Perhaps the most profound and lasting effect of the Covid Virus pandemic on our economy will be in the change in the way people work. Companies large and small have moved much of their workforce from office to home for the duration of this epidemic. Though some view this move as a business experiment, forced …
Welcome to the first of our new Explorations. Joining the work of What if Math and Education Resources Consortium (ERC), Explorations provide students with a comprehensive learning experience with fascinating questions, interesting places to go, and powerful tools to use to solve problems. Our first Exploration is Sand and Stars where students can discover an …
As Lynn Steen said, mathematics is the study of patterns, the “science of patterns”. We focus and want students to focus on patterns, on seeing them and on building them. There is great power in patternmaking, it is the most human of all activities. And there is great power in being able to use mathematics …
If you commute to work or school, you understand how expensive driving can be. Choose a car in this interactive spreadsheet as it breaks down the cost of driving, using MPG, distance traveled, and cost of gas.
Spreadsheets are equity platforms available to all students at no cost. They can give every student a fresh start in math. Spreadsheets from Microsoft, Google, and Apple are ubiquitous, easy to use, powerful, and part of a suite with common, familiar, supported interfaces. Spreadsheets are the tools students will use in their workplace as well …
9 reasons spreadsheets should be the mathematics engine of choice in schools. Spreadsheets are equity platforms available to all students at no cost. They can give every student a fresh start in math. Spreadsheets from Microsoft, Google, and Apple are ubiquitous, easy to use, powerful, and part of a suite with common, familiar, supported interfaces. …
As part of the process of designing and developing new Labs, I visit math content sites all the time to help me think about the kinds of questions to ask and the way to explain or represent a concept. I am constantly struck by how talkative these sites are. As teachers, words are our currency, …
Envisioning technology that reinvents our schools not automates them should, I believe, be our goal and our dream for personalizing learning.
As I was again reading the Common Core Standards, I was struck by their introduction of variables in grade 6. Jim, I could not help but think of you, my old dear friend, and your wonderful command, “Algebra before acne.” Kaput envisioned algebra and algebraic reasoning as fundamental mathematical ideas that should be taught from …
There are really two kinds of mathematics we do every day. I like to call one headmath and the other handmath, one is the mental arithmetic and problem solving we all have to do and the other is the math on paper or more likely today, if you are not a student, on computers. Though …
