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)
Tag: MySite
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
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
Polyomino Lessons
I just uploaded a book of Polyomino Lessons to my Web site. The book first came out in 1986, and has long been out of print. It includes a wide range of puzzles and activities for middle and high school, mostly carried out on grid paper.Here are some solutions to one of the puzzles: One… Continue reading Polyomino Lessons
Integrating y=x^2
I added a new page to my Web site. It's a visual proof that the integral of y=x2 from 0 to b is indeed b3/3.Some interesting things about this proof:It was discovered by Jacob Regenstein, a high school student.It does not involve any algebraic manipulation.It shows a dramatic example of how integration increases the degree… Continue reading Integrating y=x^2
New Lesson
I posted a new lesson on my Web site: Comparing Cell Phone Plans. I wrote the lesson as part of a project I worked on with Amanda Cangelosi, an ex-colleague and currently a prof at the University of Utah. We were auditioning for a new online math lessons Web site. We did not make the… Continue reading New Lesson
Solving Inequalities
One topic that has nearly vanished from my teaching is the solving of inequalities "by hand". There are several reasons for that choice:The techniques are difficult to teach and difficult to learn, because they are so close to the ones for the solving of linear equations, but differ in one crucial case.It is difficult to… Continue reading Solving Inequalities
Henri's Math Education Blog 