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About

We’re helping teachers create the classroom they have always envisioned. 

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Our Philosophy

Contemporary math often relies on rote memorization, while Montessori math emphasizes exploration and understanding. Dr. Montessori believed that “rules are a point of arrival, not of departure.”

 

At The Math Institute, students engage in hands-on activities that promote experimentation. When challenges arise, teachers guide them with questions to enhance understanding rather than memorization.

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Used & Trusted

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& Unaffiliated public, private, and home schools

Our History

How It Began

Before returning to the classroom in 2024, Michael Waski lead The Math Institute with his transformational vision of the prepared environment. Michael holds both adolescent and elementary diplomas from AMI. He completed his AMI Elementary training in Bergamo in 2008, under the direction of Baiba Krumins Grazzini. He also completed the NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies in 2005. Under his guidance, the Math Institute published four of his math books. He authored five comprehensive review sets, as a recursive daily student work, consisting of over 8,000 unique problems. He has also overseen the production of several adolescent math materials designed and produced by his former co-teacher, Geoff Bigler.

Meet Our Director

Before joining the Math Institute as Director of Strategy and Prototyping, Geoff Bigler taught at the Montessori High School at University Circle alongside Michael Waski. Together they developed new materials, projects, and a prepared mathematics environment. Geoff comes from a unique background of architecture before finding his way to education and Montessori. He took his AMI Adolescent Orientation training in 2012 and received his AMI Adolescent diploma in 2023.

The Math Institute Team

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Geoff Bigler

Director of Strategy and Prototyping

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Tina Booth

AMI Director of Adolescent Programming

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Robin Miller

Executive

Director

Our Core Values

Respect

Innovation

Humility

Curiosity

Support

Collaboration

We recognize and honor the land and labor that have supported and shaped our work. Learn more about in our Land & Labor Acknowledgements.

What People Are Saying

I walk away from every [The Math Institute] workshop learning something new and feeling more confident in teaching integrated math with my adolescents. During workshops, there is time to ask questions specific to what you need in the environment; Mike has so many great ideas to really help students find a love for math!

Still have questions?

We're here to help.

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