We look at a bridge and see a math problem. We look at a parent and see a partner. We can't help it. It's the way we see things. It's also the way things are.
Teachers are students.
And in order to remain curious and stimulated by their areas of study, they need opportunities to develop professionally, to share ideas with their peers and to experience, on a regular basis, different methods of teaching and learning. Teachers who participate in Real World Mathematics receive just such an opportunity. Math teachers from across New York City gather each summer at the Real World Mathematics Summer Institute to see how math is used every day in the workplace and to generate lesson plans and curriculum units based on what they learn. The Dance Theatre of Harlem becomes the subject of a unit on geometry. The Transit Museum is transformed into an algebra lesson.