Summer 2021 Online: Overview

Due to the COVID-19 situation, BSME will run a tuition-free online program for the Summer 2021 session. Given the strong demand for teachers to learn about online instruction in the current climate, the program will have a dual focus on the Hungarian pedagogy and online instruction.

Program Description

Budapest Semesters in Mathematics Education (BSME) is designed for those interested in the learning and teaching of secondary mathematics. BSME participants explore the Hungarian pedagogy, in which a strong and explicit emphasis is placed on problem solving, mathematical creativity, and communication.

Who should apply? BSME welcomes participants with varying levels of background. You may be currently pursuing a teaching license; you may be planning to pursue other paths to licensure (e.g., master’s program); you may be an educator at the K–12 or college level; or you may be simply curious about the learning and teaching of mathematics, particularly the student-centered approach. The common thread among BSME participants is their genuine interest in mathematics education and effective teaching practices. (Note: Participants must have completed at least one year of college and be 18 years in age by the time they enter BSME.)

Why BSME? Today’s teachers are expected to provide students with opportunities to struggle productively towards understanding, and the Hungarian pedagogy has the potential to play a critical role in this endeavor. At BSME, we are excited for our participants to develop and bring back this new perspective on mathematics education.

Dates for Summer 2021

The five-week program is divided into two halves. You may choose to participate in the First half only, the Second half only, or both halves.

  • Program begins on Monday, June 14 with a required orientation for all students (5pm – 8:30pm Budapest time).
  • First half: Tuesday, June 15 through Tuesday, June 29.
  • Second half: Wednesday, June 30 through Thursday, July 15.
  • Program ends on Friday, July 16 with a farewell party for all students (5pm- 6:30pm Budapest time).

Courses Offered

We will offer four courses in mathematics education that have a shared goal of engaging participants in the Hungarian pedagogy. Class sizes are small, with a maximum of 12 students in each class section. Participants may choose to take 1 to 4 courses from the selection below.

First half: Click on each three-letter code for the course syllabus.

  • DLP  Discovery Learning: The Pósa Method
  • GMP  Gamification and Playfulness in Teaching Mathematics

Second half: Click on each three-letter code for the course syllabus.

  • GPS  Teaching Geometry through Problem Solving
  • PRC  Practicum: Experiencing the Hungarian Approach through Observation and Teaching

All BSME courses lie at the intersection of mathematics and education. But they differ in the emphasis placed on each discipline.

  • DLP and GPS have an increased mathematical content. They provide participants with the experience of learning mathematics through the Hungarian pedagogy, so they can acquire firsthand understanding of the values of those experiences for learners.
  • GMP and PRC, while deeply situated in mathematics, have an increased focus on teaching methodology and on implementing the Hungarian pedagogy in the classroom setting.

Course Format

BSME courses will be taught synchronously, with live online class sessions at pre-scheduled times. We will use the web conferencing software Zoom, which is freely available.

Course Schedule

Each course will meet for 10 sessions of 2 hours each, for a total of 20 hours per course.

BSME courses meet at the following times, with a 15 minute break in the middle of each session. In the schedule below, times are given in Budapest time and in the continental US timezones:

Budapest Pacific Mountain Central Eastern
DLP/ GPS 5pm–7:15pm 8am–10:15am 9am–11:15am 10am–12:15pm 11am–1:15pm
GMP/ PRC 7:45pm–10:00pm 10:45am–1:00pm 11:45am–2:00pm 12:45pm–3:00pm 1:45pm–4:00pm

Week 1 (June 14 – 18):

  • Monday: Welcome party and Orientation (required for all students).
  • Tuesday – Friday: Sessions 1 – 4 of DLP and GMP.

Week 2 (June 21 – 25):

  • Monday – Thursday: Sessions 5 – 8 of DLP and GMP.
  • Friday:

Week 3 (June 28 – July 2):

  • Monday – Tuesday: Sessions 9 – 10 of DLP and GMP.
  • Wednesday – Thursday: Sessions 1 – 2 of GPS and PRC.
  • Friday:

Week 4 (July 5 – 9):

  • Monday – Thursday: Sessions 3 – 6 of GPS and PRC.
  • Friday:
    • 5pm – 6:30pm Hungarian cooking workshop (current students and alumni)
    • 6:30pm – 7:30pm (student only lunch)

Week 5 (July 12 – 16):

  • Monday – Thursday: Sessions 7 – 10 of GPS and PRC.
  • Friday: Farewell party (all students).

To view the schedule in your own time zone, open the BSME calendar and add it to your own calendar by clicking on the + sign at the lower right corner.

Course Credits (Optional)

BSME courses are designed so that credits are transferable to American colleges and universities. St. Olaf College is the School of Record for BSME and provides the transcripts. See this page for how credits from BSME courses typically transfer to participants’ home institutions.

Each BSME course will meet for over 20 hours and is worth 0.5 course credits.

Participants who require full 1.0 credit courses may take these combinations of courses:

  • DLP and GPS will result in a 1.0 credit course called Problem-solving in Mathematics Education.
  • GMP and PRC will result in a 1.0 credit course called Practices in Guided Discovery.

Earning course credits is optional. However, if you choose to receive an official transcript and earn credits that you can transfer to your home institution, you must pay a transcript fee at a flat rate of $450, regardless of the number of courses taken.

apply