College students from the New York Institute of Technology volunteered at a Harlem elementary school this fall as a kind of in-house tech squad, and resident experts for science classes.

Naoual Eljastimi is the kind of chemistry teacher who assigns homework every day and yet receives impromptu hugs from students at Leon M. Goldstein High School. She is one of seven city teachers to receive this year’s Sloan Awards for Excellence in Science and Math.

Tapping into the popularity of PSY’s “Gangnam Style” music video, students at I.S. 285 reviewed the steps of long division, with style.

After a mixed review of the “School of One” math instruction at several middle schools, some media outlets pounced on the findings as negative, and declared the program a failure. In this opinion piece, one of the researchers cautions against hasty assessments of educational experiments, arguing that real innovation takes time.

A math teacher in a Bronx middle school-high school writes: “Getting 15 percent of a cohort from the South Bronx to pass the A.P. Calculus exam took me six years. The two techniques that I developed Year 1, partly out of necessity and weak classroom management, stayed with me: don’t give kids boring problems, and do let them work together.”

A math teacher at a Queens junior high school writes: “Being afraid of math is not something I can appreciate; however, I do have a fairly unhealthy fear of spiders. I imagined sitting in a room dedicated to the study of spiders, complete with pictures and models. My jaw clenched and a chill crept up my spine. We both had an irrational fear, but Frankie was the only one being forced to face his every day with no help.”

In an effort to expand the introduction of a new set of learning standards into the city’s public schools, officials are asking science and social studies teachers to introduce more reading and writing into students’ classwork. This school year, English and math teachers have already begun to adapt their lessons to the new requirements.

Hundreds of middle school students will take part in a city-wide math competition on Saturday. They’re competing for math glory, a golden Pi trophy and the chance to break open a six-foot tall Pi piñata.

Because of its innovative and challenging math curriculum, Baruch College Campus High School was selected as one of 18 national finalists of the annual Intel Schools of Distinction competition.

Students can tell when a teacher is excited by what they’re teaching. But sometimes, especially with only three months left in the year, excitement can be hard to come by. For some New York City math teachers, an after-school math class gives them the jolt they need to stay inspired.