Math Teacher to Speak at National Conference

Westminster mathematics teacher Tony Griffith has been selected to make a presentation titled “Mathematics in the NBA, Electoral College and Olympic City Voting” at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2010 meeting in San Diego April 21-24.

His presentation will cover how the NBA draft lottery uses combinations and probability to order the teams, how the electoral process uses apportionment to determine presidential elections and how the voting for an Olympic host city uses an application of elimination-method voting. The three examples provide a context for students to see mathematics outside the classroom.

“I selected a topic that uses math concepts in unexpected areas of life,” said Tony. “It incorporates standard parts of the discrete math curriculum and lessons high school teachers and undergraduate educators can use in courses that cover probability and other discrete math topics.”

More than 12,000 teachers are expected to attend the conference, which is titled “Connections: Linking Concepts and Context.” It is the largest gathering of mathematics educators in the country, with most of the presenters coming from university or corporate research backgrounds.

“For me it is a chance to bring Westminster’s name to a major national conference and to interact with people from other schools and at the university level,” added Tony. He plans to share ideas and sample problems from the conference with the other faculty in the Math Department.

In his nine years at Westminster, Tony has taught almost every math course offered and currently teaches AP Calculus BC and Honors Algebra 2. He is the holder of the Walter E. Edge Jr. ’35 Master Chair and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and economics from Wake Forest University and an M.A.L.S. from Wesleyan University. He has been an active participant in NCTM over the years, leading workshops at conferences and making a presentation at a regional conference in Richmond, Va., in 2007.

Tony has more than 21 years of experience teaching in independent schools, and each summer, he grades AP Calculus exams for the College Board. He will become head of the Westminster Mathematics Department at the beginning of the 2010-2011 academic year.