One of the best ways we can help our children learn mathematics (or anything else) is to always be learning ourselves.
Here are a few stories to read with your Friday morning coffee:
- In the spirit of cracking eggs to make omelets, Michael Pershan cracks open some of the ideas around Equations and Equivalence and relational thinking.
- David Wees ponders the use of manipulatives in Hands on or minds on? And be sure to read (or reread) the insightful article he mentions, Deborah Ball’s Magical Hopes: Manipulatives and the Reform of Math Education.
- Did you know that October is Black Mathematician Month? Your children might enjoy ScienceStruck’s post on Famous Black Mathematicians. Older readers can browse the archives at Chalkdust Magazine or dive into the delightful link-fest rabbit hole at The Mathematicians Project: Mathematicians Are Not Just White Dudes. And of course, any excuse is good to rewatch the movie Hidden Figures.
- Allison Krasnow shares 13 Seconds of Mathematical Bliss.
- Alex Tabarrok pushes back against the common explanations for the Gender Gap in Math-Related Fields.
- Jo Boaler and Keith Devlin talk about The Nature of 21st Century Mathematics and how the focus of math education must change to meet it.
“My experience is that when I have vague hope that children will learn something from an activity that is related to the mathematics I want them to learn, they usually don’t.”
—David Wees
Hands on or minds on?
CREDITS: Feature photo (top) by Kira auf der Heide via Unsplash. “Morning Coffee” post format inspired by Nate Hoffelder at The Digital Reader.
Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math 
Great blog you havve