• Course Offered
• Placement
• Registration
• Payment
• Calendar
• Staff
• FAQ

(All contents on this program page are for reference only. We reserve the right to make changes.)

When? 

July 24 to August 11, 2023 (7:00 PM to 9:30 PM US Eastern Time on weekdays, 15 academic days, 37.5 total online class hours). (To enhance students' learning experiences, we do expect HW for this program. For details, please see below.)

Who? 

Programs are intended for rising 4th to 12th graders.

Program Setup

IDEA MATH will offer Math Challenges 0/A/1/2/3/4/5/6 courses via remote learning---Zoom based LIVE classes. Each course has 37.5 class hours. Math Challenges 0/A introduce math extra curricular/contest experiences to young, able and interested students. Math Challenges 1/2/3/4/5/6 coursed cover the more challenging materials from PC1/2/X and UC1/2/3 courses respectively. Students will take a 2.5-hour class in the evening (7:00 PM to 9:30 PM, US Eastern Time) on weekdays, 12.5 = 2.5*5 hours per week (5 weekdays), and 37.5 = 2.5*5*3 hours for whole program (3 weeks). We expect one hour of HW on each class day.

Why

IDEA MATH provides in-depth enrichment in important mathematical areas, particularly in the fields from which contest problems are drawn: algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and number theory. We believe students learn best by discovering, rather than simply memorizing, essential theorems and techniques. Our process puts students at the center of the classes, as students work together to develop their ideas. Our instructors lead this process by teaching vital ideas, giving meaningful examples, and guiding students through the problem-solving process.

How

We apply seminar-style teaching in our classes. Class sizes are small to ensure that students receive plenty of individual attention. Students are expected to work as a group and present their solutions and ideas to the class.

Zoom Class Policies

To protect students' privacy, we ask our students to:

1. Always use student's full name along with IDEA MATH ID to join Zoom classes. Only enrolled students are allowed to join our LIVE classes.
2. Turn on video and audio during the class.
3. No recording or taking photos is allowed.

For more details on our online class policy, please visit here.

What are the unique strengths of IDEA MATH that distinguish it from other (summer/winter/online/weekend) math programs?

The unique strengths of IDEA MATH can be summarized as follows:

1. Comprehensive and well-tested teaching materials, modeled after the training materials once used by our academic director Dr. Zuming Feng in his work with the Phillips Exeter Academy Red Lion (PEARL) math club/team and Math Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP). (Go here for more references on curriculum info. )
2. Strong team of instructors, consisting of front-line teachers, coaches, and top former students. (Find more staff info. )
3. Emphasis on student leadership and the development of an attitude conducive to learning.
4. Focus on schools and the local math communities.

For more details, please visit our FAQ page.

Contact IDEA MATH

As always, we welcome parents' specific academic questions about our curriculum and teaching styles, as well as students' class-work and preparation. Please contact info@ideamath.org---make sure to include the following info in your email subject: student's full name, 4-digit IDEA MATH ID, and intended program.

In order to meet the needs of students with different mathematical backgrounds, the projected IDEA MATH July program course offerings are: Math Challenges 0/A/1/2/3/4/5/6. Math Challenges 0/A introduce math extra curricular/contest experiences to young, able and interested students. Math Challenges 1/2/3/4/5/6 courses cover the more challenging materials from PC1/PC2/PCX/UC1/UC2/UC3 courses respectively. To a certain extent, Math Challenges 1/2/3/4/5/6 are condensed versions of PC1/PC2/PCX/UC1/UC2/UC3.

IDEA MATH provides an extensive curriculum. The course list shown below consists of projected courses we will offer in this program. Two of the major strengths of our program---a strong academic team and a full range of materials---allow us to create new courses/groups to meet the needs of the students body. Therefore, the course list (and course schedule) is subject to change based on actual enrollment and staff availability.

Please visit detailed curriculum grid for a more complete reference of IDEA MATH course curriculums.

* Each course will only be offered when a minimum number of students have enrolled. Some courses might run multiple sections. To maintain the high standard of our students' learning experience, class sizes will remain small---about 8 to 16 students for PC0/PCA courses, about 8 to 20 students for other courses.

** All class times are in the US Eastern Time Zone. Each course will have 15 meetings (2.5 hours per meeting, one meeting on each weekday, three weeks), for a total of 2.5*5*3 = 37.5 class hours in this session. One hour of HW is expected following each meeting. Check calendar here.