Matt-a-matical Thinking

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Fraction Friction
2007-08-13 05:38:00
I was speaking with a friend that teaches adults preparing for their GED’s. They were describing the moans and groans heard as the teacher announced they would begin to review fractions. It reminded me how many of my middle grade students hate fractions and love decimals. There is something very reassuring about decimals to students in grades 6-8, and possibly even older. I have a theory
More About: Friction , Fraction

Fraction Friction
2007-08-13 05:38:00
I was speaking with a friend that teaches adults preparing for their GED’s. They were describing the moans and groans heard as the teacher announced they would begin to review fractions. It reminded me how many of my middle grade students hate fractions and love decimals. There is something very reassuring about decimals to students in grades 6-8, and possibly even older. I have a theory
More About: Friction , Fraction

Aha Moment, trapezoid and the series
2007-08-09 05:23:00
Math is wonderful. Especially, when it all connects. Last spring I was teaching arithmetic series to my honors 8th grade class, and I made a connection that I had never made before. For those who don't know a arithmetic series is the sum of (generally) a lot of numbers that increase by steady amounts, such as 5+9+13+...101. The goal for our us is to find the sum with out actually doing all the
More About: Series , Moment

Aha Moment, trapezoid and the series
2007-08-09 05:23:00
Math is wonderful. Especially, when it all connects. Last spring I was teaching arithmetic series to my honors 8th grade class, and I made a connection that I had never made before. For those who don't know a arithmetic series is the sum of (generally) a lot of numbers that increase by steady amounts, such as 5+9+13+...101. The goal for our us is to find the sum with out actually doing all the
More About: Series , Moment , Serie , Erie

Math as Metaphor
2007-08-08 03:25:00
Tony at Pencils Down has an interesting autobiographical post about the importance on metaphor in mathematics education. Both how it is essential and how it can be a hindrance to learning. It reminds me of the opening section of How Students Learn by the National Research Council. There they use the story Fish is Fish to show how all learning is based on previous experience. I am currently
More About: Math

Math as Metaphor
2007-08-08 03:25:00
Tony at Pencils Down has an interesting autobiographical post about the importance on metaphor in mathematics education. Both how it is essential and how it can be a hindrance to learning. It reminds me of the opening section of How Students Learn by the National Research Council. There they use the story Fish is Fish to show how all learning is based on previous experience. I am currently
More About: Math

Good Children's Book
2007-08-03 04:54:00
As part of bedtime tonight I read The Three Silly Billies by Margie Palatini. It is a wonderful retelling of the Three Billy Goats Gruff with appearances by from many of your other favorite story characters (Jack, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.) The conflict is for the heroes to get the 1 dollar needed to pay the toll on the troll bridge. Slowly each character adds a little bit for their carpool.
More About: Book , Good

Good Children's Book
2007-08-03 04:54:00
As part of bedtime tonight I read The Three Silly Billies by Margie Palatini. It is a wonderful retelling of the Three Billy Goats Gruff with appearances by from many of your other favorite story characters (Jack, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.) The conflict is for the heroes to get the 1 dollar needed to pay the toll on the troll bridge. Slowly each character adds a little bit for their carpool.
More About: Book , Good

Determinants
2007-08-01 23:27:00
Determinants are interesting part of mathematics. They are an important measure of a transformation, they form a way to compute the cross product, my mathematical training says that they are connected with character theory. But how do I help student's understand their significance. Determinants have not been around very long, getting started about 1750. If I don't know much about matrices,
More About: Term , Mina

Determinants
2007-08-01 23:27:00
Determinants are interesting part of mathematics. They are an important measure of a transformation, they form a way to compute the cross product, my mathematical training says that they are connected with character theory. But how do I help student's understand their significance. Determinants have not been around very long, getting started about 1750. If I don't know much about matrices,

Test Corrections Pro/Con
2007-08-01 16:35:00
Pro: ➢ Students must have a way to be successful in the class beyond the test. o What if the student is not a good test taker? o What if the student is going through some huge personal stress, a bad day? ➢ Teachers must have a way of documenting improvement. ➢ Test Corrections can be done in a quick and efficient framework. With out too much disruption to the
More About: Rect

Test Corrections Pro/Con
2007-08-01 16:35:00
Pro: ➢ Students must have a way to be successful in the class beyond the test. o What if the student is not a good test taker? o What if the student is going through some huge personal stress, a bad day? ➢ Teachers must have a way of documenting improvement. ➢ Test Corrections can be done in a quick and efficient framework. With out too much disruption to the
More About: Rect

Test Corrections
2007-08-01 04:22:00
One of the hallmarks of independent school (private school) education is that almost every interaction must have the likely conclusion of a positive outcome. And why not, why not make success an ever present option. This philosophy leads to my question: What to do when students do poorly on tests? Currently at my school there are two basic schemes: Test Corrections Test RetakesBoth of these
More About: Rect

Test Corrections
2007-08-01 04:22:00
One of the hallmarks of independent school (private school) education is that almost every interaction must have the likely conclusion of a positive outcome. And why not, why not make success an ever present option. This philosophy leads to my question: What to do when students do poorly on tests? Currently at my school there are two basic schemes: Test Corrections Test RetakesBoth of these
More About: Rect