Posted in Math blogs

Top 20 Math Posts and Pages in 2012

The thinker

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….
Posted in Math blogs

Math blog carnival

This site will be hosting the 25th edition of Math and Multimedia Carnival which will go live at the end of this month, October 31.

A math blog carnival is a collection of articles from various math blogs and sites. So if you are a blogger, this is an opportunity for you to promote your favourite or latest posts and yes, your blogs for free. Below is a collection of blog carnivals I previously hosted.

If you have articles about math problems, puzzles and games, tips for teaching math and specific topics in math, videos, tutorials, lessons, curriculum materials and book reviews, math trivia especially about the the number 25, etc, you may email the permalinks to me or use the math and multimedia blog carnival submission form.

Please share, like, and tweet so more bloggers will know. Thank you.

 

Posted in Math blogs

Math Problems for K-12 with solution

Math Problems for K-12 is my new site that contains problems with solutions, explanations and common errors students commit in solving the problem.  Sample students answers are shown with the corresponding marks. The posts are written for students but teachers, I’m sure, will also find them helpful. You can say this is the student version of Math for Teaching blog. The problems are categorized according to math area and year level. Here is a sample problem for middle school algebra. Click the image to go to the site.

And here’s another for high school mathematics. This post links equation solving and graphing functions, a key concept in algebra.

If you are a teacher and wishes to contribute a problem you have done with your class, feel free to share it here together with students’ solutions. It would be great if you can also show how you marked it together with comments. It is through assessment and marking that we communicate to students what we value. Email me at mathforteaching@gmail.com so I can invite you as author. Thank you.

Posted in Algebra, Math blogs

Math Teachers at Play at Math Mama

Math Teacher at Play (MTAP) #51 is now live in Math Mama Writes …. Really great collection of 51 posts from teachers, lecturers, professors, bloggers, … in the following categories: Arithmetic, Patterns and Logic, Visual Math, Algebra-Geometry-Trigonometry, Puzzles and Games, Notations and Logic, and Breaking News, and may favorite, Teaching Mathematics.  I even got two posts in the carnival. Thanks Sue.

The next MTAP carnival will be hosted in Let’s Play Math. Submit your post first week of July using the MTAP submission form.