We hear students say, “I’m not good at math” or “Math isn’t my thing”, especially after receiving a bad test score. These comments are likely subtle signs they are afraid of math. If so, we need to pull the student aside and ask questions that might help shed light on what they are thinking. Are […]
Healing Math Phobia Read More »
Articles abound on how traditional teaching methods deny students the chance to learn from their mistakes. But in this pandemic, when teachers are forced to engage in remote learning, they are more than ever scrutinized by parents and staff. Under so much pressure, teachers won’t dare try something new and risk making a mistake. A
Don’t Be Afraid of Making a Mistake. Flip Your Classroom. Read More »
Math students who begin their math journey into absolute value usually evaluate expressions with absolute value as “always positive.” That is, until they encounter the absolute value of zero, and then their answers become “always positive or zero.” The formal definition of absolute value is |x| = x if x ≥ 0 or –x if
Absolute Value: The Elevated Math Approach Read More »
Photography by Ta-Duc Updated September 9, 2020 When I ran for school board, one question was asked a number of times, usually by students. “How would I provide more teacher/student interactions?” I assumed the students wanted a more personal experience in their learning until a BBC News article made me realize that this question might
Building Confidence In Math Class Read More »
Updated – August 29, 2020 I came across a Wall Street Journal article with the headline that read, “Wandering Mind Heads Straight Toward Insight,” and the sub headline read, “Researchers Map the Anatomy of the Brain’s Breakthrough Moments and Reveal the Payoff of Daydreaming.” Here’s the question we need to ask: Are we giving students
DAYDREAMING IS GOOD Read More »
After I was elected on the school board, a principal introduced me to a middle school math teacher whose students had averaged 98% advanced or proficiency in Algebra 1 over the past three years. “Wow! How did you do that?” I exclaimed. “Is there something special in your teaching technique?” Obviously, this teacher knew her
A KEY TO EFFECTIVE TEACHING: OBSERVATION Read More »
Thomas Edison – “too stupid to learn anything” Updated August 15, 2020 Finding a right answer is sometimes not that important. More important is learning to approach a problem correctly, to study a mathematic question from different angles and to resist the urge to give up. This is best taught in middle school. In grades
TEACHING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT WITH MATH CLASS Read More »
Someone posted this on a Facebook page: MATH TEST 2 + 2 x 2 + 2 x 2 – 2 x 2 = a. 6 b. 16 c. 40 I was shocked to see that so many people got the wrong answer. A student’s success in math is dependent on knowing the Order of Operations.
ORDER OF OPERATIONS: THE ELEVATED MATH APPROACH 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 »
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 »
