IADM Workshops for Teachers (New York City)

"Iterative Algebra and Dynamic Modeling had its roots in a series of workshops offered in New York City under the auspices of The American Forum for Global Education (TAFGE). Starting in 1996, TAFGE contracted with the NYC Board of Education to address issues of sustainability in the context of teacher workshops dealing with "The Mathematics of Global Change."

With time, these workshops turned to the mathematics curriculum that is currently in place and the use of technology to enrich and strengthen school mathematics. This led us to the concept of "iterative algebra" and its relation to the "models for change" that are central to environmental issues - e.g., population dynamics, the interaction of economics with the environment, and the study of the earth and its biosphere as a closed system.

In the course of three summers, the TAFGE workshops on "The Mathematics of Global Change" evolved into "Iterative Algebra and Dynamic Modeling." In 1999 IADM was offered under the aegis of Columbia University Teachers College. In 2000, it will be used in a summer program offered through UC Davis University Extension