April Travels, May Webinar, Summer Workshops

New York City April 5, 4:30pm: I will present Geometric Puzzles at the Museum of Math Teachers’ Circle. Geometric puzzles are accessible to solvers of all ages, but they can also challenge even the most tenacious of solvers.  Join math education author and consultant Henri Picciotto in an exploration of hands-on polyomino puzzles that involve area, perimeter, symmetry, congruence, and scaling — you’ll even participate in some collaborative pentomino research!
New York City April 6, 6:30pm: I will present Playing with Pentominoes at the Museum of Math Family Friday. Pentominoes are simple to create — just join five equal-sized squares together — but provide a host of classic challenges in the world of recreational mathematics.  Discover them, play with them, and explore a variety of visual puzzles that span the whole range: from kindergarten to adult, from the most accessible to the most challenging, and from the meditative to the maddening.
Atlanta April 11-15: I will attend the Gathering for Gardner. I won’t be presenting, but I look forward to seeing old and new friends. I contributed a thematic cryptic crossword to the conference book.
Washington, DC April 25 and 27 3:00pm: I will present Taxicab Geometry for the Math Teachers’ Circle sessions at the NCTM National Meeting (in the Networking Lounge). Many concepts depend on distance: the triangle inequality, the definition of a circle, the value of π, the properties of the perpendicular bisector, the geometry of the parabola, etc. In taxicab geometry, you can only move horizontally and vertically in the Cartesian plane, so distance is different from the usual “shortest path” definition. We will explore the implications of taxicab distance. There are no prerequisites, other than curiosity and a willingness to experiment on graph paper.
Washington, DC April 26, 2pm and April 27, 1pm, I will be at the Didax booth (#253 in the exhibit hall, NCTM National Meeting) for a 15-20 minute introduction to the Lab Gear. Participants will get a free sample!
Washington, DC April 27 8:00am: I will present “Quadratic Equations and Functions Use Manipulatives and Technology for More Access and More Depth” at the NCTM National Meeting. (Convention Center 209 ABC) Algebra manipulatives provide an environment where students can make sense of two ways to solve quadratic equations: factoring and completing the square. Graphing technology allows students to link those approaches to quadratic functions. Using these tools and connecting these concepts makes the algebra come to life for all students. [I will give away manipulatives to the first 72 attendees.] If you’re an experienced Lab Gear user, I would love it if you would assist me during that session. Get in touch!

And from the comfort of your own home:

Anywhere, May 17, 5:00pm Pacific Time: Reaching the Full Range, a webinar. As everyone knows, students learn math at different rates. What should we do about it? I propose a two-prong strategy based on alliance with the strongest students, and support for the weakest. On the one hand, relatively easy-to-implement ways to insure constant forward motion and eternal review. On the other hand, a tool-based pedagogy (using manipulatives and technology) that supports multiple representations, and increases both access and challenge. Click here.

Whether you attend these events or not, you can find handouts and links on my Talks page.