an engineering career. This is also a great opportunity to build a positive image of engineers among K-12 students and to attract girls to engineering.