What should I do when I have a quiet team?

In this video, only one team member is talking. Mentor Anusha makes sure to call on each team member individually to see if they have questions or thoughts. You will notice that their responses relate back to the Project Guide, as Anusha has references that several times previously throughout the call. When teams are stuck, always refer them back to the guides!

How should I structure my call?

In this video, mentor Meghan has her uses Microsoft One-Note to keep track of all her teams. She shares her screen in order to talk through the goals of Meeting #1 related to the Problem Statement. She takes notes throughout the meeting if needed, and can share them with the team afterward. Having a team share their screen (they tend to use Google Docs) and take notes is also a great idea!

How do I get to know my team?

In this video, mentor Andrew does a great job of building rapport with his team. He then asks them about their project topic and asks probing questions to see their level of interest and knowledge about their topic.

What is my role in the calls?

In this video, mentor Danielle shares her initial thoughts on the team’s proposal statement, which then triggers some thoughts as to how the team can further continue their data exploration and refine their problem statement.

How do I help students who don't know where to start?

In this video, mentor Paul refers his team back to the 5 steps of the Actuarial Process Guide. This is a great technique for a first meeting when students are struggling to know where to start or having difficulty determining what a problem statement is.

How can I use MTFC resources to help students?

In this video, mentor Paul references the Actuarial Process Guide to discuss frequency versus severity and how to start building a model to include both of those elements.

Mentor's Guide

From January to March, mentors are paired up with teams of high school students that have made it to the Project Phase of the Modeling the Future Challenge to help guide them through their research project. Details of the process are provided in this guide.