Have you ever wondered if there is a better way to understand and remember mathematical order of operations than PEMDAS, BIDMAS, GEMA, or any of the other happy mnemonics that only go so far? It’s been a bugaboo for so many teachers over time. During a recent work trip to St. Croix, USVI, I realized […]
A week or two ago, Bill Davidson interviewed me for his podcast, Centering the Pendulum. I found it a great experience that allowed me to express some of the reasons for writing my book. It’s 18 minutes long; I hope you can find time to listen to it here.
Mobius strips are easy to make. Just glue one end of a strip of paper to the back side of the other end. Then you have a twisted strip. Lots of knitters make Mobius cowls as well. It’s a popular and cozy style. The author of some of the books I’ve used with students, mathematician […]
A common problem educators face is to make fractions fun and intuitive, especially if their own education was lacking in this respect. One activity I developed that helps with this, and can be done with children of a variety of ages, is Fraction Jacks. What are fraction jacks? They are not the game with the […]
Ever since I heard this story, I’ve been working to change my communication with children about what is important. I think this comic says it better than my soapbox speeches. And you can substitute anything else for math, but I chose math because I hear that all the time. *If you’re stuck on helping your child […]
If you teach math, or want to enrich your children’s understanding of numbers, here is a set of activities that children will enjoy while learning a lot. You may have heard about Multiple Intelligence Theory. One thing it tells us is that we evolved to have intelligence not only in verbal and mathematical learning, which […]
I’m pleased to report that an independent non-profit organization, EdReports.org, is reviewing new Common Core math curricula. I sometimes get asked about my opinion about the different options, but it’s hard to respond when there are so many new materials that I haven’t seen, and I am only one person. While the reviews don’t address […]
Yesterday, an exciting package came in the mail: the first two published modules of the Common Core math curriculum for Grade 2, complete with my name on the inside! Even though it was only listed for Grade 2 (I’m writing on the Grade 5 team too), it was nice to see my name on another […]
Here is a list of websites and apps demonstrated during my session at NYSCATE 2013. EngageNY.org: where you can download the full curriculum modules for free. commoncore.org: access Eureka, the interface for the full math curriculum modules. Number Pieces (Free): Virtual Base 10 blocks and whiteboard AL Abacus ($1.99): Virtual abacus, sometimes called a Rekenrek […]
It’s been a while since my last post on iPad apps, and in the meantime a lot has happened. For one thing, I have downloaded and tried quite a number of math apps. I’m going to start a round-up of some of the most useful apps as I have time. First up: exciting news! The […]