In preparation for my Asilomar talk, I have updated all my function diagram Java applets to HTML 5.What that means is that (a) you won't get the annoying and scary message warning you of the dangers of Java, (b) the applets will work on a tablet, and (c) you won't need to have GeoGebra installed… Continue reading HTML 5!
Tag: Trigonometry
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
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!
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
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
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
Manipulatives update
As larger publishers swallow smaller ones, educational materials with a smaller market tend to be removed from the market. As an author, I have been a victim of this economic reality for quite some time now. However today I have some good news on that front.My book Geometry Labs was originally published by Key Curriculum… Continue reading Manipulatives update
The third dimension!
This is another post about sessions I attended last weekend at the Asilomar Northern California CMC conference. (To read the whole set, start here.)Kevin Rees presented two variations on a classic volume optimization problem. In the traditional problem, you start with a square piece of cardboard, cut off congruent squares at the four corners, and… Continue reading The third dimension!
Kinesthetic Radians
(Previous kinesthetic posts: Pascal's Triangle, Graphing, Distance.)If radians are introduced strictly with a formula, the meaning of the word is difficult to grasp for many students. Some years ago, I learned two tricks from a colleague, which I'll share here:- Tell students that "radian" is short for "radius angle".- A one-minute kinesthetic activity: ask students… Continue reading Kinesthetic Radians
Henri's Math Education Blog 