Writing About Math
A look at some of the benefits; a variety of writing categories and topics; and suggestions for creating a positive environment for writing about math.
Twenty Questions for Math Class
This word-on-the-back version of Twenty Questions is a great way to review and synthesize new math vocabulary and concepts at the end of a unit.
Math Magic
Math magic creates a new context for algebraic reasoning as students go beyond "What's the answer?" to explore "What's the trick?"
Even Teachers Make Mistakes
Last year, when a student caught me in a careless math mistake, I laughed it off and said, "This is the first math mistake I've ever made!" From that point on, students took it as a friendly challenge to catch the math teacher making another math mistake.
Functions in the Real World
When we introduce students to functions, we typically bring the concept to life through the idea of function machines. But functions will really begin to come to life as our students find uses for functions in the real world.
Halloween Math
Halloween is a time for math fun -- for estimating and measuring pumpkin weights and waistlines; for drawing spiders with coordinates and discovering the math woven into spider webs; for categorizing costumes; and for graphing candy counts.
Fall Math
Fall presents special opportunities for bringing math to life in meaningful ways, as students observe and quantify changes in the world around them. Discover a windfall of math activities related to leaves, weather, and the changing seasons.
Math Heroes
How much richer an appreciation our students might have for mathematics as a living science if we share with them the budding of new ideas in math heroes past and present! It all begins with "I wonder…."
Growing a Summer Math Garden
Summer’s almost here! Will the long summer yield a “math drought,” an occasional “math drizzle,” or a flourishing “garden” of math skills for your students? Discover some activities to help their summer math garden grow.
Probability
Probability is a numerical measure of how likely an event is to happen. Probability is measured in fractions between 0 and 1. (0 is impossible; 1 is certain.) Sometimes, probability is represented as a percentage -- from 0 percent to 100 percent.
Springtime Math
In springtime, you and your students might like to explore math in the great outdoors. Wendy Petti offers a number of creative ideas for teaching math outside the classroom.
Mean, Mode, and Median
Mean, median, and mode are averages. Mean is the average of a group of numbers. Median is the middle number in a list of numbers that have been arranged in order. Mode is the number that occurs most frequently in a list of numbers arranged in order.
Ratio and Proportion
A ratio is a comparison of two numbers. A proportion is a statement (or equation) that says two ratios are equal. If one number in a proportion is not known, cross-multiplying can be used to find the unknown number.
A Math Toolbox in Every Home
As teachers, we know the value of hands-on exploration with math manipulatives in school. We can extend the sense of discovery and empowerment into our students’ homes by helping them assemble math toolboxes to be enjoyed by the whole family.
Strategies that Work: Teaching with Games
In the classroom, games can be used to review learned skills and to teach new ones. Games help build students’
academic confidence, improve their problem-solving skills, and strengthen teacher-student and student-student
relationships.
Puzzles
What can children learn from and enjoy at the same time? Puzzles, that's what! Learn how you can use the inherent
appeal of puzzles to sharpen students' thinking and problem-solving skills and reinforce concepts in language
arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
The Prop Box: Setting the Stage for Meaningful Play
Dramatic play is an essential mode of learning for young children, and "prop boxes," play materials grouped
by theme, make this activity even more effective. Find out how you can use these educational tools to guide
your students toward meaningful role-playing and creative exploration.
Math Night by the Numbers
Is it time for a "Math Night" at your school? Math Nights get students excited about math, familiarize parents
with the math curriculum, and encourage families to continue the fun of math at home. Included: Advice from
organizers of Math Nights.
Sheila Tobias on Re-Thinking Teaching Math, Science
In an Education World e-interview, author and educator Sheila Tobias talks about her approach to teaching math
and science -- and about teaching in general.
Hitting the Math Trail
The National Math Trail program shows teachers how their students can create mathematics problems based on what
they see in their community. Students also use computer technology to submit their math problems to the National
Math Trail Web site.
Kids Discover the Value of Learning Through Hands-On 'Hammer' Time
When master carpenter Perry Wilson showed his friend's son how to build a tree house, he discovered that he
was really teaching the child the value of mathematics. The task brought to mind his own struggles with a learning
disability and the failure of his school to help him realize his potential. As a result, Wilson quit his job
and established If I Had a Hammer, a program that uses alternative methods, specifically the construction of
a small house, to show kids how to put the material they are learning in school to work.
Worldwide Internet Math Project a Shoe-in for Success!
Students across the United States and the world joined fifth-grade students from Connecticut to count the number
of metal eyelets on their shoes. The collected data is being compared, graphed, and calculated!
Chicago Students Help Pilot International Math and Problem-Solving Tests
This week, Chicago teachers took notes from a group of their best and brightest students, who participated in
the World Class Tests trials. The overall goal of World Class Tests is to establish an international database
of standards for mathematical achievement and problem solving.
Cooperative Learning Saves the Day! -- One Teacher's Story
Dr. Theodore Panitz was a popular educator whose courses filled with eager students, but he had a problem. When
the time came to test the students' understanding of mathematical concepts, they struggled. His own investigation
led Panitz to the discovery that his teaching method was building up his own powers of problem solving -- not
his students'. What was the answer to this baffling problem? Cooperative learning! Included: Three of Panitz's
favorite cooperative-learning activities and links to his cooperative-learning resources on the Web!
Interest Grows in Checkbook Math Lessons
Personal finance lessons are becoming popular in middle schools, and teachers say the lessons can help with
basic skills and behavior. Several teachers tell Education World how they brought real-world skills into the
classroom.
Math and Science Achievement: It Starts With Better Teaching!
The John Glenn Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century urges the nation to immediately
set out to improve the teaching of math and science before other nations take over math- and science-related
jobs throughout the world. The report spells out how states, the federal government, schools, and teachers can
improve the quality of math and science teaching. Included: A checklist of steps teachers can take now
to improve math and science instruction.
Why Are Chicago-Area Students Tops in the World in Math and Science?
A group of Chicago school superintendents set out to make their students www.ncrel.org/fitw/homepage.htm First
in the World in science and math. Five years and $1 million later, the educators have established a solid research
base to help them make decisions for improving math and science curriculum and instruction.
Math and Literature -- A Match Made in the Classroom!
If you are seeking a new way to add relevancy to your classroom math activities, the answer may be right in
your school library! Literature is the ideal vehicle to help your students see the importance of numbers in
their daily lives. Included: Author Marilyn Burns is one educator who says, "Math and literature together? Why
not!" She shares her thoughts with Education World. Plus more ideas for integrating math and literature!
Challenge + Fun = Math Achievement in Middle School
Middle school is a critical time for building math skills required in high school, college, work, and everyday
life. Yet the Third International Mathematics and Science Study scored eighth grade middle school students in
the U.S. below the international average of more than forty nations. What’s being done to improve performance?
Look to math challenges that fire up thinking skills and are “cool” enough for middle grades. Included: Teachers
and students comment about Figure This!, a new and challenging math resource available online and in hard copy.
Also, more than a dozen other great online resources for connecting math and real life!
Stock Market Games Bring Math to Life
Are your students in the market for meaningful math? Check out these on-line stock market simulations! Included:
A fourth-grade teacher and her students talk about a fun and educational on-line stock market game!
The Great Chocolate Experience: A K-12 Internet Project Makes Math Delicious!
"Almost everyone has some background knowledge about chocolate, and most students are motivated to learn more
about it because they like chocolate," said one participant in The Great Chocolate Experience. "Those things
make great conditions for effective learning!" Packed with graphing, calculations, and a few calories, The Great
Chocolate Experience is a project that teachers and students are eating up! See how this integrated project
began and find out how to join in the fun. Included: Comments from teachers across the grades who have participated!
Get Real: Math in Everyday Life
How many times have your students asked "When are we ever going to use this in real life?" Discover more than a dozen
answers -- great Web sites for teaching real world math.
You're Not in Math Class Anymore: Integrating Math Across the Curriculum
Are you having trouble integrating math with literature, geography, art, or music? Discover how one teacher
brought her love of running into the classroom and, in the process, integrated all areas of her curriculum.
Included: Internet sites for integrating math with literature, history, science, geography, health, art, and
music!
And the Winner Is… Math Competitions for Students
A little competition can inspire math students to greater achievement. This week, Education World highlights
more than a dozen math competitions or contests. Included: Problem-solving and stock market competitions ---
and the World's Largest Math Event!
Sports Math Scores Points with Students AND Teachers!
Looking for math activities to connect with this week's big Homecoming game? Teachers can grab students' interest
with a site that teams math with sports -- and everyone comes out a winner! Included: Math teaching resources
for all sports, all grades!
Educators Battle Over Calculator Use: Both Sides Claim Casualties
The philosophical war rages. On one side: the accused "kill and drillers," dedicated to times tables and long
division, preaching the gospel of repetition and memorization. On the other side: alleged "fuzzy math" reformers
preaching concept over content, insight over "right." Between them: the most visible symbol of the continuing
conflict -- the classroom calculator.
Math Wars!
The TIMSS studies have incited a hot debate centered on the way in which mathematics is being taught in many
classrooms in this country. Is a traditional approach better than a "whole math" approach? Which side will win
out in America's "Math Wars"?
Make Puzzles Part of Your Game Plan!
Loads of Internet sites offer puzzles, riddles, word games, and other games to stimulate fun and learning. Check
out a few of them! "Puzzle" your pupils! Included: Tips for integrating puzzles and other games into the curriculum!
Making Connections Between Math and the Real World!
A new secondary school math program, Math Connections, is changing the way teachers look at math -- and changing
kids' attitudes toward its real-world value.
TIMSS: What Does It Mean For The Future of U.S. Math & Science Curriculum?
During 94-95, half a million eighth grade students from 41 countries sat to take a comprehensive test. The test
known as the Third International Mathematics & Science Study (TIMSS) would evaluate and compare the math
and science skills of students internationally.
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