IMPA supports seminar on mathematics education.

With the considerable increase in remote work, distance education, telemedicine, and e-commerce, the pandemic has further accelerated the digitalization of our daily lives. Faced with this scenario, considered by many to be irreversible, preparing children and adolescents to exercise their citizenship in the Digital Age is fundamental. On October 27th, at 9 am, IMPA researcher Roberto Imbuzeiro will demonstrate how mathematics can be an important tool in this mission, during the 3rd Mathematical Mindsets Seminar. Organized by the Sidarta Institute in partnership with Itaú Social and with the support of IMPA, the event is virtual and takes place on October 26th and 27th.

The meeting will bring together approximately 20 municipal education departments to discuss the importance of mathematics in the post-pandemic world and the fundamental role of educational managers in mobilizing school networks to increase learning rates. Participants will be invited to reflect on the shared data and together develop strategies to change this data in the coming years. At the end of the seminar, a proactive agenda will be shared, with actions and initiatives for the field of mathematics.

The seminar will feature international speakers, academics, and market experts in thematic panels on neuroscience, economics, equity, and the Mathematical Mindsets program , implemented in Brazil by the Sidarta Institute. The goal is to demonstrate how this discipline is fundamental to understanding the world around us and essential for the future job market and the economic development of countries. Click here to access the program.

Participants will also take part in workshops and debates to develop the text of the commitment to mathematics education. The panels are open to the public upon registration , and the workshops will be exclusive to members of the Education Secretariats.

"For a citizen to be able to navigate and interact in the digital society, it is necessary for them to improve their mathematical thinking. The challenge of learning mathematics cannot be solely the responsibility of the teacher within their classrooms. It requires a commitment from the entire society so that we can advance learning outcomes," says Ya Jen Chang, president of the Sidarta Institute.

Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University and creator of the Mathematical Mindsets program—which advocates for teaching mathematics in an open, visual, creative, and more equitable way—is one of the speakers at the event. In addition to presenting the relationship between neuroscience and mathematics, she will discuss her ongoing project in the United States, "Data Science for Everyone," which brings data science concepts into the classroom and modernizes mathematics education.

"Teaching data science in schools is much more than preparing young people for well-paid careers. It's about fostering the ability to read, analyze, communicate, and make sense of data that will affect people's lives around the world. We want to prepare citizens to navigate a world full of data. Fortunately, education administrators in the United States are beginning to recognize the need for students to develop data literacy," says Boaler.

This is the third edition of the Mathematical Mindsets Seminar. The first, held in 2018 in São Paulo, promoted discussions and activities based on the Mathematical Mindsets approach for teachers. The following year, the second edition took place with the presence in Brazil of Jo Boaler and Cathy Williams. In 2020, due to the pandemic, the Seminar was adapted into two series of webinars, broadcast on YouTube.