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Jowi (6th grade) learns Javascript with assistance from Zavier (12th grade, BEAM 2011).
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Our first ever BEAM 6: four weeks, 76 students, 44 staff
This summer, for the first time, students from half of BEAM's partner schools were invited to the new BEAM 6 program for the summer after 6th grade. With support from great teachers, college students, and even past BEAM alumni who returned as junior counselors, the students learned advanced math in areas such as logical reasoning, math team strategies, and afternoon math circles.
Hosted at the Urban Assembly Maker Academy, this was BEAM's first-ever non-residential program. With an intentional focus on building community, our students made friendships that will last a lifetime and help guide them through their paths from here on out.
Anthony, 12, wrote the following about his experience: "Math is a way to express yourself to the world. My favorite part of BEAM is being able to work in a community that is just as passionate about math as me and being [able] to work with these people to expand my knowledge."
You can read more student perspectives on our blog.
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Every student who attended BEAM 6 is invited to continue their studies with a free online Prealgebra course at Art of Problem Solving; free books from BEAM; and recommendations to future programs and high schools. Forty of the students will be back next summer for BEAM 7 at Bard College!
While still a pilot program, we are so pleased with how BEAM 6's first summer went and we look forward to expanding it to serve students from all our partner schools in summers to come.
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The students and staff of BEAM 6 2016
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Join BEAM for Trivia Night!
Join BEAM and many of our students and supporters for a fast-paced night of slightly-mathy trivia on Tuesday, November 15 in Lower Manhattan!
You'll get to work together with some of our amazing kids while solving interesting questions and enjoying upscale pizza, pasta, and an open bar. You'll also be contributing to BEAM and learning more about how we prepare students for advanced work in math. Be warned, though — one of our board members says he's playing to win!
For more information or to buy your tickets, visit our website.
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BEAM College Prep
This August, twenty rising 11th and 12th graders joined the BEAM staff for our first ever College Prep Week. Students learned about colleges, admissions, financial aid, scholarships, interviews, and standardized tests. Juniors also had time to prepare for the SAT, while Seniors wrote the first drafts of their college essay.
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BEAM launched this program to address a critical need: we found that many of our students were not getting the college guidance they needed to attend the selective schools they were qualified for.
Jahdel, a rising 12th grader at Brooklyn Tech, said the following of his experience: "Learning about the whole process eliminated all the stress and worries I would have had during the school year. BEAM College Prep was the best college advice I've gotten."
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The BEAM difference: embracing challenge
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How long does it take you to solve a math problem? As part of teaching students the value of challenge and deep thinking, we asked them at the end of the summer: what was the longest you spent on a math problem before BEAM? What about now that you've been at BEAM?
The median student time spent on problems went up from 15 minutes to 2 days!
Our students also said some amazing things about how this growth affected them. Here's just a few of those:
- Chanaya: "It would be frustrating and hard to work on a problem for two days but once I find the answer, I would be so happy and relieved."
- Gustavo: "Surprising because it showed that not all math be solved in 5 minutes or less."
- Jessica: "Frustrating at first but an epic win once you solve. You feel very proud."
- Montana: "Time-consuming, enraging, but worth it."
- Racquel: "Amazing because when you finally find a strategy or a formula then all the confusion clears up."
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Karen Taylor, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Bronx Community College, helps Gabe with classwork in her course "Squares and the Sum of Two Squares."
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Grace takes advice from her group as they write a conjecture about modular arithmetic in their Cryptography course.
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Bard students work together during their Relays math competition.
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Thanks to all our friends and supporters from the staff and students of BEAM 7 2016 for an incredible summer!
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