Presentations at AsilomarI will be speaking about function diagrams at the December 7 meeting of the California Math Council (North) in Asilomar. I hope to see some of you there!I first learned about function diagrams at Asilomar, many years ago, from Martin Flashman, a professor at Humboldt State University. Strange coincidence: Martin is also going… Continue reading Function Diagrams update
Tag: Algebra
Parabolas and Quadratics in GeoGebra
I've added several GeoGebra files to my Parabolas and Quadratics page. Some are self-explanatory, others will probably only make sense if you download and familiarize yourself with the accompanying curriculum materials.GeoGebra users may be interested in my use of the very powerful "Sequence" command in creating the trinomial.ggb file. This command allows interactive geometry to… Continue reading Parabolas and Quadratics in GeoGebra
New: GeoGebra files for Function Diagrams
I posted several GeoGebra files for function diagrams:to compare the function diagram of any function with its Cartesian graph.to illustrate the concept of composition of functions.to illustrate the concept of rate of change.to find the parameters of y=mx+b from the position of the function diagram focus.to solve a system of simultaneous linear equations with the… Continue reading New: GeoGebra files for Function Diagrams
Upcoming workshop and presentations
I'll be offering a workshop at East Bay Charter Connect's Third Annual Charter School Symposium on Friday, October 11, in Oakland, CA. My theme is "Connecting the Dots (math on the geoboard and dot paper)". This will include selected topics in algebra and geometry: area, distance, the Pythagorean theorem, simplifying radicals, dilation, slope, and more!… Continue reading Upcoming workshop and presentations
Math and Art
Many years ago, I team-taught a class called "Math and Art" with my then-colleague Stephen Thomas, who was an art teacher at The Urban School. Like most such endeavors at any school, the class was short-lived — I believe we offered it twice. However it was not in vain: some of that curriculum found its… Continue reading Math and Art
Interactive Geometry Software
Some years ago, I started using interactive geometry software. My application of choice was Cabri, because I appreciated its mathematical depth and the elegant simplicity of its interface. I developed a number of Cabri-based activities, many of which you can find on my Web site. For example:function diagrams, the geometry of the parabola and ellipse, factoring… Continue reading Interactive Geometry Software
NY Times special issue
The New York Times special issue on math and science education on September 2, 2013, included some worthwhile items."Cognitive Science Meets Pre-Algebra" reports on a recent study of "interleaving homework" in a middle school in Tampa. The idea was to compare the usual approach (homework is on the topic currently under study) with interleaving, which… Continue reading NY Times special issue
One Should Separate Related Topics!
This is part of a multifaceted strategy to teach heterogeneous classes. Read about it in this article: Reaching the Full Range.In a previous post, I discussed the benefits of "lagging homework". These included extending student exposure to new ideas, which benefits everyone: stronger students get the forward motion they want and need, and students who… Continue reading One Should Separate Related Topics!
"A New Algebra"
About twenty years ago, along with Anita Wah, I wrote "A New Algebra", a paper for the Journal of Mathematical Behavior (JMB). It was an attempt to address what I saw as a crucial issue in secondary math education: on the one hand, the traditional Algebra 1 course was the gateway to any further work… Continue reading "A New Algebra"
Visual Algebra: Sharing
I am teaching a Visual Algebra workshop in San Francisco, June 17-19.Support materials are on the workshop participants' Web site.Over the past couple of decades, there has been a trend to teach algebra to younger and younger students. That could actually be a good thing. But unfortunately, that has been interpreted as teaching the traditional… Continue reading Visual Algebra: Sharing
Henri's Math Education Blog 