Recently I penned My Last Math Class and shared how I made math learning real for an unique group of students. Following on its heels, I shared information on the 3 R’s —Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships— coined in 2010 by The International Center for Leadership in Education. Now I want to expand this theme into another area […]
Relevance: Discovery, Skills-based, and Manipulatives Read More »
artwork by Steve Heath After the blog post, My Last Math Class, was re-tweeted many times last week, I realized that making math relevant for our students is important to a lot of people. If that’s the case, then the Rigor/Relevance Framework should be of interest to our readers.
Rigor, Relevance and Relationships Can Make a Difference Read More »
photography by JD Hancock Play along with me just for a moment. Be honest now. When I say the word “scientist,” what is the first image that comes to mind? Write down a few words that describe that image. Are you finished? When you are, read the following account of what happened at a recent
Scientist? It’s Time to Change the Image! Read More »
“Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have,” as stated by the Wizard from Oz in 1939. According to him, a Th.D. diploma (Doctor of Thinkology) is
Does It Take a ‘Th.D.’ to Understand the Pythagorean Theorem or Just an Internet Search? Read More »
It has often been said that math is a language all to itself, that it is the universal language because speakers of other languages share it. Okay. I’ll accept that adage. And though I believe it, I still have questions as to how this plays out in a classroom, in particular an ESL classroom where
Teaching Math without Words Read More »
photography by jimmiehomeschoolmom A mother sent an email the other day asking which lessons of Elevated Math would be appropriate for her son. He had finished 4th grade and was going into 5th, but he had struggled with several of the concepts in 4th grade math. She thought the lessons would help him strengthen his
Where Does Math Instruction Begin for a 4th Grader? That is a Good Question. Read More »
photography by Andreas Blixt Since the U.S. is celebrating Independence Day, I think this is an appropriate time to underscore the reasons why the iPad and the Elevated Math app can bring a new kind of freedom or independence when learning at home, away from home or in the classroom. Taking creative liberties, I have
A New Found Freedom: Let’s Celebrate Learning Independence! Read More »
In an earlier blog I shared my concern about my eight year-old grandson knowing how to calculate the correct answer when adding two-digit numbers without knowing the value of the digits in the addends or sum. But helping children understand place value is more than telling them which number is in the ones place and
The First Steps in Developing Conceptual Understanding of Place Value Read More »
Traditionally, math problems have been posed on the static page of a textbook with all the data provided. If students correctly plug the data into a given formula, TA-DA! The correct answer appears. But does this type of math instruction encourage a student’s intuition and teach the patience needed when faced with an actual life
Using Multimedia to Redefine a Word Problem Read More »
Today I found out I lost a contemporary, a friend. This friend, who once was a highly successful investment banker with a lucrative business, left an affluent lifestyle to pursue a degree in middle level education. He wanted to make a difference. He wanted to make an impact on kids’ lives. He wanted to teach
Calculators in the Math Classroom: In Memory of a Friend and Obstinate Student Read More »
