Category: Math blogs

I blog in order to organise what I think. And I don’t think I’m succeeding judging from the range of topics that I have so far written since I started Math for Teaching blog in 2010. Here’s the twenty most popular math posts and pages in this blog for the year 2012. It’s a mix of curricular issues, lessons, and teaching tips.

1. What is mathematical investigation? – Mathematical investigation refers to the sustained exploration of a mathematical situation. It distinguishes itself from problem solving because it is open-ended….
2. Exercises, Problems, and Math Investigations – The quality of mathematics students learn depends on the mathematical tasks or activities we let our students engage in….
3. What is mathematical literacy? – Mathematical literacy involves more than executing mathematical procedures and possessions of basic knowledge that would allow a citizen to get by. Mathematical literacy is mathematical knowledge, methods,…
4. My issues with Understanding by Design (UbD) – Everybody is jumping into this new education bandwagon like it is something that is new indeed. Here are some issues I want to raise about UbD…
5. Curriculum change and Understanding by Design, what are they solving? – Not many teachers make an issue about curriculum framework or standards in this part of the globe. The only time I remember teachers raised an issue about it was in 1989, when the mathematics curriculum moved …
6. Math investigation lesson on polygons and algebraic expressions – Understanding is about making connection. The extent to which a concept is understood is a function of the strength of its connection with other concepts. An isolated piece of knowledge is not powerful…
7. Mathematics is an art – Whether we are conscious of it or not, the way we teach mathematics is very much influenced by what we conceive mathematics is and what is important knowing about it…
8. Mathematical habits of mind – Learning mathematics is not just about knowing, understanding, and applying its concepts, principles and all the associated mathematical procedures and algorithms. It’s not just even about  acquiring the capacity to solve problem,  to reason, and to communicate…
9. Subtracting integers using numberline – why it doesn’t help the learning – I have reasons to suspect that for a good percentage of students, the end of their mathematics career begin when they are introduced to subtracting integers. Well, for some, it’s when the x‘s start dropping from the sky without warning…
10. Teaching positive and negative numbers – Here’s my proposed activity for teaching positive and negative numbers that engages students in higher-level thinking…
11. Trigonometry – why study triangles – What is so special about triangles? Why did mathematicians created a branch of mathematics devoted to the study of it? Why not quadrinometry? Quadrilaterals, by its variety are far more interesting….
12. Teaching the concept of function – Mathematics is not just about the study of numbers and shapes but also about the study of patterns and relationships. Function, which can define some of these relationships, is an indispensable tool in its study…
13. Algebraic thinking and subtracting integers – Part 2 – Algebraic thinking is about recognizing, analyzing, and developing generalizations about patterns in numbers, number operations, and relationships among quantities and their representations.  It doesn’t have to involve working with the x‘s and other stuff of algebra….
14. Patterns in the tables of integers – Mathematics is said to be the science of patterns. Activities that involve pattern searching is a great way to engage students in mathematical thinking. Here are some of my favorites …
15. Making generalizations in mathematics – Making generalizations is fundamental to mathematics. Developing the skill of making generalizations and making it part of the students’ mental disposition or  habits of mind …
16. Teaching with GeoGebra: Squares and Square Roots – This post outlines a teaching sequence for introducing the concept of square roots in a GeoGebra environment. Of course you can do the same activity using grid papers, ruler and calculator….
17. Algebra vs Arithmetic Thinking – One of the solutions to help students understand algebra in high school is to start the study of algebra earlier hence the elementary school curriculum incorporated some content topics traditionally studied in high school. However,…
18. Teaching with GeoGebra – Educational technology like GeoGebra can only facilitate understanding if the students themselves use it. This page contains a list of my posts …
19. Teaching combining algebraic expressions with conceptual understanding – In this post, I will share some ideas on how the simple investigation of drawing polygons with the same area can be used as an introductory lesson to teach operations with algebraic expressions with meaning and understanding.
20. Mistakes and Misconceptions in Mathematics – Misconceptions are very different from the mistakes students make. Mistakes are not consciously made. Misconceptions are. Mistakes are usually one-off, while misconceptions, the gods forbid, could be for keeps….