Teaching first-year math students to love doing math: shifting from calculations to creativity, critical thinking, and community
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56433/a34r7707Keywords:
summer bridge program, near-peer mentorship, curriculum co-creation, math education, student developmentAbstract
To support the transition to university-level mathematics, McMaster University has developed the McMaster Peer-Run Inclusive Math Experience (MacPRIME), a four-week online bridge program designed to emphasize the importance of creativity and critical thinking in mathematical problem-solving while building community among incoming first-year participants. The MacPRIME model uses cascading near-peer mentorship and curricular co-creation over a year-long cycle that consists of planning, designing, facilitating, and reflecting. Throughout this cycle, various forms of mentorship take place between the faculty supervisor, undergraduate student leaders, and participants, with each taking turns as both mentor and mentee. During the program itself, student leaders guide participants through digital activities which they have designed to integrate mathematical concepts with evidence-based learning strategies and advice for navigating student life. Participants find the program to be valuable to their first-year experience, and their feedback has led to improvement and refinement across cycles. In this vignette, our goal is to provide a glimpse into each of the four seasons of the MacPRIME model, focusing on the interconnected flows of co-creation, growth, and mentorship.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Caroline Junkins, Jessie Meanwell, Difei (Fay) Zheng, Lee van Brussel
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