Homeschooling

One of the best ways we can help our children learn math (or anything else) is to always be learning ourselves.

Here are a few stories to read with your Thursday morning coffee:

• Paul Goldenberg and Al Cuoco explain why sometimes the most important thing for teachers to know is what NOT to teach (or when to just plain shut up).

• Beth Curran shares one quick way to adapt a traditional-textbook lesson so you can engage your students in meaningful discourse and deepen their understanding of math.

• John Rowe’s What I’ve Learnt From 5 Years In The Job offers five great tips for new teachers — or for homeschoolers wondering how to teach math to their kids.

• Kris Boulton examines Why Maths Teachers Don’t Like Knowledge Organisers.

• James Tanton asks a great question: Can one just use the Area Model willy nilly? I love how the area model helps make sense of multiplying negative numbers!

“Most people think that maths is replete with factual knowledge. But actually, it’s subjects like English, the Humanities, and some sciences that are hefty in factual content. Maths is super-dense with concepts, and processes, but really only very few facts.”

—Kris Boulton
Why Maths Teachers Don’t Like Knowledge Organisers

CREDITS: Feature photo (top) by Kira auf der Heide via Unsplash. “Morning Coffee” post format inspired by Nate Hoffelder at The Digital Reader.

One of the best ways to help our children learn math (or anything else) is to always be learning ourselves.

Here are a few stories to read with your Tuesday morning coffee:

• Dan Finkel examines What we mean when we say “Anyone can do math”.

• David Wees discusses ways to use visual patterns to introduce and extend students’ understanding of algebra and functions.

• Joseph Nebus has launched his Fall 2019 Mathematics A-to-Z series, putting math into words for curious non-mathematician to enjoy.

• Sam Shah shares pictures of Our new “Math Space” — with links to many interesting puzzles and resources.

• Peter Krautzberger hosts the September Carnival of Math No. 173 with plenty of interesting links. [And if you’re a blogger, click here to submit your post for this month’s Playful Math Education carnival.]

“What we should all be shooting for is a world where everyone is mathematically literate, and where fear or anxiety around mathematics doesn’t prevent people from doing the things they dream of doing. Everyone should see some beautiful mathematical ideas and know what it feels like.”

—Dan Finkel
What we mean when we say “Anyone can do math”

CREDITS: Feature photo (top) by Kira auf der Heide via Unsplash. “Morning Coffee” post format inspired by Nate Hoffelder at The Digital Reader.