I start by doing the "function diagram dance" for my students. (To understand this, you need to already be familiar with function diagrams.)The idea of the dance is that my right hand represents x and my left hand represents y. (From the student's perspective, this puts the x on the left and the y on… Continue reading Kinesthetic Function Diagrams
Blog
Yet again, more kinesthetics!
If you search for "kinesthetic" on this blog, you'll see a series of posts about kinesthetic activities to help teach various concepts. I will eventually combine all of these into a new page on my Web site -- but it just hit me that I had not yet posted all the kinesthetic activities I use.… Continue reading Yet again, more kinesthetics!
This blog
I have renamed this blog, as the content of the posts has gradually shifted from "what's new on my math ed page" to "my math ed blog". I will continue to mention changes on my math ed site, my publications, and my presentations at conferences, but I hope to continue expressing my thoughts about math… Continue reading This blog
Student course evaluations
When I started teaching high school, I was rather shocked that the routine on the job at the time included a course evaluation form to be filled in by students at the end of every term. Teenagers were to evaluate adults!I was particularly disturbed by the pedagogically questionable assumptions and implications of the form. One… Continue reading Student course evaluations
Keeping track of manipulatives
Hands-on materials are an important tool in the math classroom, but they are a pain to keep track of. Spending time outside of class organizing tangram sets, say, is a real hassle. Having students do it during class is a waste of valuable instructional time. My suggestion, using tangrams as an example:- To minimize mix-ups,… Continue reading Keeping track of manipulatives
Software for high school math
I often get asked what software I use in teaching math.I have been involved in educational computing for decades, and over that time, I have developed some preferences which are not always the dominant ones in the marketplace.- Fathom vs. Excel. Spreadsheets are a powerful environment for teaching math, and one place where a strong… Continue reading Software for high school math
Little girls and math
A friend is concerned that her daughter may already be getting the wrong message about math and gender in kindergarten. This is not as far-fetched as it seems, according to this article. She is planning to start a math club of sorts for her daughter and her friends.My advice to her: do whatever math you… Continue reading Little girls and math
Upcoming Conferences
I'll be speaking about Escape from the Textbook! at two conferences of the California Math Council: Palm Springs (Nov 5) and Asilomar (Dec 4.) For the latter, I'll be joined by Carlos Cabana, now a teacher at Mission High School in San Francisco.I hope to see some of you there!--Henri
Answers
Correspondents frequently ask:Do you have answers to (this or that worksheet on the Web site)?Typically, no. I'm sorry, but I don't have the time or interest to write up answers.The exception is that if the activity appears in a book, the answers are indeed written up, as the publisher usually demands it. (Even then, I… Continue reading Answers
Geometry book recommendation
A correspondent asks for a recommendation for a geometry book.My favorite by far is Geometry: A Guided Inquiry by Chakerian, Crabill and Stein. This is the book that had the greatest impact on my approach to teaching high school math. It came out in the 1970's, I believe, but was far ahead of its time.… Continue reading Geometry book recommendation
