Abstract

From the year 2004, a group of more than 30 teachers, enthusiasts of Mathematics, have been carrying out the activity "Workshop of Mathematical Talent" (“Taller de Talento Matemático”, TTM , in Spanish). We celebrate meetings every two Fridays from 18:00 to 19:30. Students aged 13 to 18 meet other fans of Mathematics of the same age. Our aim is that they enjoy aspects and approaches that habitually cannot be seen (for lack of time) in the classrooms of their centres: fascinating perspectives that make them meditate and bring to the surface the best of their good minds. Unlike other projects of this type, we do not do any type of previous selection in the election of the attendees. We send informative letters summoning for ALL the students interested in Mathematics, as well as for the voluntary teachers that want to take part as ALTRUISTIC mentors in any of the meetings. All the meetings can be found in http://www.unizar.es/ttm.
We are deeply satisfied with the positive outcome of this activity: that of encouraging the enjoyment in the resolution of Mathematical problems. We think that this is definitively a way of preparing our teenagers to solve with reason and logic other problems that they will have to face all along. We are sure to be EDUCATING by means of the Mathematics.

Statement of the problem that spurred the innovation

Students aged 13 to 18 generally do not enjoy mathematics. They see this subject as a hard mountain they have to climb if they want to get their degrees in order to be accepted in a university or starting a ruled professional training. Maths are normally in our education system just a mere collection of formulae, more or less understood, that must be used adequately in every case.
The increase of the mixed-abilities students in the classrooms, and the necessity to take care of it, has been misinterpreted almost always as a “reduction of levels” so that all the students can acquire the basic skills. For that reason,