Musings: If Not Methods, Then What?

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Last week, I quoted Pam Harris calling out a foundational myth of math education, the idea that we need to teach kids the methods that work on even the most difficult math problems.

“We have a misconception in math education that we think we need to teach methods so that kids can answer the craziest kind of a particular problem.

    “We would be far better served to teach kids to think about the most common kinds of questions WELL, and let technology handle the crankiest.”

    —Pam Harris

    Since many of us grew up in schools that taught these methods, they may feel like the only sensible approach to math. Without the standard procedures, how will our kids learn to do math?

    If we don’t teach subtraction with borrowing/renaming, how can students figure out calculations like 431 − 86? If we don’t teach fraction rules, how will they handle problems like 1 1/2 ÷ 3/8?

    Continue reading Musings: If Not Methods, Then What?

    Celebrating Spring with Playful Math Carnival 172

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Playful Math Carnival 172

    Welcome to the 172nd edition of the Playful Math Blog Carnival, a buffet of delectable tidbits of mathy fun. It’s like a free online magazine devoted to learning, teaching, and playing around with math from preschool to high school.

    The carnival went on hiatus for a couple of months due to unexpected life issues facing our volunteer hosts. But we’re back now, and ready to celebrate!

    By tradition, we start the carnival with a puzzle in honor of our 172nd edition. But if you’d rather jump straight to our featured blog posts, click here for the Table of Contents.

    Try This: Lazy Caterers and Clock-Binary Numbers

    172 is a lazy caterer number: Imaging a caterer who brought a single large pie to serve the whole party. He needs to cut it into as many pieces as he can, using the fewest (straight) cuts he can get away with.

    • If each guest gets one piece of pie, what sizes of parties (numbers of people) can the lazy caterer serve?
    • Can you find a pattern in the lazy caterer sequence?

    But for those of you who have followed the carnival for years, you may remember we played with the lazy caterer back in Playful Math 106. (That time, the caterer was serving pizza.) So here’s a bonus activity we’ve never done before…

    The first several stages of a pattern are as follows:

    Clock Binary pattern image

    • What do you notice about this pattern of shapes?
    • What is the next shape in the sequence?
    • Can you figure out how the shape below fits into the pattern?

    Clock Binary puzzle image

    This pattern sequence was named clock binary by its creator, noelements-setempty.

    • What questions can you ask about this sequence?
    • How are these shapes like the binary numbers?
    • How are they different?

    Click here for all the mathy goodness!

    Musings: A Common Misconception

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Father and son thinking together about a math problem

    One of my favorite podcasts to listen to is Pam Harris’s Math Is Figure-Out-Able because she puts so many of my thoughts into words.

    For example:

    “We have a misconception in math education that we think we need to teach methods so that kids can answer the craziest kind of a particular problem.

      “We would be far better served to teach kids to think about the most common kinds of questions WELL, and let the cranky ones go to ChatGPT. Because they’ll recognize the sense of the answer.

        “Let technology handle the crankiest, and REASON about the rest of them.”

        —Pam Harris,
        the Math is Figure-out-able Fractions Challenge

        Well, I do think she’s wrong about the AI chatbot, because ChatGPT comes up with the strangest bald-faced nonsense about math problems. Wolfram Alpha is a much more reliable resource.

        But Harris’s main point stands. This misconception, this math-education myth, drives much of what happens in our classrooms and home schools today.

        Continue reading Musings: A Common Misconception

        Musings: A Philosophy of Education

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins

        I’ve tried a few times over the years to express my philosophy of teaching math. Back when I first started doing workshops for homeschooling parents, I told them:

        “Instead of drudgery, mathematics should be a game of discovery. It should give children the same ‘Eureka!’ thrill that sent Archimedes running through town in his birthday suit. I call this the ‘Aha!’ factor, the delight in solving a challenging puzzle.”

        Years later, as the internet developed and much of life moved online, I started a blog about playing with math. And since all good blogs need an “About Me” page, I had another chance to sum up my thoughts:

        “Math is like ice cream, with more flavors than you can imagine — and if all your children ever see is textbook math, that’s like feeding them broccoli-flavored ice cream.”

        But over the years, some people got the impression that my goal was all about playing games. They asked, “How can we make math fun for our kids?” — as if gamification adds a candy coating to make the disgusting medicine more palatable.

        And of course, I do write a lot of books about games. I think games serve much better than worksheets for practicing basic math skills.

        Still, I wanted people to see that the ideas of math themselves are tasty tidbits worth playing with.

        Continue reading Musings: A Philosophy of Education

        Playful Math Store Grand Opening Sale

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins
        Family hiking in the mountains

        I’ve just launched the Denise Gaskins’ Playful Math Store!

        The Grand Opening Sale runs through April 20 — add the discount code GRAND_20 at checkout to save 20% on your first order.

        We have plenty of fun mathy goodness on hand, so I hope you’ll take some time to browse our collections. Don’t miss the math art collection, or the journaling resources, or my classic Math You Can Play series. And of course, there’s the merch.

        Even better, we have both digital and print books, which is something my previous store couldn’t handle.

        So many ways to celebrate the joy of mathematics.

        May your family always enjoy the adventure of learning!

        Shop Now

        Calendar with sale dates marked

        You Can’t Find These in Bookstores

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins
        Family game night with the Tabletop Math Games Collection books by Denise Gaskins

        This is your final notice for the Tabletop Math Games Collection Kickstarter.

        Thank you so much to everyone who has backed these fun books. Your encouragement and support keep me going!

        For procrastinators, get thee to the Kickstarter:

        Order Your Books Now ❯

        Sample game pages from the Tabletop Math Games Collection by Denise Gaskins

        Regular Bookstores Won’t Carry These Books

        Most of my books eventually show up in the regular online bookstores, making it easy to delay purchasing because you know you can find it later.

        But these are not typical paperback or hardcover books. Instead, they’re designed to lay flat so players can use the gameboards or easily refer to rules as they play.

        The regular online bookstores will only stock standard paperbacks, NOT the saddle-stitch and spiral-bound versions that lay nicely flat.

        We’ve got less than 36 hours left on our Tabletop Math Games Collection Kickstarter campaign.

        Do you really want to miss out?

        Scroll down for a peek at what other people say about my math games.

        Then order your copy today, and have fun playing math with your kids!

        Continue reading You Can’t Find These in Bookstores

        Math Games Kickstarter: It Keeps Getting Better

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins
        Friends playing math games

        Did you know that, with our recent stretch goals, the Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter now features more than 90 amazing ways to play math with your kids?

        And every pledge pushes us closer to the next new bonus, which means more new games and playful math goodies for every backer.

        Don’t miss out on the excitement. Order your copy today:

        Visit the Math Games Kickstarter ❱

        How Are These Books Different?

        I love how the challenge of a well-fought math game pushes players of all ages to think more creatively and build fluency.

        So my Tabletop Math Games Collection is designed to make it easier than ever for busy families and over-stressed teachers to play with math.

        All you need are common household supplies like cards, dice, and scratch paper. Children can open a Tabletop Math Games Collection book to any page and start playing right away, and the digital files make great classroom handouts or learning center games.

        Continue reading Math Games Kickstarter: It Keeps Getting Better

        Why Thinking Thursday?

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins
        Thinking Thursday math journal prompt

        There’s a new math journaling prompt this week.

        Have your kids tried it yet?

        This week’s prompt features one of my favorite quotations to get kids thinking (and writing) about the value of mistakes in learning. Or you might prefer last week’s prompt, featuring a classic math brainteaser and encouraging students to create their own related puzzles.

        Or, if you’re reading this post later and missed those, there’s another great new prompt this week for you to explore.

        Check it out:

        Visit Thinking Thursday

        Continue reading Why Thinking Thursday?

        What’s So Special About Math Games?

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins
        Family playing math game with dominoes

        To everyone who has supported my Tabletop Math Games Collection Kickstarter project: thank you ever so much! We’ve blown past our funding target and made it into Stretch Goal territory.

        Now every pledge just makes the project better, earning new games and bonuses for every backer at the $5 level and above.

        If you haven’t backed the project yet, check out what you’re missing:

        Visit the Kickstarter ❯

        Math games build mental flexibility and strategic reasoning in players of all ages. And even people who hated math in school can enjoy the friendly challenge of a game.

        I love how the challenge of a well-fought math game pushes players of all ages to think more creatively and build fluency.

        Continue reading What’s So Special About Math Games?

        Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter: Order Your Copy Today

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins
        Friends playing math games

        And so it begins: the Tabletop Math Games Collection is LIVE on Kickstarter!

        Check It Out ❯

        To have a successful campaign, we need plenty of people to back the project early. The more supporters we get in these early days, the more likely the Kickstarter platform folks will help spread the news for us.

        To give you a feel for the Tabletop Math Games Collection books, I’ve put together a free printable sampler file, with 4 ready-to-play card games you can enjoy today.

        I think you’ll love it!

        Download the Sample File ❯

        Kickstarter Sample Games Download

        Continue reading Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter: Order Your Copy Today