“I wish everyone could experience something similar.” A Fulbright Scholar Program scholarship holder is on his way from UHK to Harvard University

He was awarded the so-called Fulbright-Masaryk Scholarship designed for scientists who work and teach in their field and who actively participate in their institution’s public life as well as outside of it. And Lukáš Vízek is, without a doubt, just such a scientist. He used to be a member of the Academic Senate of the University of Hradec Králové, he works on various projects run by grammar schools in Hradec Králové, he is well-known for organising various workshops for maths teachers and he and his brother run projections on historical 16mm projectors.

And so his public life is very much reflected in his academic work: “I am convinced that conducting research and preparing lessons strictly within the walls of our University is just simply not enough. We need to develop external relations. International experience is one of the many ways how to advance our work back home,” says Lukáš in his explanation of why he decided to apply to the Fulbright Scholar Program, even though he admits that, at this point in time, his stay abroad brings with it more questions than answers. And he is now searching for the answers during his 6-month stay at Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US.

Please tell us about the project that you registered with the Fulbright Program.

The title of the project is Developing Flexibility in Geometry as a Part of Mathematics Education. My research revolves around geometric constructions. Specifically maths problems; high school maths in my case. You see, I am in charge of the geometry course for future maths teachers. I would like to teach them how to teach geometry properly. And last but not least, I too teach at a high school and I want to be a good teacher.

You originally focused your research on the history of teaching mathematics.

I more or less view my original research interests as case closed. I don’t regret my previous line of work. On the contrary, understanding history helps us understand the present. But as a didactics specialist in mathematics, I concentrate on teacher training and prefer focusing on the present. You cannot base the teaching profession on history. In my opinion, we can enrich and advance the Czech school system by adapting international education systems. This is where the future lies. Because we are also quite good at our job.

Why did you switch to geometry?

For several reasons. Professor František Kuřina (Editor's note: today professor emeritus, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, UHK) oversaw Euclidean geometry and I gradually took over from him. And I had to decide how to grasp this subject and how to pass it on to students in a way that they would enjoy. And in the end I decided to base my research on this assignment.

You were awarded a scholarship in the spring of 2019. How long did it take to get the scholarship?

I started thinking about applying for a scholarship at the beginning of 2018. It was at a time when I was in search of added impetus in terms of both my research and my teaching. I was also interested in the practical side of things. Another reason was the newsletter sent to me by the Foreign Affairs Department of the UHK, highlighting scholarship programmes and stays abroad (Thank you!). The Fulbright Scholarship was also mentioned in the Newsletter. The prestige associated with the Fulbright Scholarship was at the same time also a challenge.

Did you consider other institutions as well? Harvard University is world-renowned and its mere name wants for respect.

Professor Jon Star from Harvard Graduate School of Education caught my attention. I turned to him and informed him that I was considering applying for a Fulbright Scholarship. We discussed the various options and possibilities available to me. He was very forthcoming and we put together a research project and we have exchanged dozens of e-mails. He sent me an invitation letter, which I had to attach to my application. Where education is concerned, Harvard University is rated as one of the best universities in the world. I told myself that if I were to stay abroad, I should aim for the best institution.

What will be the outputs of your 6-month stay at Harvard University?

Generally speaking, basic research. I aim to prepare suitable materials, worksheets, textbooks, texts, pictures – in cooperation with Jon Star. He specialises in algebra, solutions to equations.

He drafts textbooks and various materials into which he projects his thoughts and teaching methods and then tests them at schools. He then reflects on whether or not they are suitable in various articles for specialists and in education-related literature. And he makes them better. He wants students to be able to solve equations using various methods. That’s what caught my interest.

How do you apply this to geometry?

The aim is to try this out with geometric problems. I am going to examine how students engage in the process of logical thinking – how they come to discover certain patterns. One of the ideas of my approach to geometry is that construction is a challenge. Flexibility is the ability to solve problems and solving them in various ways leads to one understanding the essence of geometry as such. So, if we focus on students being able to solve problems in various ways, we can, in fact, help them understand mathematics as such.

What about geometric constructions and modern technology? Will we keep using compasses and rulers?

That is a good question. Geometric constructions are very much like programming – certain steps must be taken in order to construct the object. I do draw some inspiration from Geogebra and Sketchometry, but I still think it challenging and important that we continue to use compasses, rulers and paper. This is related to manual dexterity, and letting the eye, hand and brain work together.

I’m not saying that interactive geometry software does not belong in schools. It does. But its role is different. It allows students to re-modify the figures and to illustrate the validity of the statement. When I use it to modify a figure I see time and time again that the given theorem, for example, applies. But all methods should be applied, neither is more important than the other.

Scholarship programmes should not only facilitate research, they should also inspire students in other areas of academic interest. What else is Harvard University going to give you?

I am of course also very interested in how they train future maths teachers and how various universities operate. But I understand that some things just can’t be compared.

I also want to focus on science communication, i.e. publications and articles that academics use as a sort of discussion tool. That’s also something that I want to learn there – what to write about and mainly how to write about it, so that my articles are printed in high impact, peer-reviewed journals and so that they encourage experts to exchange views, which inherently goes hand in hand with the development of the field.

Only 12 – 20 applicants get to study abroad under the Fulbright-Masaryk Scholarship Program every year. What would you like colleagues, who are still hesitant when it comes to filing their application, maybe because of the high level of competition, to know?

That even the seemingly impossible is, in fact, possible. That’s what I like about my academic work.

Teaching is great but this just has that something extra. I wish everyone could experience something similar. Scholarships and grants are a possibility. All you need to do is apply. And don’t be afraid of big names. 

 

 

Mgr. Lukáš Vízek, Ph.D. Lukáš Vízek is a didactics specialist at the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, UHK. He trains prospective maths teachers who would like to teach at second stage primary schools and at secondary schools. He cooperates with grammar schools in Hradec Králové and designs teacher training programmes with colleagues from the Department of Mathematics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, like the Geometry Summer School.