Mike:Before responding to your post let me go on with the train of thought I started last week in my post about All of high school math in one year?Teaching math to students who'd rather not be there is not anyone's idea of a good time. Can anything be done about that? One solution is… Continue reading Algebra for all?
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All of high school math in one year?
In my previous post, I responded to Michael Thayer's comments about my Mathematics Overview. In this post I will respond to Mike's proposal for a one-year course to replace all of high school math.Mike and I largely agree about the failings and shortcomings of traditional curriculum and pedagogy, but I don't agree with his solution.… Continue reading All of high school math in one year?
More on the Mathematics Overview
In his Hyperbolic Guitars blog, Michael Thayer writes:I've been mulling over the one-year course idea some more. And what to my wondering eyes did appear (thank you, @tieandjeans) but this really spectacularly well-thought-out and well-organized course outline created by Henri Picciotto. It's got everything, really, that I'd love to see in the course I'd proposed, and it… Continue reading More on the Mathematics Overview
e-mail list
You can now get on my e-mail list by going to a new page on my Web site. If you're not yet on my list, get on now!I intend to send out a mailing every six weeks or so, to notify subscribers of my workshops and presentations, and of any new posts here and new… Continue reading e-mail list
Linear Programming
Linear programming is not really programming. It is a method for minimizing or maximizing a linear function in two variables, when the values taken by the variables are enclosed in a polygon on the Cartesian plane. There is no shortage of good sources of problems of this type. I've been happy with the ones in… Continue reading Linear Programming
CAIS North
The California Association of Independent Schools will be holding its every-other-year Northern California Regional Meeting on March 11 in Oakland. If you work at a member school, I may see you there. Here is what I plan to do that day:Session 1: I will join Laura Hawkins, who succeeded me as math department chair at… Continue reading CAIS North
Mathematics Overview
I have written an outline of one possible version of the foundational topics of secondary school math, covering key concepts usually taught in grades 7 to 10. The idea was to write a one-year review course for seniors who have had trouble with math up to that point, but still intend to go to a… Continue reading Mathematics Overview
Summer Workshops for Math Teachers
I will offer four workshops for secondary school teachers this summer:San Francisco (at the Urban School's Center for Innovative Teaching)June 17-19: Visual AlgebraGreater access, greater challenge, and greater variety — by using blocks or tiles, geoboards, function diagrams, and technology.June 20-21: Re-imagining High School MathPedagogy, learning tools, curriculum, assessment, the long period, heterogeneous classes, deceleration,… Continue reading Summer Workshops for Math Teachers
Function Diagram Slides
I posted slides from last Saturday's talk about function diagrams on my Web site. I don't imagine they'll be that useful, unless you want to use them in one of your presentations, but on the same page you can read the article the presentation was largely based on, and find links to many PDFs, animations,… Continue reading Function Diagram Slides
Fraction Arithmetic
[I posted an edited version of this post, including an approach to the division of fractions, here.]If you are familiar with my Web site, you probably know my interest in visual representations of algebraic ideas. The seed for this was probably planted during my decade as an elementary school teacher, where I learned about visual… Continue reading Fraction Arithmetic
Henri's Math Education Blog 