By JACKIE MAJERUS
STAFF WRITER

BRISTOL — With his ability to solve math problems in his head, based on studying patterns and using his memory, Mike Byster amazed students at Chippens Hill Middle School Tuesday.

Byster, who created the Brainetics learning program to boost memory and math skills, will be a guest speaker at Memorial Boulevard Middle School this morning and at Northeast Middle School Thursday morning.

The presentation, organized by John Ryan, the district’s teacher for the gifted, is open to all parents, said Ryan. Visitors are welcome.

Ryan said math is one of the easiest subjects that can benefit from Byster’s method, but he said others can benefit as well.

“This goes beyond math,” said Ryan. “It’s a way of adjusting your brain to think about things. It can really set you apart when you go on to higher education, in a big way.”

Teacher Eric Steinfeld watched as Byster interacted with the students in his eighth-grade accelerated algebra class.

Steinfeld said he likes to teach patterns because a lot of math concepts rely on them. He appreciates the way Byster uses them, too.

Rather than simply giving the answer, Steinfeld said, “I like to have them investigate.”

Byster asked the students to pick a two-digit number and punch it into their calculators. Then he told them to divide it by 91. He asked students for their number, and then — to their utter amazement — supplied the answer to the division problem out to several decimal places.

By using certain patterns and short cuts, Byster can quickly calculate some math problems. He showed students how to do the two-digit 91 problem and had them do it on paper, then in their heads.

Then they learned how to do a different exercise involving multiples of nine.

It wasn’t long before the kids were catching on, and they loved it.

“He was pretty cool,” said Christopher Drouin. “He studied patterns all his life, to figure out how everything works.”

Lauren Bossi and Amy Ozga said they were confident their math skills had improved from the presentation.

“Instead of having to use paper and pencil, we can do this really hard math in our heads,” said Bossi.

Ozga liked learning that Byster wasn’t a gifted student.

“He was just an average kid” who used what he learned from memory exercises to develop his skills and organize his brain to remember all kinds of things, Ozga said.

Byster used a deck of playing cards and showed the math class how to impress their friends and family with some tricks.

“I’m not a magician,” Byster told the class. “It will work if you follow the steps.”

He didn’t charge the district for the presentation, said Ryan.

He said Byster’s tricks are fun, but it’s more than that. It includes memory exercises and mental conditioning, he said.

“It’s not just the gimmicky thing,” said Ryan. “It’s really about how to apply your brain to think differently.”

Reporter Jackie Majerus may be reached at jmajerus@bristolpress.com or by phone at (860) 584-0501 ext. 217.