Math is a beautiful, precise language. It helps us to quantify the seemingly unquantifiable, to wrap our minds around otherwise intractable questions. While abstract thinking and high-level problem solving are at the heart of this, arriving at a meaningful answer to a problem invariably involves solving equations or crunching numbers at some point. Thus, it is fundamental to acquire these technical skills, and I would be doing my students a disservice by not adequately emphasizing them. Although it may seem disconnected from project-based learning, I believe that this day-to-day mastery of mathematical concepts will result in a much more approachable and rewarding project experience at the end of the semester.
