Updated: August 11, 2020 I remember my middle and high school classes when I was stuck in the classroom and daydreamed the time away. My lack of focus on a lesson that was droning on in front of me would cost me dearly when I got home later and had to answer the homework problems. […]
We MUST Engage Our Math Students Read More »
Updated: September 10, 2020 A parent sent me an email. She wrote her child had been diagnosed with dyscalculia. I looked up the word. According to Wikipedia, “Dyscalculia (or math disability) is a specific learning disability involving innate difficulty in learning or comprehending simple mathematics. It is akin to dyslexia and includes difficulty in understanding
Dyscalculia: Not a Cool Math Concept Read More »
A short article written in a 2006 issue of NCTM’s mathematics journal, Teaching in the Middle School, caught my eye. It was entitled “Some Students Do Not Like Mathematics”. The reasons stated were the same as we have heard for years: “We don’t engage our students,” “Parents are not involved,” “Students don’t know how to
Students Don’t Like Math? Ask the Right Question. Read More »
If you have taught your math students about perimeter and area, if you are ready to present them with an application challenge, and if they are into Pythonesque comedy (Do you know many middle schoolers who are not into the absurd?), consider showing this clip from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. After watching the clip, distribute
Monty Python and the Quadratic Shrubbery Read More »
2011 will forever be significant in Elevated Math history. Our iPad app was launched along our website and blog. In Barbara Walters’ fashion, we decided to list the TEN MOST FASCINATING POSTS in 2011. Oh, ok. Fascinating is probably not the most accurate adjective, so how about if we list our ten favorites? Angry Birds
Our Favorite Blog Posts of 2011 Read More »
Variations of flipped classrooms are as many as there are teachers. Brian Bennett writes in his blog post, “The flipped class is an ideology, not a methodology.” He stresses that it is not defined by the use of videos. He has moved away from videos now that he has more time for “engaging activities and
A Case for the Flipped Classroom Read More »
On May 23, 2010 in my very first blog, Teaching Math; It’s All in the Balance, I shared my view that both the traditional and reform camps have something to offer math educators. Basically, traditionalists believe skills should be taught based on algorithms, formulas and step-by-step procedures; reformists support a more inquiry-based approach that emphasizes developing
The Pursuit of Place Value Understanding, Part III Read More »
In the previous blog Use Angry Birds to Teach Math (see below) we shared a plan to introduce students to parabolas. Students can follow Bruner’s CRA teaching method from tossed-beanbags to the parabolas in Angry Birds to graphing-quadratic-equations in Elevated Math. The popularity of our blog post has inspired us to include an excerpt from the Elevated Math lesson.
Use Angry Birds to Teach Math, Pt. 2 Read More »
As David Wees shares in his blog entitled, Make Mathematics Fun, “too many students spend a lot of time not enjoying themselves when learning mathematics.” He challenges mathematics educators to make math accessible and more easily learned for their students. Being up for the challenge, here is a suggestion. Angry Birds is the largest mobile app
Use Angry Birds to Teach Math Read More »
Helping children develop conceptual understandings, making math learning relevant, and integrating discovery and skills-based learning are all important. In the blog post The First Steps in Developing Conceptual Understanding of Place Value I shared my 2nd grade grandson’s experience in learning two and three digit addition and subtraction. He had been learning to add and subtract digits
Whole Number Division with Semi-Concrete Base Ten Blocks Read More »
