Math Fairs

I have volunteered for several math fairs that took place on campus with the UBC Math Department and PIMS. However, I did not fully understand the rationale behind these math fairs. After reading through the introduction in this booklet, of which I have seen many times at these events, I feel that this type of problem-based fair provides one of the most beneficial approaches to mathematics for people of all ages. The participants ranged from elementary children to mathematical education professionals. Everyone was actively involved and shared the joy in solving mathematical problems, sometimes not even conscious that they were using mathematics. Hence, I would love to run a math fair at my practicum high school if possible. I would first ask the students if they have any problems of interest in mind before giving them one. For the math fair problems, I would allow some class time over two weeks for groups/pairs to work together both on solving and preparing the presentations.