ISTE 2011 is up and running, and it’s huge! Look for me there with Conceptua Math at booth 2852 on Wednesday morning before and after our session. I will also be presenting with Arjan Khalsa, the CEO and founder, at this session:
One of the projects I assign to my students is to write a process essay. This is an essay that gives step-by-step instructions about how to do something they know how to do. Today’s contribution comes from Christina S., a second grader whom I tutor in writing, and who invented this technique for making leaf purses. For such a young student, it turns out to be more of a process paragraph than a long essay. It is a good way to practice sequencing words and transitions. How to Make a Leaf Purse, by Christina S. Have you ever wanted to…
Singapore Math is a rising trend in math education in schools and with homeschoolers, for the simple reason that it works. As an experienced Singapore Math teacher and trainer, I often get the question, “Which Singapore Math series should I use?” This question is posed by both teachers and homeschooling parents, and as more series enter the market, the choice becomes more challenging. In this article, I will present the pros and cons of each current series as I see them. Please feel free to contribute your views in the comments below. Singapore Math, US Edition, published by Marshall-Cavendish: This edition…
As of today, I am live as a blogger on the local Patch, an online newspaper! Read my first entry concerning an educational green building possibility here: http://peekskill.patch.com/blog_posts/verplanck-enhancement-plan-and-education .
MSNBC ran a piece on May 3 about third-grade students learning math using Singapore Math. This report outlines the importance of model drawing for problem solving, and of parent understanding to be on board with it. The report is well done, except it gives the mistaken impression that the only thing that makes Singapore Math unique is the model drawing approach. I used to think that too, but now I know better; developing number bond-based numeracy is at least as essential, as are other elements of the curriculum. View the video below: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and…
Like so many others, I am compelled to plant seeds for a garden when spring scents warm the air. This year I will grow a variety of vegetables in a raised bed I plan to construct out of mostly found materials from a nearby beach.To start the process, I planted some seeds in an eggshell planter. I saved eggshells from breakfast eggs, poked holes in the bottoms, filled them with soil, added seeds, and put them in the egg carton to sprout. In just a few days, a whole group of seeds turned into fast-growing seedlings that had to be…
As heard today on Car Talk: Q: What do you call the circumference of an igloo divided by its diameter? A: Eskimo Pi.
It’s been quite a week for me to be immersed in school reform. After speaking at the Voyager’s Community School education conference, I heard John Taylor Gatto and Ron Miller speak, among other reformers. I also went to an excellent differentiated instruction workshop with Jim Grant last Tuesday, in which he laid out many of the problems facing education today. On top of that, I just watched the film Waiting for Superman. Brewing on all of this led me to this question: What is education in our public schools for? Ask different people and you’ll get different responses. Is it…
I’m so inspired about a new tool to enhance math education. A friend sent me the link to a TED talk (embedded at the bottom of this post) showing the evolution of the Khan Academy into something truly useful for – well, for just about anybody. I had come across the Khan videos some time ago, and I thought they were useful and well designed to teach more advanced concepts. Since they were not necessarily pertinent to my work, though, I didn’t return to them. Then I saw this video, and how the Khan Academy has evolved, and I got…
And now for something completely different! When I am not exploring math education or writing fiction, I love to make things. This includes everything from cooking to needle felting to making jewelry. So when instructables.com opened their Pi Day pie contest, I had to enter. Creating my entry required a great deal of calculation, from halving or quartering recipes to guesstimating how long it would take to bake this unique cookie, cake, and ice cream pie. Fortunately, I’ve had lots of experience with estimation, and I couldn’t have hoped for this pie to turn out better. My friends who shared…