Posts tagged math
Cathedral Building
Another Teaching Blog
Fun with space and oreos.
I wonder if I could justify this sort of activity in a fractions lesson instead?
I’ve never had to teach the phases of the moon, but I’d REALLY like to do an Oreo lesson one day…
(Or would it be wrong to shoehorn it into a curriculum like that? ;) )
Whoah, this is awesome.
I’ve heard a few times that circles can be difficult models for some students when explaining fractions. They may be difficult for some students to segment evenly, and can’t be used for demonstrating multiplication of fractions with overlays the way rectangles can.
Better use chocolate bars.
(If we’re going to be having the kids eat chocolate anything for the sake of learning — I’ve actually never been allowed to use sweets in class — we might as well go all the way!)
…though you could totally use Oreos for set-based fractions, similar to the way they’d use counters/chips (two thirds with the top half and one third with the filling exposed, etc.). Could be an awesome opportunity for demonstration of understanding of numerator and denominator if you give different students different fractions to model, could be differentiated to include basic addition of fractions for students at the next level and worked step-by-step for students still working on the basic concepts…
Man, better make sure we pair all this delicious math with some health/nutrition lessons.
Snowflakes, Starflakes, and Swirlflakes
You knew Vi Hart was going to take your old tradition of paper snowflakes and feed it mathematical steroids, right? Time to get out the scissors!
Relevant to the warm-and-fuzzy, and also simply awesome.
(p + l)(a + n) = pa + pn + la + ln
i foiled your plan
This is why I’m friends with this guy.
I mean among other things. But mostly for reblogged math jokes.
Yep.
(via mcdevinpants)
TDD: What are the essentials that you would recommend for a first-year teach to make sure she has at the beginning of the school year?
Specifically, a middle school math teacher, but you know. Anyone in general works, as well. :P
Support materials — workbooks, websites, manipulatives, plans — and knowledge from two years behind and two years ahead of the grade you’re teaching. When I was working with middle schoolers on math, so many students either needed additional scaffolding or wanted to understand a concept in a way that touched on more advanced material!
And manipulatives can be so helpful at the middle school level. I’m not sure why they’re not more common, at least around here.
We also had “rentable” flashcard packs — many of our students didn’t have their times tables down, or division, and it made more complex problems far more difficult.
npr:
Infographic Principles Explained By Lego
Stepping on “Data” barefoot in the middle of the night is NO JOKE.
—Daisy
I wonder if the fact that the arranged set isn’t in the same order as the presented visually set would throw some students off — I would imagine arranging it would involve putting it in a particular order. At least, that’s how I was taught (both in education and psychology). Aside from that (which can be discussed with students anyway), I think this is a stellar concept and could make a potentially great poster for a classroom.
Things that Annoy Me
Everytime I see this picture posted, I become angry. Especially when it is tagged #education. Can you imagine something similar being posted by teachers about reading? Why do teachers and adults think it is okay to perpetuate the idea that it’s okay to be bad at math? It’s not. And we need to stop the excuses and become better teachers. If you teach math, and you’re not a good math teacher, get better. Stop making excuses.
I definitely feel the need to reblog this. Something that has really been bothering me lately is when people (especially professors) say, “I’m just not a math person.” I hope that when I start teaching math, I am able to convince students that they aren’t “not math people”. Everyone can get something out of math, especially if it’s taught in a way that makes it accessible to students who don’t necessarily thrive in an environment of computations and procedures.
[Too relevant to queue]
Numeracy, like literacy, is a crucial aspect of every single subject area you could possibly think of. It’s not ok for someone to teach with the philosophy, “I’m not a kid person”, yet just as our jobs require we deal with children constantly (and draw positive outcomes from each and every interaction), every lesson we teach children will be imbued with some aspect of numeracy (assumed, or explicit) that will be necessary to succeed.
Oh, and in a sort-of-side-point-but-not-really: If, as a teacher, you can read and interpret your paycheque; you have mathematical ability. If you can do your groceries, and estimate before reaching the register how much you are likely to owe, and whether you will be able to afford that into your budget, you have mathematical ability. Not only that, but you almost certainly have a greater level of ability (not to mention experience) in these matters than many of your students. If you can impart some of this mathematical expertise, skills and values on to your students, you will be doing them a valuable (and necessary) service for their later lives.
Here’s the thing, additionally:
We know that if we tell our students consistently that they are good at something, they will have more confidence, and thus approach the subject differently than if we tell them they are poor at it. Positive feedback gives positive results; negative feedback gives negative results.
It’s similar with ourselves. And if someone thinks their students will never KNOW that they feel this way about math just because they never say it aloud, they are kidding themselves. Their attitude about the subject will permeate the way they approach the subject — their tone, the amount of time and effort with which they approach it, the emphasis they put on the subject’s importance in general for their students.
Nontraditional Math
Shapefutures sits down on the couch with a fork and a cherry pie with a 1” depth and 8” diameter.
If she eats a quarter of the pie by herself, how sick will she be later?
Find your birthday using maths
This math trick will determine your birthday. Just follow the steps with a calculator and press equal after each step. Go ahead and try the trick without cheating!
For a simple, online JavaScript calculator, click on the calculator button.
- Add 18 to your birth month
- Multiply by 25
- Subtract 333
- Multiply by 8
- Subtract 554
- Divide by 2
- Add your birth date
- Multiply by 5
- Add 692
- Multiply by 20
- Add only the last two digits of your birth year
- Subtract 32940 to get your birthday!
The answer’s format is: month/day/year. For example, an answer of 123199 means that you were born on December 31, 1999. If the answer is not right, please select one of the following:
a) You followed the directions incorrectly
b) You lied about your birthday or don’t know your birthday
c) All of the aboveMost of this is simple “mathematical hand-waving”. Ultimately, once the additions and subtractions have been cancelled out and the multiplications and divisions have been simplified, the whole thing becomes:
(birth month)x10000 + (birth date)x100 + (birth year)
Oh, sorry. I’m a game-wrecker - did I forget to mention?
I was about to go through and deconstruct it for my own curiosity but Luka did it for me already.
Honestly, the coolest things about these tricks are not that they make math look like magic. It’s figuring out how they work. Or, alternatively, it’s asking your students to figure out how they work and watching all the different ways the wheels turn.
mathsandeconomics asked:
yeah, you can make your own maths clock, just finding out various ways to write a numeral will suffice, the more geeky the numeral written,more lovely it would be, would love to see it if you come up wirh some ideas
Well then, I’m putting out the call officially to anyone who wants to make some suggestions as to the values on a math clock!
Personally, I see it as another teaching tool. I don’t mind taking apart and reassembling the thing every time we learn something new — it’s surprisingly easy. So I would likely use it almost as if it was another poster, a daily exercise, a challenge activity, etc.
Working on multiplication? 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 2x2, 1x5, 2x3, and on and on through 12 — and that highlights primes along the way. The same can said of division, addition, subtraction…well, anything you want, really!
Want to be super tricky and make a challenge/riddle for the week? Write all of the numbers in terms of a value of x. See if the students can figure out by the end of the week what that value is. 2x-7, -x+6, and around and around (do you know what it is?).
If you want to really highlight the clock as a teaching tool to be used later, leave the face completely blank and add things as they learn them. Maybe each number will represent (and review) another concept.
The great thing about using a clock is that students generally know which numbers go where. And, even if they’re glad to be in your class, they’re going to look at the clock at least once.
But long story short, yes, I’ll get some materials and show you all how to make a math clock, no problem. And if anyone has suggestions for what they want to see on it by all means let me know. Maybe I’ll make a few and sell them off.
