As I mentioned in a recent post, I will be one of the presenters at the Bay Area Math Project's summer workshop on Transformational Geometry. As part of preparing for this, I went through my notes, and compiled a sort of syllabus of the relevant lessons from my Space course. Symmetry and transformations are the… Continue reading Transformational Geometry, cont’d.
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Embracing Contraries
In 1983, Peter Elbow, a professor at Stony Brook University, wrote a profound article about teaching. It was titled "Embracing Contraries in the Teaching Process" and was published in College English, Volume 45, Number 4. The article was very important for me. It helped me clarify my thinking about education — even though Elbow is… Continue reading Embracing Contraries
Intelligent sequencing vs. external mandates
Some time ago, Mike Thayer posted a comparison of Algebra 1 and Geometry as they are experienced in the classroom. He concluded that since geometry is so much more real to students, and lends itself to interesting connections, perhaps it should be taught first.In response, I suggested that moving specific topics up and down the… Continue reading Intelligent sequencing vs. external mandates
Symmetry in Spain
My wife had a conference in Spain, so we built a vacation around that. It turns out that Spain is a fun place to visit: great art, great food, and well, great math. For example, you can buy a book about the golden ratio from a news kiosk on the street: Unlike us as a… Continue reading Symmetry in Spain
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I finally figured out how to make it possible for you to subscribe to this blog via e-mail. (Look to the right!)If on the other hand, you only want to get e-mails from me once in a blue moon, read this post.--Henri
Transformational Geometry
One of the features of the Common Core content standards in secondary school is a change in the foundations of geometry. Instead of basing everything on congruence and similarity postulates, as is traditional, the idea is to build on a basis of geometric transformations: translation, rotation, reflection, and dilation. This is an interesting change, but… Continue reading Transformational Geometry
Common Core and "Assessment"
I attended a the Critical Issues in Math Education (CIME) meeting in Berkeley (my home town) a few weeks ago. It was a decent mix of math ed researchers, mathematicians, teachers, and people who work for various nonprofits connected to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). I was pleased to see they did involve some… Continue reading Common Core and "Assessment"
Working with Pentominoes
Much of this information is outdated. See an updated post here. Didax just published my book Working with Pentominoes. It is geared to grades 4-8, though I use some of the content in high school. Pentominoes are a geometric puzzle, a staple of recreational mathematics. This is what they look like: You can read… Continue reading Working with Pentominoes
March 19 in Palo Alto
Once again, I will be presenting function diagrams to a math circle for teachers, this time for the American Institute of Mathematics Circle for Teachers. This will happen on March 19, at 340 Portage Ave. Palo Alto, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. There is no charge, and in fact a free dinner is provided. Here… Continue reading March 19 in Palo Alto
Dialogue (continued)
Here is the continuation of my conversation with Mike Thayer.The quotes are from this post on his blog.I am curious about what you mean by "teach better, not less"I have discovered a truly remarkable approach to teaching which this post is too small to contain. See for example: Nothing Works For a Tool-Rich PedagogyAnd… Continue reading Dialogue (continued)
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