About the speaker
Cliff Petrak of Chicago’s Mt. Greenwood neighborhood holds a B.S. degree in mathematics from DePaul University and an M.S. in mathematics from Chicago State University. Now retired, Cliff enjoyed a 40-year math teaching and coaching career at his alma mater, Brother Rice H.S. in Chicago, where he graduated in its first class in 1960. For his academic and coaching accomplishments in math, baseball, bowling and hockey during that time span, he has been recognized by his induction into six different halls of fame. Cliff has been giving presentations and workshops in speed and mental math since 1996 at schools, libraries and math conferences in 16 states and Canada, now totaling 155 such presentations. He has presented at 2 NCTM national conferences and 5 NCTM regional conferences. He is author of 3 books including Don’t Slow Me Down with that Calculator, in which he details 62 little-known, super-shortcut computational techniques and strategies.
Session Titles & Descriptions
Don't Slow Me Down with that Calculator (Mental Math Methods)
Cliff will demonstrate how his speed math methods will always prove faster than the old-fashioned algorithmic methods with which we all grew up. He’ll also show how these methods are often faster than with the use of a calculator! The directives of 3 of the Common Core Standards will play an important part in the discovery of these techniques. Many of these methods have long been in use in European and Asian schools and their textbooks, which explain why we currently find ourselves near the bottom as the 34th ranking country in the world in mental math and calculation abilities. Once learned, however, these methods will help bring our calculating methods into the 21st Century and, at the same time, will leave your calculator-dependent friends in the dust!
