Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

One way to teach and assess students understanding of math concepts and procedures is to create a cognitive conflict. Here is one way you can create cognitive conflict in solving inequalities: To solve the inequality x – 7 > 5, the process usually involve adding 7 to both sides of the inequality. There is no [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Graphs display information in an organized and easy-to-read manner.They are visual representations of quantities and their relationships so they are not pictures. That graphs are pictures is a common misconception. By end of fourth grade a pupil should be able create, understand and interpret at least the basics of three types of graphs, line, bar graphs [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is now CIA’s # 1 agent.  And the government wants you to use Facebook. You are more trackable and traceable there than via your Twitter or Google+ accounts. View the flash report below from The Onions News Network (ONN). Of course the CIA will not find fault with you liking Math for Teaching’s [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

According to Piaget, knowledge is constructed when a learner encounters input from the environment and incorporates the new experiences to his/her existing schemes and mental structures (assimilation). When this new assimilated information conflicts with previously formed mental structures, the result is called disequilibrium – a cognitive conflict. This state of disequilibrium motivates the learner to [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Meta-Calculator is a free four-in-one online calculator that should serve the needs of almost any high school student/college student for problem solving and math investigations tasks. It would also be useful for anyone who needs to analyze statistical data, do lots of calculations , graph equations or create images of equations—you can just hop on the [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

  I love Nancy!!! Thanks to Randy Glasbergen and United Features Syndicate for the cartoons. This is my last post for the year 2011. Happy Holidays!!! May you have a very merry Christmas!!!  

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

In this video, Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. He argues that creativity is as important in education now as literacy. He discusses the lack of variety of opportunities for students to be creative in the way we educate them. [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

This article is a comment in my post Math War Over Multiplication which is about the ongoing debate  on whether or not multiplication can be defined as repeated addition. In the article, the author also raises a lot of other issues. Read, enjoy, and comment. What started with a few words is now a feud. While Truth is not the [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Should the history of a math concept inform the way we should teach it? Some camps, especially those that strongly object to the usual axiomatic-deductive style of teaching, advocates the use of a “genetic” teaching model that takes seriously into account the historical roots of mathematical knowledge. Here are some studies that support this approach. [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

This is a perfectly good knob to use. Grab it, turn it, pull (or push), and the door swings open. So it meets your needs. Or does it? Does it meet ALL your needs, your universal set of needs, needs that arise in different situations, different contexts? Well, suppose you are rushing down the corridor [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Can educational courseware be designed in such a way that they address the needs of (a) gifted learners (b) disadvantaged learners (c) and all learners that fall between these two extreme poles? This was the challenge I took on in the design of Karismath courseware. The primary tools for designing it in such a way [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

WELCOME to the 17th edition of Math and Multimedia Blog Carnival! As is the tradition, a math blog carnival should introduce the mathematical significance of n in its nth edition. I was lucky to host this 17th edition. I didn’t have to look further for the significance of the number 17. The 17 beautiful patterns of [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Visual scaffolding is a natural support to learning mathematics since most mathematical concepts are first distilled visually i.e. a concept is conceived as having a specific visual beginning, and a defined visual progression. As the concept progresses, numbers are incrementally engaged in translating the visuals into numerical information. The visual connections are designed to make [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

There are four general perspectives one can analyze and explain mathematical thinking and learning.These views should be seen not as competing but complementing each other. The four are: Mathematics: where the focus is on the rules and norms of the mathematical research community. Mathematics education: where the focus is on the individual and social processes in [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Just because BlogCarnival.com is malfunctioning again doesn’t mean math bloggers can’t have fun. As announced, Math and Multimedia Carnival #17 will go live on the 28th of November here at Math for Teaching. Deadline for submission is on the 27th Nov 2011. If you already submitted your articles via blogcarnival.com but did not get acknowledgement, please [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

This lively RSAnimate, adapted from Dan Pink’s talk at the RSA, illustrates the hidden truths behind what motivates us at home and in the workplace.  Dan Pink tells us that people whose work involve cognitive activity requires a very different form of reward. This video is a must see for all mathematics teachers. Mathematics is a cognitive [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematical tasks can be classified broadly in two general types: exercises and problem solving tasks. Exercises are tasks used for practice and mastery of skills. Here, students already know how to complete the tasks. Problem solving on the other hand are tasks in which the solution or answer are not readily apparent. Students need to [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Just like the games we play, the fun in learning mathematics is in the challenge. In the post Math is not easy, I argued that we love a sport because of the challenge it presents, the opportunities it gives us to make prediction, analyze, strategize, make our stand and defend it, etc and not because it is easy [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

I found this interesting article about negative numbers which says that they are not less than zero. It’s a quote from the paper  titled The extension of the natural number domain to the integers in the transition from arithmetic to algebra by Aurora Gallardo. The quote was transcribed from the article Negative by D’Alembert (1717-1738) [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Giving examples, sometimes tons of them, is not an uncommon practice in teaching mathematics. How do we use examples? When do we use them?  In his paper, The purpose, design, and use of examples in the teaching of elementary mathematics, Tim Rowland considers the different purposes for which teachers use example in mathematics teaching and [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

You may want to check-out the first-ever book about the use of GeoGebra on the teaching and learning of mathematics: Model-Centered Learning: Pathways to Mathematical Understanding Using GeoGebra by Ligguo Bu and Robert Schoen. Supported by new developments in model-centered learning and instruction, the chapters in this book move beyond the traditional views of mathematics and mathematics teaching, providing theoretical [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Hello bloggers. It’s carnival time again. The 17th edition of Math and Multimedia Carnival will be over here at Mathematics for Teaching. It will go live on 28th November 2011. You are most welcome to share your posts about mathematics and the teaching and learning of it. You can submit your posts in Math and Multimedia [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

I wrote a little post titled Mathematics is not easy  to challenge the teachers I work with to rethink the way they teach mathematics. I  shared the post in LinkedIn and it generated intelligent discussions and ideas about mathematics and teaching mathematics from the community Math, Math Education, Math Culture. I think we can learn a lot [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Students’ understanding of mathematics is a function of the quality and quantity of the connections of a concept with other concepts. As I always say in this blog, ‘To understand is to make connections’. There are many ways  of helping students make connections. One of these is through activities involving multiple representations. Here is a [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.

Combinatorial problems are difficult because it’s hard to  know which formula to use in a particular problem and when you need to ‘tweak’ or totally abandon the formula. In this post I share two solutions to a problem which connects the multiplication principle, the combination formula and the formula for counting the number of permutation with [...]

Mathematics for Teaching - This site is NOT about making mathematics easy because it isn't. It is about making it make sense because it does.