A Lemon of a Lesson

Jo Boaler writes: Can I think of a question that students can talk about in groups to get them interested in the ideas before they are taught? For example, in a Calculus lesson, a teacher could ask students to think about how you would calculate the volume of a lemon before learning the formal methods…

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Wanna do* Adventures

In our investigations of children’s understanding of the mathematics of data, we identified ideas that were particularly interesting or empowering to children, and watched where they spontaneously made mathematical games and challenges for themselves. Interwoven with this process was our own deepening understanding and enjoyment of this branch of mathematics. Taking cues from children’s aesthetics…

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Doing Dynamic Math & Tech Adventures

Helping students to improve their problem solving ability is one of the major goals of mathematics education. The dynamic math approach is intended to help facilitate that ability. Preliminaries Students should be organized for small groups activity. Each group chooses a “captain” who will be responsible for sharing his groups decisions. Room arranged appropriately for…

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The Lineup: Who Doesn’t Belong and Why

In each problem below you will find a group of four numbers or expressions. Three of the numbers belong to the same family. The other number is trying to fool you into thinking he/she belongs with the other three by wearing a disguise. Pick out the number or expression and explain why that number doesn’t…

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Why do the Zeros Disappear When You Press Equal?*

by Ihor Charischak The big push over the past few years has been for teachers to use calculators. Unfortunately, the issue is charged because some parents have a hard time supporting teachers who use calculators before their children have learned their algorithms. Though I am a strong proponent for the use of calculators, I have to…

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