The international conference is a free, multi-day event organized by the Standing Committee of the History of Science and Technology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences that founded the György Pólya Heuristic Subcommittee and by the Research Centre for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences with the support of the National Cultural Fund.
The conference focuses on the psychological problems of heuristics, motivation for innovative behavior, computer-assisted discovery and modeling of innovative thinking.
The STUDENT PROGRAM is designed to engage students in research. Students can apply for the program with their own digital programs, multimedia materials, videos, and mathematical proofs and problem-solving. (See “The Anatomy of Thinking” featured in Call for Proposals under MAIN PAGE.) The Sunday afternoon program features international workshops for students, parents, and teachers in a playful session illustrating experiential mathematics learning for students ages 9-18.
The event is hosted by NMI Balatonfüred Cultural Nonprofit Ltd. with the support of the Balatonfüred Local Government and the Lóczy Lajos Grammar School. No pre-registration required. The language of the event is English and Hungarian.
2nd International Conference on Heuristics:
Motivating, Orienting and Modeling Invention
Balatonfüred, August 30 – September 1, 2019
August 30, 2019, 09:45 - 12:30, Friday Morning Program
Location: Vaszary Galéria
Video Session and discussion of pre-recorded talks and demonstrations
09:45 – 10:00 Opening Thoughts on Motivating, Orienting and Modeling Invention
András G. Benedek, organizer, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
10:00 – 10:15 Problem-solving in a Dynamic Mathematics Environment
Erhan Selcuk Haciomeroglu, Temple University, Japan Campus
10:15 – 10:45 Computer Assisted Heuristic Learning of Analysis
Katalin Munkácsy, Eötvös Loránd University – Eleonóra Stettner, Kaposvár University
10:45 – 11:00 Coffee break
11:00 – 11:25 Creative Thinking Control: Lev Landa and his Algo-Heuristic Theory
Ekaterina Babintseva, University of Pennsylvania, USA
11:25 – 11:50 The Moment of Discovery in Flow
Olga Kiss, Corvinus University, Budapest
11:50 – 12:15 Multi-, and transdisciplinary approaches to learning mathematics through creative activities, arts and digital technology
Prof. Zsolt Lavicza, director, Johannes Kepler University, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Center, Linz;
Kristóf Fenyvesi, Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä / Experience Workshop; Bridges Organization
12:15 – 12:30 Commentary by Eleonóra Stettner, Kaposvár University
12:30 – 13:30 Informal discussion with the participants
(No host pizza and salad bar, Club Mauro Pizzéria)
August 30, 2019, Friday Afternoon Program
Location: Vaszary Galéria
13:30 – 14:00 Official Opening Ceremony
by the City Council of Balatonfüred
Miklós Laczkovich, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
14:00 – 15:45 Keynotes
14:00 – 14:45 Psychology of problem-solving and its role in education: from sputnik shock to the web
A problémamegoldás pszichológiája és szerepe a nevelésben: a szputnyik sokktól a webig.
Csaba Pléh, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
15:00 – 15:45 A Dienes Módszer – The Dienes Method
Prof. Sándor Klein, professor emeritus, University of Pécs
15:45 – 16:00 Coffee break
Friday afternoon Round Table, Location: Vaszary Galéria
16:00 – 17:00 Pólya György és Dienes Zoltán hatása a problémamegoldás történetére és számítógépes támogatására
George Pólya’s and Zoltán Dienes’s effect on the history of problem-solving and its computational augmentation (in Hungarian)
Pléh Csaba akadémikus,
Klein Sándor, prof. emeritus, University of Pécs
Honfi Vid S. főiskolai tanár,
Ollé János, egyetemi docens, Pannon Egyetem,
Benedek András, moderator, MTA Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont
17:00 – 17:30 Prof. Dienes’s Games and its mathematical connections in art, music, architecture, education, and culture
interactive exhibition: Tools and motivations for a transdisciplinary experience
Opening of the interactive exhibition: Sándor Klein, professor emeritus, University of Pécs, and SHL Hungary
18:30 – No host dinner at Halászkert
August 31, 2019, Saturday Program
Location: Vaszary Galéria
The Psychology of Heuristics
Chair: Csaba Pléh, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
09:45 – 10:20 Beyond Symbols: Movement, Communication and Intuition in Valéria Dienes's Philosophy, Psychology and Pedagogy
Brigitta Balogh, Partium Christian University / Eötvös Loránd University - Doctoral School of Education
10:20 – 10:55 Brains - Minds - Maths
Zsuzsa Kondor, Research Centre for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
10:55 – 11:30 Applications of deep learning to brain research
Regina Meszlényi-Deák, Research Center for the Natural Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
11:30 – 11:45 Coffee break
11:45 – 12:20 From heuristics to the changing logic of discovery - Pólya and Lakatos
Dániel Golden, Research Centre for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
12:20 – 12:55 On the origin and psycho-logic background of Zoltán P. Dienes’s Principles
András Benedek, Research Centre for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
12:55 – 14:00 Lunch break (No host Club Mauro Pizzéria)
14:00 – 14:45 Keynote: Implicit sequence learning and abstract structures: How can it be computationally modelled?
Prof. Zoltan Dienes, University of Sussex, UK
15:00 – 16:30 Panel discussion Symbolism and Embodiment: from movement to mathematics and on the way back:
Agnes Boreczky, professor emeritus, Loránd Eötvös University
István Pálosi, director-choreographer, Hungarian Art of Movement Company,
Zsuzsa Kondor and András Benedek, Research Centre for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences,
Brigitta Balogh, Partium Christian University / Eötvös Loránd University - Doctoral School of Education
16:30 – 17:30 Forum of International Projects and Collaborations
Agnes Tuska, CSU, Fresno, Deborah Stipek (Stanford University) Development and Research in Early Math Education,
Kristóf Fenyvesi, Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä / Experience Workshop, Bridges Organization
Stan Yoshinobu, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Activating Polya's Method via Inquiry-Based Learning
September 1, 2019, Sunday Student Program
Location: Vaszary Galéria
How is it possible to invent such a solution - An Anatomy of Thought
10:00 – 10:15 The research initiative behind the Student Challenge
András G. Benedek, Research Center for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
10:15 – 11:30 “Anatomy of Thought” in action: presentations, reflections and practices
Prof. Agnes Tuska, California State University, Fresno
11:30 – 11:45 Coffee Break
11:45 – 12:30 Keynote A mesterséges intelligencia hatása a gondolkodásra – The effect of Artificial Intelligence on Thinking
Prof. László Mérő, Eötvös Loránd University
12:30 – 13:00 Change of location: walk to the Pólya-tree in the memorial tree park of the Tagore promenade
13:00 – 13:30 Commemoration (neé-Kántor S. Tünde, Univ. of Debrecen) and
Announcement of Awards of the “Anatomy of Thought” Student Challenge by Dr. István Bóka, Mayor of Balatonfüred
Location: Vaszary Galéria
14:00 – 15:30 Games and Challenges for students and families
Demonstrations using the games and exhibited tools
Demonstrators: Prof. Agnes Tuska CSU Fresno, Kristóf Huszár, IST Austria, Ildikó Szabó, Experience Workshop, Sándor Róka, talent developer,
Gergely Bunth, Doctoral School of Math and Computer Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics
16:00 – 17:15 Boat Tour on Lake Balaton with Informal discussions:
Plans for collaboration preparing the Proceedings of Heuristics
Building a Network of Excellence for Heuristic Research
Keynote Speakers:
Zoltan Dienes Sándor Klein László Mérő Csaba Pléh
Invited international virtual speakers:
Zsolt Lavicza Kristóf Fenyvesi Deborah Stipek
Zoltan P. Dienes in Hungary - 31 years ago
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Previous events:
"How Did You Solve it?" - The School of Mathematical Discovery and its History
(Balatonfüred, September 14–16, 2017)
The event is organized by the Institute of Philosophy, Research Center for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), with the participation by foreign workshops and by the Didactic Group of the Alfréd Rényi Mathematical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, The Joy of Thinking Foundation, the Budapest Semester in Mathematics Education, the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), the hosting Lóczy Lajos High School, schools employing exemplary teaching methods (Fazekas Mihály Grammar School and Szent István Secondary School. Budapest) and by teachers of several schools in the region. The title of the two-day event refers to the title of the classic “How to Solve It” by George Pólya (1887- 1985). Its goal is the national dissemination of the international results of modern teaching methodology, the „Heuristic Method”, and the presentation of the traditions of didactic methods and current practices of leading Hungarian working groups to the international mathematics community (“Hungarian Approach”).
The Heuristic Method of Discovery is one of the most important living traditions of Hungarian mathematics education, which is linked to several workshops and historical antecedents of George Pólya’s work, such as the Arany Dániel competitions, the creation of the High School Mathematics Journal, or Karácsony Sándor’s educational philosophy, outstanding teachers , such as László Surányi and Lajos Pósa, and related workshops. Presentation of the method is not a simple task, especially in a conference environment. With video-technology solutions, we try to link demonstration sessions with professional and theoretical reflection in order to bring it back to practice. The already recorded material is published in advance, and some of the participants' discussions and lectures are also recorded, with the aim of generating materials that can be used methodically later.
We strive not only to revive the intellectual heritage of George Pólya or to capture the personal charm of a school-building scholar, but also to give a sample of the diverse possibilities of the Heuristic Method of Discovery, combine and confront it with the practices of foreign participants, schools and universities related to project-based learning, talent management, and work with disadvantaged students in math education.
All this is matched with mathematical and philosophical reflection and didactical analytical work that attempts to explore the essence, history as well as social and sociological problems of applying the Heuristic Method of Discovery and the difficulties of community creation and motivation in today's educational environment. Professional backgrounds are provided by the members of the MTA Methodology Working Group, NIIF Videotórium and VIDRA software developers.
The event is considered to be the first occasion of a series of events that allows the establishment of the "International George Pólya Society for the Teaching of Mathematical Heuristics" which will allow regular domestic and international exchanges of experiences.
Program
How do we solve it?
Student Program
September 14, 2017. Thursday morning (Location:Lóczy Lajos High School)
9:15-9:55 Giving Life to Problems: Area-conservative Transformations using GeoGebra
Special Mathematics Class (in English). Prof. Agnes Tuska, California State University
10:00-12:00 The Joy of Thinking – Playful Mathematical Group Activity
(in Hungarian). Lajos Pósa, the Didactic Group of the Alfréd Rényi Mathematical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
12:00 -12:55 Lunch break
September 14, 2017, Thursday afternoon (Location: Kisfaludy Galéria)
13:00 - 13:30 Student presentation (in English) about „The Mathematics of Voting Systems”
project
13:30 - 14:00 Learning Opportunities, responses to students’ questions (in English)
14:00 - 14:45 Poster Exhibition by the students of Lóczy Lajos High School about the life of
George Pólya
14:45 - 15:00 Judging student work
15:00 - 15:30 Pólya-tree planting in the memorial tree park of the Tagore promenade
15:30-16:00 Award ceremony
Conference Program
September 15, 2017, Friday morning (Location:Kisfaludy Galéria)
09:15 – 10:00 Opening ceremony (in Hungarian)
Katalin Duna, Head of the Lóczy Lajos High School
István Bóka, Mayor of Balatonfüred
András Benedek CSc., organizer, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Research Center for the Humanities,
10:00 – 10:45 Keynote Talk (in Hungarian), George Pólya and the Heuristic Tradition
Prof. Tibor Frank, corr. member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest
(English version available)
10:45 – 11:00 Coffee break
11:00 – 12:30 Presentation and discussion of pre-recorded demonstration lessons (in both Hungarian and English) Presenters: Géza Kiss (Fazekas Mihály High School, Budapest), Péter Juhász, (Didactics Group of Rényi Alfréd Mathematical Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Réka Szász, (Budapest Semesters in Mathematics Education), Agnes Tuska (California State University, Fresno).
12:00 – 13:00 Informal discussion with the participants (Pizza and salad bar)
September 15, 2017, Friday afternoon: Parallel sessions (Location:Lóczy Lajos Gimnázium)
Section A:
13:00 – 13:45 What would Pólya Do? Great problems for young minds. Interactive presentation (in English), Jennifer Clinkenbeard & J. Brook Ernest, California State University, Channel Islands
13:45 – 14:30 Learning Discoveries in the USA and HUNGARY Informal discussion-group (in English) with the participation of American prospective teachers in the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics Education program and students of Lóczy Gimnazium
Section B:
13:00 – 14:30 "How Did You Solve It?" Workshop (in Hungarian)
Reports and presentations of working groups on methods of heuristic approach in Hungary and abroad
Chair: Miklós Laczkovich member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
- What is BSME striving for? Réka Szász, (Budapest Semesters in Mathematics Education)
- MaMuT (Informal presentation about the activities of The Camp of Fun with Mathematics, the Joy of Thinking Foundation (Gondolkodás Öröme Alapítvány) by Péter Juhász, Didactics Group, MTA Rényi Alfréd Mathematical Research Institute)
- How could math look like as a result of collaboration? Report on the goals and methods, and on-going development of the Pólya Center (Prof. Ágnes Tuska, California State University)
- Paul Erdős Mathematical Talent School (Ferenc Pintér )
- Minerva Learning Alternative Foundation (Cz. Nagyné Klára Bándi)
- Lovassy László Gimnázium Veszprém
14:30 – 14:45 Coffee break
14:45 – 15:15 Towards developing the „International George Pólya Society for the Teaching of Mathematical Heuristics”: Presentation of the goals and experiences of the network building (in Hungarian)
Dr. András Benedek, MTA BTK, András Kmetykó, organizer of Pólya-Szegő Memorial Conference
15:15 – 16:15 History of Science in Heuristics, Heuristics in the History of Science Panel discussion (in Hungarian).
Participants: Miklós Laczkovich member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Csaba Pléh, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Gábor Kutrovácz, ELTE, Vera Békés, MTA BTK, Gábor Zemplén BME, József Korándi, ELTE
Moderator: András Benedek, MTA BTK.
16:15 – 17:00 Afternoon plenary talk (in English) Use of Digital Tools in Mathematical Discovery
Prof. Zsolt Lavicza, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Center, Johannes Kepler University, Linz
17:00 – 17:30 Break
17:30 – 18:30 Forum of International Projects and Collaborations.
Videoconference with Hungarian and international participants (in English).
19:00 – Common no-host dinner in Halászkert
September 16, 2017, Saturday morning Parallel sessions (Location:Lóczy Lajos Gimnázium)
Section A: The Philosophy of Heuristics (in English, A-room) Chair: Zsuzsa Kondor, MTA BTK
09:00 – 9:40 Conjectures, puzzles and problems - Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, and Pólya on the nature of scientific discovery
Dániel Golden, MTA BTK
10:00 – 10:45 The Hermeneutic Problem in Pólya's Mathematical Heuristic
Olga Kiss, Corvinus University
Section B: Student Character – Teacher Character. The importance of role models and patterns in learning mathematics in the 21st century (in Hungarian, B-room)
Chair: László Hatvani, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
09:15 – 9:55 Patterns and Heuristics in Informatics
Róbert Oláh-Gál, Sapientia University
10:00 – 10:45 How do we solve it? Methods and Thinking Patterns in Contemporary Math-education
- 10:00 – 10:25 The reform of Tamás Varga in the context of Hungarian Heuristic tradition: Historical, philosophical, and didactical approaches (Katalin Gosztonyi, ELTE)
- 10:25 – 10:45 My encounter with George Pólya as novice teacher and as mathematics educator (Ödön Vancsó, ELTE)
10:45 – 11:15 Break (change of location)
September 16, 2017 Saturday Plenary program (in English and Hungarian, Location: Kisfaludy Galéria)
11:15 – 11:55 Can we consider Heuristics a Science? András Benedek, MTA BTK
12:00 – 12:55 No-host working lunch in Club Mauro Pizzéria
13:00 – 14:00 Panel discussion: Is problem-solving teachable in the spirit of George Pólya?
Participants: Miklós Laczkovich member of the Academy and the former chair of the Mathematics Working Committee of Public Education, László Hatvani member of the Academy, Tibor Frank corr. member of the Academy, Prof. Ágnes Tuska, Pólya Center, California, László Surányi, Didactics Group, MTA Rényi Alfréd Mathematical Research Institute Ödön Vancsó, ELTE. Moderators: Péter Juhász, MTA Rényi Institute Didactics Group and Réka Szász, BSME
14:00 – 14:15 Closing plenary remarks
14:15 – 15:00 Placing a memorial plaque at the Pólya tree in the Tagore Promenade and Memorial Park in
Balatonfüred
15:00 – Informal discussion of plans for collaboration and dissemination with optional excursion by boat
(Boat departure time: 16:00)
