The Hexagon Salon is a work of fiction that explores
undergraduate education
, with a particular focus on
math education
. The ultimate objective is to highlight some of the hidden systemic sources of student difficulties and propose an alternative direction for the education community to explore.
The story begins with the protagonist, Marie Atrevida, as a college student who engages in discussions with friends about some of the more pressing issues we face in today's world. Among the ideas to which she is exposed is
systems thinking
.
After college, she secures a community college math teaching position where she experiences the educational system from the inside. She sees many flaws with this system, but it isn't until she applies her knowledge of systems thinking to undergraduate education that she begins to see that the current efforts of educators to improve the system will miss their mark. She realizes she needs to leave that system or be frustrated for the rest of her career.
When an unusual opportunity is presented to her, she embraces it. Working with students who did not find success in traditional academia, she is able to experiment and ultimately develops her own approach to teaching that is radically different from the normal.
This story should provide educators looking to improve our current system with many thought-provoking ideas to ponder as they follow along on Marie's journey of discovering a different way to engage students.