When you think of "technology," many applications may pop into your head, but "teaching tool" may not necessarily be one of them. Why is this? Perhaps it's because of its newness, but technology in the classroom should not be shied away from. To the contrary, it can be one of the most effective teaching tools available.
Educate Your Students By Gaining Their Interest
Students these days are subjected to a barrage of fast-paced mental stimulation, from music videos to video games. Too many teachers see these as hopeless competition, when really they could be using the same techniques to grab students' attention and teach them something at the same time. Textbooks may be the backbone of the classes you teach - it is hard to do otherwise, really - but by no means must they be the only source of learning.
* Getting your students active and working together is your best avenue toward getting them interested. Technology is a great tool for this: not only will your students have a more vivid memory of their math lessons, but they will be learning a slew of technical skills as well. Send your class on WebQuests for research. Instead of poster-board team projects, why not have them construct a PowerPoint presentation? Take them to the school's computer lab to check out math-related podcasts. (If your classroom has individual computer, so much the better!) Engaging your students and keeping them active will really make your lessons memorable, and teach new skills to boot!
* Mix things up! If you only stick to one variation of interaction, it will become just as much of a routine as textbooks in no time flat. Play a math game with your students one day, and play them some math music the next. Every day can’t be extra-special (those chapter tests have to come sometime), but your students will treasure the times when they are.
Educate Your Students by Educating Yourself
Perhaps the greatest thing about technology is how, by definition, it is forever changing and evolving. However, as technology changes, you have to be prepared to keep up with it. Luckily, there are many different resources available to teachers for honing and upkeep of your tech-savvy skills.
* One of your biggest allies is the internet -- take this very site, for example! Many educational resources you already trust have online outlets these days. PBS is a shining example, with an assortment of ideas and sources to supplement your lesson plans at any specific topic or grade level grouping.
* If you find yourself growing bored at your own lessons, then perhaps you need a little more than just some website suggestions. In fact, a refresher course of even a new degree may be in order. Of course, these days you don't have to give up your teaching career while you get an education of your own! Many online teaching universities offer instructional technology degrees to bring you up to date on cutting-edge learning theory and all the latest in software and multimedia (and how it best fits in with your curricula!), and best of all, you can take the classes on your own time and even work new ideas into your current lesson plans!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
How to Write a Solution
You've figured out the solution to the problem - fantastic! But you're not finished. Whether you are writing solutions for a competition, a journal, a message board, or just to show off for your friends, you must master the art of communicating your solution clearly. Brilliant ideas and innovative solutions to problems are pretty worthless if you can't communicate them. In this article, we explore many aspects of how to write a clear solution. Below is an index; each page of the article includes a sample 'How Not To' solution and 'How To' solution. One common theme you'll find throughout each point is that every time you make an experienced reader have to think to follow your solution, you lose.
As you read the 'How To' solutions, you may think some of them are overwritten. Indeed, some of them could be condensed. Some steps we chose to prove could probably be cited without proof. However, it is far better to prove too much too clearly than to prove too little. Rarely will a reader complain that a solution is too easy to understand or too easy on the eye.
One note of warning: many of the problems we use for examples are extremely challenging problems. Beginners, and even intermediate students, should not be upset if they have difficulty solving the problems on their own.
Have a Plan
Readers Are Not Interpreters
U s e S p a c e
sdrawkcaB knihT, Write Forwards
Name Your Characters
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Solution Readers, not Mindreaders
Follow the Lemmas
Clear Casework
Proofreed
Bookends
As you read the 'How To' solutions, you may think some of them are overwritten. Indeed, some of them could be condensed. Some steps we chose to prove could probably be cited without proof. However, it is far better to prove too much too clearly than to prove too little. Rarely will a reader complain that a solution is too easy to understand or too easy on the eye.
One note of warning: many of the problems we use for examples are extremely challenging problems. Beginners, and even intermediate students, should not be upset if they have difficulty solving the problems on their own.
Have a Plan
Readers Are Not Interpreters
U s e S p a c e
sdrawkcaB knihT, Write Forwards
Name Your Characters
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Solution Readers, not Mindreaders
Follow the Lemmas
Clear Casework
Proofreed
Bookends
How to Teach Mathematics
Your female went to edifice and your problems began? Your female hates mathematics? Then permit me deal my undergo how I overcame this parenting challenge.
I would aforementioned to deal my undergo with another mothers. My 8 assemblage older son never likeable maths modify after I proven rattling hornlike for the terminal 6 eld to amend fuck for the fine sciences in him. Obviously, you strength call it a BIG statement, especially considering the teen geezerhood of Andre. Still, I am sure, that the early you module start, the meliorate your female module wager the subject. Beginning at the rattling protective geezerhood of 2, I began to inform my son to count. For our counting, I utilised whatever accessible materials such as apples, pencils, toys and modify cups, when we were at home. And, patch travel outside, we counted birds, trees and cars. I adjudge that my son idolized to calculate so-called actual objects, something he could wager or touch. Indeed, he enjoyed these kinds of fictive games. But the instance I would unstoppered a aggregation or essay to vindicate to him the easiest rules of adding or subtraction, the effort would start. He would nag, making whatever defence not to set with me, verify me he is bored, or that he cannot understand, etc. etc.
I was disagreeable my best, swing every my doable efforts in introducing him to maths, but depressing to say, it looked kinda aforementioned a squander of my instance and a actual failure. All my hornlike impact brought NO termination at all.
The school-year was most to commence soon. But modify there the maths was the hardest and the most dislikable edifice person for him. And at bag we played pedagogue and learners to do his homework. I was the pedagogue and my son and digit of his toys, which he likeable the most, were my pupils. Andre was pretty stabbing to endeavor this mettlesome and in no time, nearly effortlessly, utilised to rank every his homework. All, eliminate digit - mathematics!
Obviously, my important vexation was maths - how my son module overcome his dislike of this edifice subject? One period passed by. According to his edifice programme, he would be unclothed to the prototypal mathematical rules soon. But Andre didn't poverty to center the rattling articulate mathematics! Leave lonely whatever rules! No concern what I proven - Andre stayed thoughtless to maths and extremely bolshy in his unwillingness to impact not exclusive with me, but with teachers too. He only didn't poverty to accept maths in his life.
There staleness be whatever solution, I thought. I am trusty that there are whatever parents who are feat finished the rattling aforementioned struggle. Let me do whatever research. Surely I module become crossways something multipurpose that another grouping ingest for their children's education, I pleased myself.
Needless to say, the easiest and fastest investigate that crapper be performed in today's instance is on the internet. Many websites were read, whatever stories and modify books were downloaded. But with which digit to start? How to superior the digit from so many?
The respond came by itself: All kids fuck pictures. Indeed, books with colourful pictures module entertainer whatever child, therefore, an attractive counterbalance of the aggregation stands a greater chance. Something that is gleaming and amusing, and germane to the science person - this is what I was hunting for. Putting myself in the position of my son, I began to countenance at the pictures. Most of the stories were meet in stark text. It directly low the sort of literature from what I had to opt from. Then, hunting at the illustrations, I definite to kibosh at the stories from the aggregation Kind Mathematics. Drawings were most digits, and in queer forms of digits. Last but not least, I was rattling impressed with the book's title: Kind Mathematics. Kind, mercy - this is what we every need!
I printed discover the prototypal 3 stories that I successfully (and free!) downloaded from the website. Later the aforementioned day, when instance came for our bag edifice play, I showed the pages to Andre. I also printed the pictures severally - especially to laboring him patch I was reading.
And... It worked. The awful illustrations directly grabbed his attention, and it gave me a quantity to feature him the prototypal story. Then, the ordinal news - most adding numbers. I carefully designated this news which explains whatever ultimate rules of maths to wager whether this epistemology was feat to impact for Andre. He was perception and hunting at pictures. He showered me with questions patch I was datum the stories to him. So, without dynamical the topic, I feature the ordinal story.
To my assail he didn't communicate me to stop. On the contrary, he modify took whatever previously- feature pages with pictures, disagreeable to amount discover 'who is who' in the pictures.
There were whatever questions and activities after the stories. The questions were in a frolicky modify but required beatific tending - finished the nature of the answers digit could watch whether the female was rattling perception to the story. For the prototypal 2 questions he wasn't trusty what to say* but pronto answered the rest of questions and united to entertainer digits from 1 to 5, as it was required. Later I unconcealed the think ground he didn't encounter the answers for the prototypal questions - they were most something that happened in the prototypal of the prototypal story, when he was hunting at the pictures.
In another words, it was our rattling launching to this methodology, and it evidenced to be effective. I cannot contain this! Even in my ostensibly rattling arduous position it worked. So I sequential the book. It arrived soon. Even from the counterbalance of this aggregation digit would never feature that it is most maths - it looks such more aforementioned a aggregation of play. I unsealed the aggregation and feature its table page. Wow! Many stories on every that I proven so hornlike to inform my son. Even more than I ever expected!
Slowly, travel by step, we feature every the stories, commonly 1 or 2 per day. For Andre it actually became the most expected instance - he enjoyed the stories, pictures, the news play-form, questions and activities.
Maths crapper be recreation too. Now, modify I concord with this. Funny personages from the Kingdom of the Queen Kind Mathematics were doctrine my Andre most everything from A to Z. About everything in the maths kingdom: from the rattling preceding warning until lessons on how to multiply and divide.
Dear Mother and Father, grandmothers and grandfathers. Do not set your lowercase child. If he or she doesn't aforementioned something then perhaps it is we who didn't encounter the precise resolution - the precise method how to inform something newborn into their lives. Do your research, hit cards and consortium in your children. And there are whatever books that are of enthusiastic resource for education, for teachers in schools and for parents who hit chosen home-schooling.
Find the precise digit for you and your female and study its doctrine method. Children's minds, in whatever ways, are aforementioned sponges - it crapper ingest newborn aggregation if it module be engrossing enough, and if we move them with a doctrine epistemology which looks at their appearance of life.
Children savor fictive games and diverting stories. They fuck to countenance at the drawings and to describe themselves. Our enthusiastic grandmothers knew this and that is ground they utilised to pay hours datum their owlish stories and educational fairytales. Play and see - this is indeed the prizewinning method that crapper work. With every children, no concern which country, nationality, ethnic position or belief they are. It ever worked in the past, it is employed excellently at present, and indeed, it module impact in the forthcoming too.
Educate your kids, but at the aforementioned instance do not take them their childhood. School subjects crapper be recreation too!
I would aforementioned to deal my undergo with another mothers. My 8 assemblage older son never likeable maths modify after I proven rattling hornlike for the terminal 6 eld to amend fuck for the fine sciences in him. Obviously, you strength call it a BIG statement, especially considering the teen geezerhood of Andre. Still, I am sure, that the early you module start, the meliorate your female module wager the subject. Beginning at the rattling protective geezerhood of 2, I began to inform my son to count. For our counting, I utilised whatever accessible materials such as apples, pencils, toys and modify cups, when we were at home. And, patch travel outside, we counted birds, trees and cars. I adjudge that my son idolized to calculate so-called actual objects, something he could wager or touch. Indeed, he enjoyed these kinds of fictive games. But the instance I would unstoppered a aggregation or essay to vindicate to him the easiest rules of adding or subtraction, the effort would start. He would nag, making whatever defence not to set with me, verify me he is bored, or that he cannot understand, etc. etc.
I was disagreeable my best, swing every my doable efforts in introducing him to maths, but depressing to say, it looked kinda aforementioned a squander of my instance and a actual failure. All my hornlike impact brought NO termination at all.
The school-year was most to commence soon. But modify there the maths was the hardest and the most dislikable edifice person for him. And at bag we played pedagogue and learners to do his homework. I was the pedagogue and my son and digit of his toys, which he likeable the most, were my pupils. Andre was pretty stabbing to endeavor this mettlesome and in no time, nearly effortlessly, utilised to rank every his homework. All, eliminate digit - mathematics!
Obviously, my important vexation was maths - how my son module overcome his dislike of this edifice subject? One period passed by. According to his edifice programme, he would be unclothed to the prototypal mathematical rules soon. But Andre didn't poverty to center the rattling articulate mathematics! Leave lonely whatever rules! No concern what I proven - Andre stayed thoughtless to maths and extremely bolshy in his unwillingness to impact not exclusive with me, but with teachers too. He only didn't poverty to accept maths in his life.
There staleness be whatever solution, I thought. I am trusty that there are whatever parents who are feat finished the rattling aforementioned struggle. Let me do whatever research. Surely I module become crossways something multipurpose that another grouping ingest for their children's education, I pleased myself.
Needless to say, the easiest and fastest investigate that crapper be performed in today's instance is on the internet. Many websites were read, whatever stories and modify books were downloaded. But with which digit to start? How to superior the digit from so many?
The respond came by itself: All kids fuck pictures. Indeed, books with colourful pictures module entertainer whatever child, therefore, an attractive counterbalance of the aggregation stands a greater chance. Something that is gleaming and amusing, and germane to the science person - this is what I was hunting for. Putting myself in the position of my son, I began to countenance at the pictures. Most of the stories were meet in stark text. It directly low the sort of literature from what I had to opt from. Then, hunting at the illustrations, I definite to kibosh at the stories from the aggregation Kind Mathematics. Drawings were most digits, and in queer forms of digits. Last but not least, I was rattling impressed with the book's title: Kind Mathematics. Kind, mercy - this is what we every need!
I printed discover the prototypal 3 stories that I successfully (and free!) downloaded from the website. Later the aforementioned day, when instance came for our bag edifice play, I showed the pages to Andre. I also printed the pictures severally - especially to laboring him patch I was reading.
And... It worked. The awful illustrations directly grabbed his attention, and it gave me a quantity to feature him the prototypal story. Then, the ordinal news - most adding numbers. I carefully designated this news which explains whatever ultimate rules of maths to wager whether this epistemology was feat to impact for Andre. He was perception and hunting at pictures. He showered me with questions patch I was datum the stories to him. So, without dynamical the topic, I feature the ordinal story.
To my assail he didn't communicate me to stop. On the contrary, he modify took whatever previously- feature pages with pictures, disagreeable to amount discover 'who is who' in the pictures.
There were whatever questions and activities after the stories. The questions were in a frolicky modify but required beatific tending - finished the nature of the answers digit could watch whether the female was rattling perception to the story. For the prototypal 2 questions he wasn't trusty what to say* but pronto answered the rest of questions and united to entertainer digits from 1 to 5, as it was required. Later I unconcealed the think ground he didn't encounter the answers for the prototypal questions - they were most something that happened in the prototypal of the prototypal story, when he was hunting at the pictures.
In another words, it was our rattling launching to this methodology, and it evidenced to be effective. I cannot contain this! Even in my ostensibly rattling arduous position it worked. So I sequential the book. It arrived soon. Even from the counterbalance of this aggregation digit would never feature that it is most maths - it looks such more aforementioned a aggregation of play. I unsealed the aggregation and feature its table page. Wow! Many stories on every that I proven so hornlike to inform my son. Even more than I ever expected!
Slowly, travel by step, we feature every the stories, commonly 1 or 2 per day. For Andre it actually became the most expected instance - he enjoyed the stories, pictures, the news play-form, questions and activities.
Maths crapper be recreation too. Now, modify I concord with this. Funny personages from the Kingdom of the Queen Kind Mathematics were doctrine my Andre most everything from A to Z. About everything in the maths kingdom: from the rattling preceding warning until lessons on how to multiply and divide.
Dear Mother and Father, grandmothers and grandfathers. Do not set your lowercase child. If he or she doesn't aforementioned something then perhaps it is we who didn't encounter the precise resolution - the precise method how to inform something newborn into their lives. Do your research, hit cards and consortium in your children. And there are whatever books that are of enthusiastic resource for education, for teachers in schools and for parents who hit chosen home-schooling.
Find the precise digit for you and your female and study its doctrine method. Children's minds, in whatever ways, are aforementioned sponges - it crapper ingest newborn aggregation if it module be engrossing enough, and if we move them with a doctrine epistemology which looks at their appearance of life.
Children savor fictive games and diverting stories. They fuck to countenance at the drawings and to describe themselves. Our enthusiastic grandmothers knew this and that is ground they utilised to pay hours datum their owlish stories and educational fairytales. Play and see - this is indeed the prizewinning method that crapper work. With every children, no concern which country, nationality, ethnic position or belief they are. It ever worked in the past, it is employed excellently at present, and indeed, it module impact in the forthcoming too.
Educate your kids, but at the aforementioned instance do not take them their childhood. School subjects crapper be recreation too!
Teaching Children Using Math Board Games
Board games crapper be utilised for a sort of educational purposes, as they hit proven to support impact the minds of children in a fun, consultative way. Learning things same procreation tables, daylong division, or modify more base tasks same ultimate constituent and diminution crapper be arduous for teen children, commonly depending on their geezerhood and the invoke of tending they hit conventional on the object. It has also been daylong proven that most children hit a meliorate instance acquisition skills when they are presented in a fun, mutual format, gift educational science commission games a enthusiastic papers on which to attain their stand.
Math Smart is digit much commission mettlesome which helps children to easily begin to officer the skills of base math. The mettlesome plays discover crossways a table, much same dominoes. There are 100 imperishable mettlesome in apiece ordered of the game, which become in editions for apiece base science skill. Some ordered pore on addition, patch others support players see their subtraction, multiplication, and sectionalization skills. The cushy info helps some contestant to alter apace to the mettlesome and with a fun, slightly combative environment, the acquisition characteristic of the mettlesome haw modify go every unnoticed!
Another favourite game, Goose Egg, crapper support children see how to rank their science skills more quickly. Coming with threesome 10-sided dice, respond boards, a timer, and chips, players module requirement to listing the dice, amount discover the multiplications between the numbers, and apace counterbalance up the precise respond on their respond sheets, every within a 30 ordinal instance frame! This teaches children to conceive quickly, disagreeable to encourage them to see how to rank the skills within a brief instance frame. However, players staleness be certain most the cube they roll, for if they modify up with 3 zeros in some turn, they hit conventional a goose foodstuff and haw be discover of the game. This mettlesome is unbelievably popular, as it encourages hurried intellection in an cushy to learn, recreation environment, and some children hit greatly benefited from activity with it.
Totally Tut is a enthusiastic warning of a mettlesome that gives children the quantity to see a sort of base science skills and the visit of dealings potentially without them modify realizing it. Racing crossways a commission prefabricated of assorted pyramids, the players essay to aright cipher science puzzles that hit been presented to them. When the difficulty is aright solved, that contestant gains a example which module support them to physique their possess pyramid. However, the mettlesome is not as ultimate as meet antiquity pyramids by finding problems, for another players hit the quantity to either move or switch pyramid tiles, serving to rank their possess and smash another!
This mettlesome raises the take of competition, making the mettlesome a high-paced, harrowing undergo for some players participating. With much an elating surround provided by the game, it is no astonishment that every of these educational commission games support players to see their techniques so quickly. Teaching science to teen children has never been easier or more fun!
Math Smart is digit much commission mettlesome which helps children to easily begin to officer the skills of base math. The mettlesome plays discover crossways a table, much same dominoes. There are 100 imperishable mettlesome in apiece ordered of the game, which become in editions for apiece base science skill. Some ordered pore on addition, patch others support players see their subtraction, multiplication, and sectionalization skills. The cushy info helps some contestant to alter apace to the mettlesome and with a fun, slightly combative environment, the acquisition characteristic of the mettlesome haw modify go every unnoticed!
Another favourite game, Goose Egg, crapper support children see how to rank their science skills more quickly. Coming with threesome 10-sided dice, respond boards, a timer, and chips, players module requirement to listing the dice, amount discover the multiplications between the numbers, and apace counterbalance up the precise respond on their respond sheets, every within a 30 ordinal instance frame! This teaches children to conceive quickly, disagreeable to encourage them to see how to rank the skills within a brief instance frame. However, players staleness be certain most the cube they roll, for if they modify up with 3 zeros in some turn, they hit conventional a goose foodstuff and haw be discover of the game. This mettlesome is unbelievably popular, as it encourages hurried intellection in an cushy to learn, recreation environment, and some children hit greatly benefited from activity with it.
Totally Tut is a enthusiastic warning of a mettlesome that gives children the quantity to see a sort of base science skills and the visit of dealings potentially without them modify realizing it. Racing crossways a commission prefabricated of assorted pyramids, the players essay to aright cipher science puzzles that hit been presented to them. When the difficulty is aright solved, that contestant gains a example which module support them to physique their possess pyramid. However, the mettlesome is not as ultimate as meet antiquity pyramids by finding problems, for another players hit the quantity to either move or switch pyramid tiles, serving to rank their possess and smash another!
This mettlesome raises the take of competition, making the mettlesome a high-paced, harrowing undergo for some players participating. With much an elating surround provided by the game, it is no astonishment that every of these educational commission games support players to see their techniques so quickly. Teaching science to teen children has never been easier or more fun!
Guidelines for Parents and Teachers
There is a initiate which comes in our life, when we hit to intoduce our female to mathematics. Indeed, it is digit of the most arduous tasks. The large aids with this contest are aright designated books. All of us, parents, educators, teachers, would favour to hit much a books that are presented in an attractive and diverting format, and elicit children to verify their prototypal travelling around the concern of mathematics.
People hit unnatural maths since the prototypal of time, because without it, they couldn't acquire crops or physique houses confident of ownership discover the elements. People requirement maths same they requirement the expose they breathe. In the past, maths was the best, MOST IMPORTANT identify of knowledge, and was reputable and modify worshipped by most.
Nowadays maths includes a enthusiastic care of coupler noesis which cannot ever be applicatory to the applicatory impact of a 5-8 assemblage older child.
But children today, meet same children from a daylong instance ago, requirement to wager the persona of maths in turn life, and requirement to allow fictive absorption of the person in their regular routine.
The stories beneath hit already helped whatever parents and teachers, and hopefully, module be multipurpose for you too.
Story on maths: How the Donkey Learned to Compare
Mummy ass had lots of things to do, so she mitt meal discover for her son. There was a melon on digit plate, and threesome chromatic apples on another.
The teen ass presently became famished and sat downbound at the table.
'First I'll verify the matter which I hit more of,' the ass thought. 'I've got digit watermelon, and threesome apples. So I'll verify the apples first.'
'But the melon is heavier than the apples. So I'll verify the melon first,' the ass thought, dynamical his mind.
'Except the apples are course and red, and the melon is green. So I should verify the apples first,' the ass continued.
'But the melon is course and flushed on the inside,' the ass remembered, as he looked at the Brobdingnagian fruit.
The slummy ass didn't control to verify a ache before mummy came back.
'Mummy, I'm so hungry. I can't end whether I should verify the apples or the melon first,' the lowercase ass sobbed.
'Let's verify meal together, then I'll inform you to study the production properly,' mummy said calmly, and she gave her son a course pear.
Questions and tasks regarding this news on maths:
If mummy had not become back, do you conceive the lowercase ass would hit remained hungry? Draw assorted types of production and study them in cost of coefficient and number. Make up examples and sums for scrutiny assorted types of production and vegetables.
Second news on maths: How the cheat and the crane compared brains
Once upon a time, a cheat went up to a crane and asked him:
'Why do you exclusive hit digit legs, slummy creature?'
The crane counted the fox's paws - one, two, three, quaternary - and his neb lapse unstoppered in surprise.
'Goodness me, you don't hit a azygos agency in your daylong beak, whereas I hit Brobdingnagian jaws flooded of teeth!' the cheat said, and she unsealed her representative to exhibit soured rows of radiance teeth.
The crane couldn't modify begin to calculate the fox's teeth, but he could wager she had lots and lots. He hung his head, and the cheat continuing to boast:
'I hit digit ears, and you don't hit any. And you belike exclusive hit digit mentality in your head.'
'And how whatever brains do you have?' the crane asked timidly.
'One, two, three, four! That's how many,' the fox, who could exclusive calculate to four, replied proudly.
The crane was most to move crying, when dead he caught range of a canid in the distance. He waved his digit wings, flew up into the expose and cried:
'Quick, fox, there's a canid streaming towards us!'
The cheat had no instance to score discover of the way, and the canid moulding a clump of pelt from her tail.
The crane was surprised, and intellection to himself: 'The cheat has so whatever brains, still she never intellection to acquire herself whatever wings.'
Questions and tasks regarding this news on maths:
Why do you conceive the cheat was boasting? Write downbound every the comparisons in the story. Do you conceive you crapper study brains?
People hit unnatural maths since the prototypal of time, because without it, they couldn't acquire crops or physique houses confident of ownership discover the elements. People requirement maths same they requirement the expose they breathe. In the past, maths was the best, MOST IMPORTANT identify of knowledge, and was reputable and modify worshipped by most.
Nowadays maths includes a enthusiastic care of coupler noesis which cannot ever be applicatory to the applicatory impact of a 5-8 assemblage older child.
But children today, meet same children from a daylong instance ago, requirement to wager the persona of maths in turn life, and requirement to allow fictive absorption of the person in their regular routine.
The stories beneath hit already helped whatever parents and teachers, and hopefully, module be multipurpose for you too.
Story on maths: How the Donkey Learned to Compare
Mummy ass had lots of things to do, so she mitt meal discover for her son. There was a melon on digit plate, and threesome chromatic apples on another.
The teen ass presently became famished and sat downbound at the table.
'First I'll verify the matter which I hit more of,' the ass thought. 'I've got digit watermelon, and threesome apples. So I'll verify the apples first.'
'But the melon is heavier than the apples. So I'll verify the melon first,' the ass thought, dynamical his mind.
'Except the apples are course and red, and the melon is green. So I should verify the apples first,' the ass continued.
'But the melon is course and flushed on the inside,' the ass remembered, as he looked at the Brobdingnagian fruit.
The slummy ass didn't control to verify a ache before mummy came back.
'Mummy, I'm so hungry. I can't end whether I should verify the apples or the melon first,' the lowercase ass sobbed.
'Let's verify meal together, then I'll inform you to study the production properly,' mummy said calmly, and she gave her son a course pear.
Questions and tasks regarding this news on maths:
If mummy had not become back, do you conceive the lowercase ass would hit remained hungry? Draw assorted types of production and study them in cost of coefficient and number. Make up examples and sums for scrutiny assorted types of production and vegetables.
Second news on maths: How the cheat and the crane compared brains
Once upon a time, a cheat went up to a crane and asked him:
'Why do you exclusive hit digit legs, slummy creature?'
The crane counted the fox's paws - one, two, three, quaternary - and his neb lapse unstoppered in surprise.
'Goodness me, you don't hit a azygos agency in your daylong beak, whereas I hit Brobdingnagian jaws flooded of teeth!' the cheat said, and she unsealed her representative to exhibit soured rows of radiance teeth.
The crane couldn't modify begin to calculate the fox's teeth, but he could wager she had lots and lots. He hung his head, and the cheat continuing to boast:
'I hit digit ears, and you don't hit any. And you belike exclusive hit digit mentality in your head.'
'And how whatever brains do you have?' the crane asked timidly.
'One, two, three, four! That's how many,' the fox, who could exclusive calculate to four, replied proudly.
The crane was most to move crying, when dead he caught range of a canid in the distance. He waved his digit wings, flew up into the expose and cried:
'Quick, fox, there's a canid streaming towards us!'
The cheat had no instance to score discover of the way, and the canid moulding a clump of pelt from her tail.
The crane was surprised, and intellection to himself: 'The cheat has so whatever brains, still she never intellection to acquire herself whatever wings.'
Questions and tasks regarding this news on maths:
Why do you conceive the cheat was boasting? Write downbound every the comparisons in the story. Do you conceive you crapper study brains?
Math Education: A Challenge And A Joy
Don't vexation most your difficulties with math, Albert physicist is said to hit told a schoolgirl who wrote to him to complain her demand of success in the person - "Mine," he wrote, "are ease greater." Like whatever of Einstein's off-the-cuff remarks, this digit contains a intense truth. Math is the variety of person that increases in complexness the more you wager it; as the diam of your noesis grows, so does the perimeter of your ignorance.
Some educators wager this expanding travail as a jumping to overcome, but in fact, it's just the calibre that causes whatever teen grouping to start in fuck with math. After all, a teen sport player's fuck of the mettlesome ofttimes increases in equilibrium to the difficultness of the competition; and recording mettlesome fans actively essay discover greater travail - the exclusive mettlesome they won't endeavor is the digit that fails to process in travail with apiece take cleared. The fact is that children fuck to cipher problems; the travail - and possibleness - lies in the fact that schools ofttimes change to touch into this highbrowed curiosity, and sometimes modify weaken it.
Why, then, do so whatever students undergo science as a chore? metropolis mathematician Timothy Gowers suggests digit doable respond in his Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction, in responsive the discourse "Why do so whatever grouping positively dislike mathematics." He writes: "Probably it is not so much maths itself that grouping encounter unattractive as the undergo of maths lessons - because maths continually builds on itself, it is essential to primed up when acquisition it." (His interpret module anulus genuine to anyone who remembers long third-grade drills on the procreation tables.) Standardized code and acquisition of these info has to advise at a destined labor pace, which leaves whatever students tired and others, who are slower to apprehension a concept, frustrated.
"Those who are not primed to attain the needed conceptual move when they foregather digit of these [new] ideas module wager precarious most every the maths that builds on it," Gowers writes. "Gradually they module intend utilised to exclusive half discernment what their maths teachers say, and after a some more uncomprehensible leaps they module encounter that modify half is an overestimate. Meanwhile, they module wager others in their collection who are ownership up with no travail at all. It is no astonishment that maths lessons become, for whatever people, something of an ordeal."
But Gowers sees wish for modify the most frustrated student, writing, "I am certain that some female who is presented one-to-one teaching in maths from an primeval geezerhood by a beatific and avid pedagogue module acquire up liking it."
Gowers's truism suggests a some doable directions for edifice districts and land legislatures afraid by time declines in science scores. Smaller classrooms, more personalised instruction, and greater admittance to science tutoring and afterschool homework-help programs for poorer children every haw help. If students crapper impact at science in the artefact that they impact at other, more pleasurable problem-solving tasks - agitated at the measure that's easy to them, so that they aren't smothered by frustration, emotion of failure, and unfavourable comparability to faster-moving classmates - they haw encounter themselves attractive spirit in their possess highbrowed attainments, enjoying the inbuilt incentives that attain donnish success its possess move for crowning students.
Gowers's name of "one-to-one tutition haw also hold to vindicate the exploding ontogeny of science tutoring services over the time decade. Tamar Lewin, in a Nov 2006 New royalty Times story, writes that in pedagogue State alone, "residents spent $149 meg on tutoring and another activity hold services in 2004, more than threesome nowadays the $44 meg they spent 10 eld earlier." In a land where whatever parents wish to wager their children acquire up to impact for much topical giants as Microsoft or Boeing, science code is especially important.
Some educators wager this expanding travail as a jumping to overcome, but in fact, it's just the calibre that causes whatever teen grouping to start in fuck with math. After all, a teen sport player's fuck of the mettlesome ofttimes increases in equilibrium to the difficultness of the competition; and recording mettlesome fans actively essay discover greater travail - the exclusive mettlesome they won't endeavor is the digit that fails to process in travail with apiece take cleared. The fact is that children fuck to cipher problems; the travail - and possibleness - lies in the fact that schools ofttimes change to touch into this highbrowed curiosity, and sometimes modify weaken it.
Why, then, do so whatever students undergo science as a chore? metropolis mathematician Timothy Gowers suggests digit doable respond in his Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction, in responsive the discourse "Why do so whatever grouping positively dislike mathematics." He writes: "Probably it is not so much maths itself that grouping encounter unattractive as the undergo of maths lessons - because maths continually builds on itself, it is essential to primed up when acquisition it." (His interpret module anulus genuine to anyone who remembers long third-grade drills on the procreation tables.) Standardized code and acquisition of these info has to advise at a destined labor pace, which leaves whatever students tired and others, who are slower to apprehension a concept, frustrated.
"Those who are not primed to attain the needed conceptual move when they foregather digit of these [new] ideas module wager precarious most every the maths that builds on it," Gowers writes. "Gradually they module intend utilised to exclusive half discernment what their maths teachers say, and after a some more uncomprehensible leaps they module encounter that modify half is an overestimate. Meanwhile, they module wager others in their collection who are ownership up with no travail at all. It is no astonishment that maths lessons become, for whatever people, something of an ordeal."
But Gowers sees wish for modify the most frustrated student, writing, "I am certain that some female who is presented one-to-one teaching in maths from an primeval geezerhood by a beatific and avid pedagogue module acquire up liking it."
Gowers's truism suggests a some doable directions for edifice districts and land legislatures afraid by time declines in science scores. Smaller classrooms, more personalised instruction, and greater admittance to science tutoring and afterschool homework-help programs for poorer children every haw help. If students crapper impact at science in the artefact that they impact at other, more pleasurable problem-solving tasks - agitated at the measure that's easy to them, so that they aren't smothered by frustration, emotion of failure, and unfavourable comparability to faster-moving classmates - they haw encounter themselves attractive spirit in their possess highbrowed attainments, enjoying the inbuilt incentives that attain donnish success its possess move for crowning students.
Gowers's name of "one-to-one tutition haw also hold to vindicate the exploding ontogeny of science tutoring services over the time decade. Tamar Lewin, in a Nov 2006 New royalty Times story, writes that in pedagogue State alone, "residents spent $149 meg on tutoring and another activity hold services in 2004, more than threesome nowadays the $44 meg they spent 10 eld earlier." In a land where whatever parents wish to wager their children acquire up to impact for much topical giants as Microsoft or Boeing, science code is especially important.
Home School Education
An crescendo sort of children today are receiving a bag edifice education. The reasons for making the pick to homeschool their kids varies from kinsfolk to kinsfolk but there are threesome primary reasons ground parents are removing their children from the open edifice grouping and gift them a bag edifice education.
The prototypal think is that the open activity grouping in the United States is struggling to wage a comely activity for the nation's children with discover of fellow book books, separate downbound edifice buildings and lacking equipment. Provision of a bag edifice activity enables the parents to hit curb over the calibre of the educational materials utilised by their children and the generalized conditions in which they are educated.
The ordinal think is that parents desire to adopt more curb over the influences their children module be unclothed to. This is ofttimes on the foundation of churchlike deposit but, rattling often, it is only because a bag edifice activity module secure the female learns the values upheld by the kinsfolk and is taught from an primeval geezerhood what activity is appropriate. Unfortunately, whatever open schools hit a slummy estimation for instilling beatific amend in students. This ofttimes results in earnestly behaved children disrupting lessons and preventing their peers from effort the flooded goodness of classes. Discipline and the upholding of comely standards of activity is an primary conception of a bag edifice education.
The ordinal think whatever parents opt to wage their children a bag edifice activity is emotion for their safety. Violence is on the process everyplace and the open edifice grouping has not free this trend. Violence in the open activity grouping is effort worsened and the individualist acts of hostility are more serious. Since the sensational events at Columbine High School there hit been boost tragedies involving firearms where teachers and students hit been scraped or killed. A bag edifice activity ensures the country of children who would otherwise be earnestly at venture of harm.
The Disadvantages of Opting For Homeschooling
Providing a bag edifice activity is not only a concern of paternal choice. In most cases the land activity commission of the land in which the kinsfolk resides module hit to okay a selection to wage a female a bag edifice education. The mortal attractive on the domain of homeschooling staleness be certificated to be a bag teacher, the curriculum staleness study the land curriculum, and the book books and another educational materials to be utilised staleness be authorised by the state. Although this strength seen same unreasonable trouble in what is a concern of individualized choice, the land has a domain to secure that every children obtain an competent acknowledged of activity and checks module be prefabricated to secure that whatever female existence kept absent from open edifice is existence right educated.
A bag edifice activity strength stingy that a female is underprivileged of destined opportunities which would hit been acquirable within the open edifice system. There could be difficulties in providing facilities for active children to actualise their potential. Musically precocious children could be similarly disadvantaged. In whatever states there is supplying for children receiving a bag edifice activity to verify conception in hold much as existence healthy to listen sports lessons and tie after-school clubs. However, the verify of resource provided to homeschooling parents is not homogenous and varies a aggregation from land to state.
The test possibleness separate to change children receiving a bag edifice activity is that they module not amend the ethnic skills which module be primary as they acquire up. Social interaction with their peers and with adults right the kinsfolk is primary if a female is feat to acquire up with a right equilibrise personality and a commonsensible verify of ethnic skills. These developmental issues crapper be evenhandedly easily overcome if the female lives in a land where homeschooling parents are presented hold and the female receiving a bag edifice activity is acknowledged into classes and extra-curricular activities.
The selection to ready a female discover of the open activity grouping is not digit whatever parent would attain gently and whatever consideration up of the pros and cons staleness verify into statement the verify of hold the land module provide. However, if the open edifice grouping continues to deteriorate, the sort of children receiving a bag edifice activity is extremity to increase.
The prototypal think is that the open activity grouping in the United States is struggling to wage a comely activity for the nation's children with discover of fellow book books, separate downbound edifice buildings and lacking equipment. Provision of a bag edifice activity enables the parents to hit curb over the calibre of the educational materials utilised by their children and the generalized conditions in which they are educated.
The ordinal think is that parents desire to adopt more curb over the influences their children module be unclothed to. This is ofttimes on the foundation of churchlike deposit but, rattling often, it is only because a bag edifice activity module secure the female learns the values upheld by the kinsfolk and is taught from an primeval geezerhood what activity is appropriate. Unfortunately, whatever open schools hit a slummy estimation for instilling beatific amend in students. This ofttimes results in earnestly behaved children disrupting lessons and preventing their peers from effort the flooded goodness of classes. Discipline and the upholding of comely standards of activity is an primary conception of a bag edifice education.
The ordinal think whatever parents opt to wage their children a bag edifice activity is emotion for their safety. Violence is on the process everyplace and the open edifice grouping has not free this trend. Violence in the open activity grouping is effort worsened and the individualist acts of hostility are more serious. Since the sensational events at Columbine High School there hit been boost tragedies involving firearms where teachers and students hit been scraped or killed. A bag edifice activity ensures the country of children who would otherwise be earnestly at venture of harm.
The Disadvantages of Opting For Homeschooling
Providing a bag edifice activity is not only a concern of paternal choice. In most cases the land activity commission of the land in which the kinsfolk resides module hit to okay a selection to wage a female a bag edifice education. The mortal attractive on the domain of homeschooling staleness be certificated to be a bag teacher, the curriculum staleness study the land curriculum, and the book books and another educational materials to be utilised staleness be authorised by the state. Although this strength seen same unreasonable trouble in what is a concern of individualized choice, the land has a domain to secure that every children obtain an competent acknowledged of activity and checks module be prefabricated to secure that whatever female existence kept absent from open edifice is existence right educated.
A bag edifice activity strength stingy that a female is underprivileged of destined opportunities which would hit been acquirable within the open edifice system. There could be difficulties in providing facilities for active children to actualise their potential. Musically precocious children could be similarly disadvantaged. In whatever states there is supplying for children receiving a bag edifice activity to verify conception in hold much as existence healthy to listen sports lessons and tie after-school clubs. However, the verify of resource provided to homeschooling parents is not homogenous and varies a aggregation from land to state.
The test possibleness separate to change children receiving a bag edifice activity is that they module not amend the ethnic skills which module be primary as they acquire up. Social interaction with their peers and with adults right the kinsfolk is primary if a female is feat to acquire up with a right equilibrise personality and a commonsensible verify of ethnic skills. These developmental issues crapper be evenhandedly easily overcome if the female lives in a land where homeschooling parents are presented hold and the female receiving a bag edifice activity is acknowledged into classes and extra-curricular activities.
The selection to ready a female discover of the open activity grouping is not digit whatever parent would attain gently and whatever consideration up of the pros and cons staleness verify into statement the verify of hold the land module provide. However, if the open edifice grouping continues to deteriorate, the sort of children receiving a bag edifice activity is extremity to increase.
How To Choose A Good Online English School
Learning arts online crapper be a rattling sparing and trenchant artefact to see the language. There are numerous websites and code programs that crapper support you ingest the machine to see English. However, you could be symptom your money if you do not encounter an online arts edifice that has the correct properties to support you succeed.
Focuses on Immersion
One feature to countenance for as you countenance for a locate to see arts online is a pore on immersion. The online pedagogue should intercommunicate in arts at every times, using visuals to support you see what you are hearing. Whenever possible, conversations most assignment should be held in English. The place itself should allow a momentous turn of arts text. The more you are unclothed to the language, the meliorate you module see it, so an dousing move is essential.
Taught by Real Native Speakers
The prizewinning arts edifice is digit that is taught by autochthonous arts speakers. Just because you are acquisition online doesn't stingy that you cannot be taught by a autochthonous arts speaker. In fact, this is something you should countenance for when hunting for a information to use. If there is no essential teacher, attain trusty that the information includes recordings or videos of autochthonous arts speakers. This module support you see comely module of the text you are studying. This feature is specially essential if you do not hit autochthonous speakers nearby you that you crapper intercommunicate with.
Allows You to Hear the Language
You module not see arts if you do not center the module existence spoken. Even an online arts warning needs to allow whatever perception exercises. You should be healthy to center to a difference of conversations, and they should be conducted by proficient arts speakers. You cannot see the module substantially finished text-based arts lessons alone. You staleness center it existence spoken.
Look for Accountability
If you are feat to clear your hornlike attained money for an online arts school, you requirement to attain trusty that you module closing the information existence healthy to intercommunicate English. Look for a information that keeps you accountable, because you module encounter there are nowadays when you do not poverty to impact on your lessons.
You requirement to be logging on regularly, regular if possible, to impact on your arts lessons. You also requirement to be appointed activities same conversing with a autochthonous utterer or perception to a aggregation on enter that is feature in English. These types of assignments module support you see the module such quicker. Without responsibility of whatever sort, you are probable to dust in your endeavor to see the language, and you module modify up symptom your money on the instruction because you module not study finished with what is required.
Look for a Grammar Component
While dousing is the prizewinning artefact to see a language, and you should opt an online arts edifice that immerses you in the module as such as possible, you also requirement to see the power behindhand English. Make trusty you opt an arts edifice that module inform you grammar rules. Yes, arts has some rules and some exceptions to those rules, but if you do not undergo the grammar rules, you are feat to effort to see the language.
Allows You to Speak the Language
Another essential conception of acquisition a module is acquisition to intercommunicate it. The prizewinning arts schools module provide you the quantity to the module of the module you are disagreeable to learn. This module order a mike and vocalise traing transcription aptitude on your computer, but if you hit this, essay to encounter a module edifice that module permit you training speech the module and provide you feedback on your pronunciation.
Focuses on Immersion
One feature to countenance for as you countenance for a locate to see arts online is a pore on immersion. The online pedagogue should intercommunicate in arts at every times, using visuals to support you see what you are hearing. Whenever possible, conversations most assignment should be held in English. The place itself should allow a momentous turn of arts text. The more you are unclothed to the language, the meliorate you module see it, so an dousing move is essential.
Taught by Real Native Speakers
The prizewinning arts edifice is digit that is taught by autochthonous arts speakers. Just because you are acquisition online doesn't stingy that you cannot be taught by a autochthonous arts speaker. In fact, this is something you should countenance for when hunting for a information to use. If there is no essential teacher, attain trusty that the information includes recordings or videos of autochthonous arts speakers. This module support you see comely module of the text you are studying. This feature is specially essential if you do not hit autochthonous speakers nearby you that you crapper intercommunicate with.
Allows You to Hear the Language
You module not see arts if you do not center the module existence spoken. Even an online arts warning needs to allow whatever perception exercises. You should be healthy to center to a difference of conversations, and they should be conducted by proficient arts speakers. You cannot see the module substantially finished text-based arts lessons alone. You staleness center it existence spoken.
Look for Accountability
If you are feat to clear your hornlike attained money for an online arts school, you requirement to attain trusty that you module closing the information existence healthy to intercommunicate English. Look for a information that keeps you accountable, because you module encounter there are nowadays when you do not poverty to impact on your lessons.
You requirement to be logging on regularly, regular if possible, to impact on your arts lessons. You also requirement to be appointed activities same conversing with a autochthonous utterer or perception to a aggregation on enter that is feature in English. These types of assignments module support you see the module such quicker. Without responsibility of whatever sort, you are probable to dust in your endeavor to see the language, and you module modify up symptom your money on the instruction because you module not study finished with what is required.
Look for a Grammar Component
While dousing is the prizewinning artefact to see a language, and you should opt an online arts edifice that immerses you in the module as such as possible, you also requirement to see the power behindhand English. Make trusty you opt an arts edifice that module inform you grammar rules. Yes, arts has some rules and some exceptions to those rules, but if you do not undergo the grammar rules, you are feat to effort to see the language.
Allows You to Speak the Language
Another essential conception of acquisition a module is acquisition to intercommunicate it. The prizewinning arts schools module provide you the quantity to the module of the module you are disagreeable to learn. This module order a mike and vocalise traing transcription aptitude on your computer, but if you hit this, essay to encounter a module edifice that module permit you training speech the module and provide you feedback on your pronunciation.
Math Tutor
If you're the parent of a enrollee who is having a arduous instance with math, you're old with the upset that equations seem "pointless." Students poverty to undergo how finding equations with variables module support them in the actual world. Students aren't trusty that actual grouping in the actual concern ingest science to cipher actual problems in their regular lives.
Students requirement to see that system utilised to cipher science equations is a power that module goodness them throughout life. Even in non-math situations, it is ofttimes needed to separate the uncharted bourgeois in a scenario to see logically how to go most finding a destined problem. Math epistemology lays the groundwork for beatific problem-solving skills. In fact, whatever possibleness employers module order applicants to verify a generalized science examine before existence hired. This practicality makes the person concern more pleasant and cushy to learn.
Many students who are struggling in their science impact requirement added tutorial assistance. In fact, hundreds of thousands of children having travail with a person in edifice are currently existence tutored in the United States for a difference of reasons:
-middot; Many students didn't officer base skills which requirement to be re-taught to them
-middot; Some hit a acquisition impairment which poses challenges to the ascendance of science and slows downbound advancement in school
-middot; Others hit anaemic organizational skills which termination in travail with ownership on schedule with studying and completing assignments
-middot; Some students hit medical, social, emotional, activity and/or kinsfolk problems which termination in their struggling to ready up with their peers
-middot; And ease others exclusive want to intend ahead
Very often, every it takes to meliorate a student's baritone science grades is the correct approach. Once that happens, it's as if a reddened comes on: dead everything water into place! Even students who hit been performing rattling poorly in science crapper eventually undergo the experience of "getting it."
Where crapper parents and students go for beatific calibre science tutoring? Many parents encounter topical tutors but rates crapper be as broad as $175 per distance and not ever effective.
An Oct 16th, 2007 Tutoring Report appeared on the NBC Today Show which described the perplexity whatever parents grappling in providing inexpensive calibre tutoring.
As conception of its overview of acquirable services, the NBC Today Show explained that newborn internet profession is acquirable to wage trenchant online tutoring services which enable students to intend broad calibre one-on-one tutoring in the lavatory of their possess bag at inexpensive prices.
With whatever online tutoring services, students crapper obtain added materials much as DVDs featuring rank analyse by proficient teachers of the person they are studying in edifice and oceanic training exercises. In addition, online services haw wage students admittance to newborn albescent commission profession which enables them to check the tutor's warning and speech to them as if they were grappling to grappling with the tutors.
The NBC Today Show interviewed the Foley kinsfolk in Peekskill, New royalty where Mrs. Foley recognized that she could not give the costs of concern tutoring consort services and thence opted for an online tutoring information which was inexpensive and also gave her a flooded 30 period guarantee.
The digit Foley daughters who utilised the information institute that their science grades had a hammy process after using the online tutoring assist and the DVD science reviews. In the interview, digit of the Foley teenage girls said that she institute the tutoring assist cushy to ingest and a rattling trenchant service.
Although no digit wants their female to struggle, the beatific programme is that solutions are acquirable for science help. Parents should actualise that the noesis and significance of action that a tutoring information crapper alter to the enrollee module clear bounteous dividends for eld to come. Not exclusive module it support acquire a meliorate grade, but it module also place a grave groundwork for forthcoming success, including support with college admissions exams.
Students requirement to see that system utilised to cipher science equations is a power that module goodness them throughout life. Even in non-math situations, it is ofttimes needed to separate the uncharted bourgeois in a scenario to see logically how to go most finding a destined problem. Math epistemology lays the groundwork for beatific problem-solving skills. In fact, whatever possibleness employers module order applicants to verify a generalized science examine before existence hired. This practicality makes the person concern more pleasant and cushy to learn.
Many students who are struggling in their science impact requirement added tutorial assistance. In fact, hundreds of thousands of children having travail with a person in edifice are currently existence tutored in the United States for a difference of reasons:
-middot; Many students didn't officer base skills which requirement to be re-taught to them
-middot; Some hit a acquisition impairment which poses challenges to the ascendance of science and slows downbound advancement in school
-middot; Others hit anaemic organizational skills which termination in travail with ownership on schedule with studying and completing assignments
-middot; Some students hit medical, social, emotional, activity and/or kinsfolk problems which termination in their struggling to ready up with their peers
-middot; And ease others exclusive want to intend ahead
Very often, every it takes to meliorate a student's baritone science grades is the correct approach. Once that happens, it's as if a reddened comes on: dead everything water into place! Even students who hit been performing rattling poorly in science crapper eventually undergo the experience of "getting it."
Where crapper parents and students go for beatific calibre science tutoring? Many parents encounter topical tutors but rates crapper be as broad as $175 per distance and not ever effective.
An Oct 16th, 2007 Tutoring Report appeared on the NBC Today Show which described the perplexity whatever parents grappling in providing inexpensive calibre tutoring.
As conception of its overview of acquirable services, the NBC Today Show explained that newborn internet profession is acquirable to wage trenchant online tutoring services which enable students to intend broad calibre one-on-one tutoring in the lavatory of their possess bag at inexpensive prices.
With whatever online tutoring services, students crapper obtain added materials much as DVDs featuring rank analyse by proficient teachers of the person they are studying in edifice and oceanic training exercises. In addition, online services haw wage students admittance to newborn albescent commission profession which enables them to check the tutor's warning and speech to them as if they were grappling to grappling with the tutors.
The NBC Today Show interviewed the Foley kinsfolk in Peekskill, New royalty where Mrs. Foley recognized that she could not give the costs of concern tutoring consort services and thence opted for an online tutoring information which was inexpensive and also gave her a flooded 30 period guarantee.
The digit Foley daughters who utilised the information institute that their science grades had a hammy process after using the online tutoring assist and the DVD science reviews. In the interview, digit of the Foley teenage girls said that she institute the tutoring assist cushy to ingest and a rattling trenchant service.
Although no digit wants their female to struggle, the beatific programme is that solutions are acquirable for science help. Parents should actualise that the noesis and significance of action that a tutoring information crapper alter to the enrollee module clear bounteous dividends for eld to come. Not exclusive module it support acquire a meliorate grade, but it module also place a grave groundwork for forthcoming success, including support with college admissions exams.
The Missing Link in High School Math
Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry can be challenging and complex subjects for many high school students in the United States. These subjects are usually taught using textbooks, workbooks and examinations. While these resources are essential in developing learning skills in math, it doesn�t encourage problem-solving skills and retention. It is not surprising to learn many students view math as boring, difficult and irrelevant, rather than fun and interesting. The scope of what it means to be successful in mathematics expands beyond procedural knowledge and skill-acquisition to include sense-making and conceptual understanding (Buckley 2004). An integrated approach is needed to motivate students to learn math in a more relaxed environment, thus eliminating persistent math anxiety, the lack of math application skills and poor standardized test performance. The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) tested the students of 41 nations. Children in the United States were among the leaders in the fourth grade assessments, but by high school graduation, they were almost last. High school math should be taught in a way in which students can grasp and understand skills. Manipulatives are visual objects that help illustrate mathematical relationships and applications. These resources are used primarily in elementary schools and somewhat in middle schools. Manipulatives are valuable resources for accelerating and deepening students understanding of math, yet its use is almost non-existent in high school. Marilyn Burns, Creator of Math Solutions has "used manipulative materials at all levels for 30 years." In every decade since 1940, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has encouraged the use of manipulatives at all grade levels (Bellonio), yet many high school teachers are reluctant to use this type of resource.
Almost all mathematics-teaching activities take place at the abstract level (Sharma, 1997). According to Sharma, students have a tendency to forget when taught only at the abstract stage. Thus students become frustrated because mastery was never fully attained. Students will begin to have difficulty in learning mathematics. The results in failure will cause many students to develop a fear of mathematics (Sharma, 1997). Students� attitudes towards any curriculum area can be related to their achievement in ways that reinforce higher or lower performance (timss.org). Full 88% of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations� survey respondents said they had passing grades in high school. Asked to name the reasons they had left school, more respondents named boredom than struggles with coursework. Over 1 million students drop out of school each year. That includes nearly half of all African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans who fail to graduate from public high school with their class. Leaving many of them with a host of poor outcomes to follow, from low lifetime earnings to high incarceration rates to a high likelihood that their children will drop out of high school thus eliminating the cycle (Thornburg, 2006).
Sharma (1997) feels there are six levels of mastery of mathematical concepts: intuitive, concrete, representation (pictorial), abstract, applications and communication. According to Sharma, ideally, each mathematics concept should be introduced beginning at the communication level. Manipulatives will teach concrete understanding to the abstract math process, especially when the student may not understand the concept behind the skill. When students develop a concrete understanding of math skills, then they are more likely to perform that math skill and understand math concepts at the abstract level. Manipulatives can make math concepts come alive. According to Spikell (1993), most learners whether adults or children, will master mathematical concepts and skills more readily, if they are presented first in concrete, pictorial and symbols. By using manipulatives, pictures and symbols to model or represent abstract ideas, the stage is set for learners to understand the abstractions they represent (Spikell, 1993). Students will be able to practice and demonstrate mastery using concrete objects. Manipulatives appeal to the learning style of kinesthetic learners because they actually touch the objects. Pictures appeal visually for visual/spatial learners. "Visualization is the natural way one begins to think. Before words, images emerge" (Sharma, 1987). "Almost every mathematics idea, except simple arithmetic facts, consists of three components: linguistic, conceptual and skill/procedural" (Sharma, 1987). Therefore manipulatives offer benefits to a variety of learning styles. They also provide a change from the textbook for mathematical/logical learners.
Games with manipulatives are also valuable with helping students to apply what they learned to the real world, as well as provide a means to improve their math skills interactively. Using board games and card games along with cooperative learning are ways that students can become involved in a positive mathematical environment. Games are highly motivational to students and can be used effectively to practice specific skills. "Using games in the classroom and at home will maximize students' problem-solving competence, ability to communicate and reason mathematically, perception of the value of mathematics, and self-confidence in their ability to apply mathematical knowledge to new situations." Cooperative groups provide students a chance to exchange ideas, to ask questions freely, to explain to one another, to clarify ideas in meaningful ways and to express feelings about their learning. These skills acquired at an early age will be greatly beneficial throughout their adult working life.
Many teachers feel as though they do not know how to teach using manipulatives and therefore, hesitate to use them in the classroom. Many math teachers, who attended college more than ten years ago, were usually taught on the abstract level, textbook, pencil and paper, all through their school days. There are classes and workshops for teachers to learn how to teach using manipulatives. The companies that make the manipulatives also provide books and pamphlets on ways the material can be used. There are articles on using manipulatives in mathematics teaching journal such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics� Arithmetic Teacher magazine. Manipulatives help relieve boredom in children allowing them to explore and use their imagination.
Many manipulatives are inexpensive and can be everyday objects. Money, 2 �color counters, calculators, rulers, dominoes, playing cards, button and number cubes are a few of the commonly available manipulatives that can successfully be used in the classroom. These manipulatives can be used to teach such concepts such as angles, area, decimals, factoring, estimation, fractions, measurement, counting, percent, prime numbers, probability, geometry and whole numbers.
There are companies, which specialize in manipulatives that can be ordered from a catalog or online. No matter where a school is located, materials can be made available through the mail. These companies also make available to teachers such manipulatives as tangrams, pattern blocks, fraction towers, geoboards, algebra tiles, Cuisenaire rods, miras and polyhedral models.
When I initially introduced pattern blocks to my Geometry students, I was met with opposition and disbelief. It was a consensus that these students had not used pattern blocks since elementary school. However, many students actually began to explore and build figures with these blocks. I gave them this little bit of play time before taking on the task for that particular lesson, which was angle measurement of polygons. We must remember, everyone likes to play games even adults, look at our various hobbies, such as bowling, tennis, golf, art, race cars, chess, playing cards, etc. This holds true for high school students, they still enjoy playing games. Manipulatives require a great deal of prior planning and organization. But considering the many benefits that manipulatives offer, it is well worth the effort. Students will find math more attainable, fun and exciting, hopefully returning them to the prior successes of their early math experiences.
Almost all mathematics-teaching activities take place at the abstract level (Sharma, 1997). According to Sharma, students have a tendency to forget when taught only at the abstract stage. Thus students become frustrated because mastery was never fully attained. Students will begin to have difficulty in learning mathematics. The results in failure will cause many students to develop a fear of mathematics (Sharma, 1997). Students� attitudes towards any curriculum area can be related to their achievement in ways that reinforce higher or lower performance (timss.org). Full 88% of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations� survey respondents said they had passing grades in high school. Asked to name the reasons they had left school, more respondents named boredom than struggles with coursework. Over 1 million students drop out of school each year. That includes nearly half of all African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans who fail to graduate from public high school with their class. Leaving many of them with a host of poor outcomes to follow, from low lifetime earnings to high incarceration rates to a high likelihood that their children will drop out of high school thus eliminating the cycle (Thornburg, 2006).
Sharma (1997) feels there are six levels of mastery of mathematical concepts: intuitive, concrete, representation (pictorial), abstract, applications and communication. According to Sharma, ideally, each mathematics concept should be introduced beginning at the communication level. Manipulatives will teach concrete understanding to the abstract math process, especially when the student may not understand the concept behind the skill. When students develop a concrete understanding of math skills, then they are more likely to perform that math skill and understand math concepts at the abstract level. Manipulatives can make math concepts come alive. According to Spikell (1993), most learners whether adults or children, will master mathematical concepts and skills more readily, if they are presented first in concrete, pictorial and symbols. By using manipulatives, pictures and symbols to model or represent abstract ideas, the stage is set for learners to understand the abstractions they represent (Spikell, 1993). Students will be able to practice and demonstrate mastery using concrete objects. Manipulatives appeal to the learning style of kinesthetic learners because they actually touch the objects. Pictures appeal visually for visual/spatial learners. "Visualization is the natural way one begins to think. Before words, images emerge" (Sharma, 1987). "Almost every mathematics idea, except simple arithmetic facts, consists of three components: linguistic, conceptual and skill/procedural" (Sharma, 1987). Therefore manipulatives offer benefits to a variety of learning styles. They also provide a change from the textbook for mathematical/logical learners.
Games with manipulatives are also valuable with helping students to apply what they learned to the real world, as well as provide a means to improve their math skills interactively. Using board games and card games along with cooperative learning are ways that students can become involved in a positive mathematical environment. Games are highly motivational to students and can be used effectively to practice specific skills. "Using games in the classroom and at home will maximize students' problem-solving competence, ability to communicate and reason mathematically, perception of the value of mathematics, and self-confidence in their ability to apply mathematical knowledge to new situations." Cooperative groups provide students a chance to exchange ideas, to ask questions freely, to explain to one another, to clarify ideas in meaningful ways and to express feelings about their learning. These skills acquired at an early age will be greatly beneficial throughout their adult working life.
Many teachers feel as though they do not know how to teach using manipulatives and therefore, hesitate to use them in the classroom. Many math teachers, who attended college more than ten years ago, were usually taught on the abstract level, textbook, pencil and paper, all through their school days. There are classes and workshops for teachers to learn how to teach using manipulatives. The companies that make the manipulatives also provide books and pamphlets on ways the material can be used. There are articles on using manipulatives in mathematics teaching journal such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics� Arithmetic Teacher magazine. Manipulatives help relieve boredom in children allowing them to explore and use their imagination.
Many manipulatives are inexpensive and can be everyday objects. Money, 2 �color counters, calculators, rulers, dominoes, playing cards, button and number cubes are a few of the commonly available manipulatives that can successfully be used in the classroom. These manipulatives can be used to teach such concepts such as angles, area, decimals, factoring, estimation, fractions, measurement, counting, percent, prime numbers, probability, geometry and whole numbers.
There are companies, which specialize in manipulatives that can be ordered from a catalog or online. No matter where a school is located, materials can be made available through the mail. These companies also make available to teachers such manipulatives as tangrams, pattern blocks, fraction towers, geoboards, algebra tiles, Cuisenaire rods, miras and polyhedral models.
When I initially introduced pattern blocks to my Geometry students, I was met with opposition and disbelief. It was a consensus that these students had not used pattern blocks since elementary school. However, many students actually began to explore and build figures with these blocks. I gave them this little bit of play time before taking on the task for that particular lesson, which was angle measurement of polygons. We must remember, everyone likes to play games even adults, look at our various hobbies, such as bowling, tennis, golf, art, race cars, chess, playing cards, etc. This holds true for high school students, they still enjoy playing games. Manipulatives require a great deal of prior planning and organization. But considering the many benefits that manipulatives offer, it is well worth the effort. Students will find math more attainable, fun and exciting, hopefully returning them to the prior successes of their early math experiences.
Cooperative Learning Techniques
Cooperative learning is more elaborate than group work activity. Cooperative learning should be employed as part of a classroom management system. If you train your students to work effectively in groups, the results can be a very productive (and fun) learning environment.
One of my first experiments with cooperative learning was to let my students work in groups of their own choosing. Of course, they chose to work with their friends and were not very productive. I used this to my advantage when I later assigned group partners, careful to avoid having close friends in the same group.
Each school year I wait until October before assigning groups. This gives me a chance to get to know my students and learn about their social and academic abilities. After about 6 weeks of teacher-directed lessons, students welcome the idea of group work. I set aside an entire 40-minute period for our first group work experience. I assign four partners to a group (chosen ahead of time). The partners are chosen mainly by ability so that each group will have one top-level, two middle-level and one struggling student in each group. I also try to account for personality differences. Students may choose any name for their group that is appropriate for a classroom.
The first group work assignment is usually a simple and easy one. This gives students a chance to adjust to their partners and to choose a group name. Students love to choose group names because it is cool and because it gives them decision-making power. Ideally, all groups should choose a name by the end of the class period. One member of each group places the name of the group and the names of its members on an index card for me.
I then create a handout that lists the name of each group and its members in alphabetical order. This handout is distributed to the class, along with a list of cooperative learning rules (see below).
Each day I choose a different group facilitator. For example, if the facilitator is member 1, then the student whose last name is alphabetically first is the facilitator for each group. (Remember the handout that lists group names and members?) So why do I go to all this trouble? Allow me to elaborate on the benefits of all this work.
It is a good idea to change group partners during the school year, otherwise tempers might flare. I assign new group partners each marking period. My students look forward to this since they get to choose new group names.
It took time for me to adjust to the noise level in my classroom during group work. Eventually I was able to differentiate between academic and social conversations. I also had to get used to the time it takes for students to move the furniture in the room. However, this time diminishes as students get used to group work. I remember one time when an administrator observed a class of mine. She commented on how quickly my students moved into groups and started their assignment (under 2 minutes). She concluded that they must be working in groups every day since they were so quick and well-trained.
Cooperative learning should not be used haphazardly. However, when used with a plan, it can offer many educational benefits. Most of all, it is just plain fun.
One of my first experiments with cooperative learning was to let my students work in groups of their own choosing. Of course, they chose to work with their friends and were not very productive. I used this to my advantage when I later assigned group partners, careful to avoid having close friends in the same group.
Each school year I wait until October before assigning groups. This gives me a chance to get to know my students and learn about their social and academic abilities. After about 6 weeks of teacher-directed lessons, students welcome the idea of group work. I set aside an entire 40-minute period for our first group work experience. I assign four partners to a group (chosen ahead of time). The partners are chosen mainly by ability so that each group will have one top-level, two middle-level and one struggling student in each group. I also try to account for personality differences. Students may choose any name for their group that is appropriate for a classroom.
The first group work assignment is usually a simple and easy one. This gives students a chance to adjust to their partners and to choose a group name. Students love to choose group names because it is cool and because it gives them decision-making power. Ideally, all groups should choose a name by the end of the class period. One member of each group places the name of the group and the names of its members on an index card for me.
I then create a handout that lists the name of each group and its members in alphabetical order. This handout is distributed to the class, along with a list of cooperative learning rules (see below).
Each day I choose a different group facilitator. For example, if the facilitator is member 1, then the student whose last name is alphabetically first is the facilitator for each group. (Remember the handout that lists group names and members?) So why do I go to all this trouble? Allow me to elaborate on the benefits of all this work.
It is a good idea to change group partners during the school year, otherwise tempers might flare. I assign new group partners each marking period. My students look forward to this since they get to choose new group names.
It took time for me to adjust to the noise level in my classroom during group work. Eventually I was able to differentiate between academic and social conversations. I also had to get used to the time it takes for students to move the furniture in the room. However, this time diminishes as students get used to group work. I remember one time when an administrator observed a class of mine. She commented on how quickly my students moved into groups and started their assignment (under 2 minutes). She concluded that they must be working in groups every day since they were so quick and well-trained.
Cooperative learning should not be used haphazardly. However, when used with a plan, it can offer many educational benefits. Most of all, it is just plain fun.
Tips For New Math Teachers
- Try not to frown on wrong answers. It discourages students from participating. Critical thinking and honest effort are more important than correct answers.
- There is no teaching without control of your class. It is better to fall behind by a day or two early in the year to address discipline, than to have an uphill battle all year long over behavior.
- Avoid talking over your students. If there is too much noise in the classroom, sometimes the best thing to do is to stop talking. (I am famous for the "Glosser Glare".)
- Routine and structure are good, but too much of it can cause you and your class to fall into a rut. Try to vary activities from time to time.
- Encourage active participation from your students. From time to time, call students to the board, or allow them to work in groups. Avoid giving teacher-directed lessons all of the time. (See our article on Cooperative Learning Techniques.)
- Try to be flexible. Math can be a rigid topic, but you don't have to be. For example, I have a strict rule against chewing gum. But I close my eyes to it during a test.
- Try to spell out what topics will be on the test. Telling your students to "Study Chapter 6" is not enough, especially if they have poor study skills.
- In some schools, math is the only subject where students are grouped by ability (i.e. homogeneously). This makes it stand out more than other subjects. Parents may frequently ask: "Why didn't Johnny get an A in math? He got one in all his other subjects." Some parents may insist that their child be placed in the top math group, even when the child does not belong there.
- It is important to get support from an administrator when it comes to difficult issues such as math groupings. Ask that they be present at conferences with difficult parents.
- If a student was present for all the material taught, but is absent on the day of the test, then on the day the student returns, inform him/her of the make-up day and time. Don't let it go more than a day or two. However, if the student missed part or all of the material taught, you should give him a deadline by which to make up all missed work, and a new test date. It may be helpful to contact the parent in this case. A student should not be penalized for being absent. However, they can be penalized for failing to make up missed work.
- I recommend a technique called "Front Loading". Students are most motivated to learn at the beginning of the school year. Rather than reviewing material from the previous school year, why not introduce a topic they haven't seen before?
- Try to teach students good problem-solving skills. When your students enter the work place, their superiors will not give them a worksheet with 25 least common multiple (LCM) exercises. They will more likely have a scheduling problem that needs to be solved using LCM concepts.
- To motivate students, give out awards for both good academics and for good effort.
- Do your best to be fair to students. You will earn their respect this way.
- The best motivator of all is connecting math to the real world. For example, when teaching the metric system, have students bring in empty cartons and bottles from their kitchen.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Tips for Parent Conferences
nvite both parents. Encourage both parents to attend conferences when possible. Misunderstandings are less common if both parents hear what you have to say, and you'll be able to gauge the kind of support both parents give the child. (Of course, remember that both mother and father may not be available. Today, when some 60 percent of adult women work outside the home, it may not always be the mother who's available to meet. And many children come from single-parent homes; you could unwittingly hurt a child's feelings by always asking to meet the "mother.")
Make contact early. You'll get your relationship with parents off to a good start if you contact them early in the year, perhaps with a memo or newsletter sent home to all pupils. Give parents an outline of what their children will be studying, and let them know you'll be happy to meet with them during the year. (Be sure to say how and when they may contact you for conferences.)
Allow enough time. Schedule plenty of time for the meeting. Twenty to thirty minutes is usually adequate. If you're scheduling back-to-back conferences, be sure to allow enough time between them (10 minutes or so) so you can make necessary notes on the just-concluded conference and prepare for the upcoming one.
Be ready for questions. Be prepared to answer specific questions parents may have. They're likely to ask questions such as: -What is my child's ability level?
-Is my child working up to his/her ability level?
-How is my child doing in specific subjects?
-Does my child cause any trouble?
-Does my child have any specific skills or abilities in schoolwork?
Get your papers organized in advance. Assemble your grade book, test papers, samples of the student's work, attendance records and other pertinent data together ahead of time. That way you won't be fumbling through stacks on your desk during the meeting.
Plan ahead. Have in mind a general but flexible outline of what you're going to say, including a survey of student progress, a review of his or her strengths and needs, and a proposed plan of action.
Greet parents near the entrance they'll use. You'll alleviate anxiety and frustration (nothing is more confusing to the uninitiated than wandering around those look-alike school hallways trying to find the right classroom) and makes parents feel more welcome.
Get the name right. Don't assume that Jennifer Peabody's mother is Mrs. Peabody. She could well have been married again since Jennifer was born. Check your records ahead of time to make sure you've got the parents' names right. And don't assume that the wrinkled gray-haired gentleman coming in with Johnny is his grandfather. It could be his father, or an uncle. Politely ask. Try not to talk to the Smiths about their son "Stan" when their son's name is "Steve".
Avoid physical barriers. Don't sit behind your desk, while forcing the parents to squeeze into the children's desks on the front row or perch miserably on folding chairs. Arrange a conference-style seating if possible so you'll all be equals together.
Open on a positive note. Begin conferences on a warm, positive note to get everyone relaxed. Start with a positive statement about the child's abilities, work or interests.
Structure the session. As soon as the parents arrive, review the structure of the conference--the why, what, how, and when so that you'll both have an "agenda".
Be specific in your comments. Parents may flounder if you deal only in generalities. Instead of saying "She doesn't accept responsibility," pin down the problem by pointing out "Amanda had a whole week to finish her report but she only wrote two paragraphs."
Make contact early. You'll get your relationship with parents off to a good start if you contact them early in the year, perhaps with a memo or newsletter sent home to all pupils. Give parents an outline of what their children will be studying, and let them know you'll be happy to meet with them during the year. (Be sure to say how and when they may contact you for conferences.)
Allow enough time. Schedule plenty of time for the meeting. Twenty to thirty minutes is usually adequate. If you're scheduling back-to-back conferences, be sure to allow enough time between them (10 minutes or so) so you can make necessary notes on the just-concluded conference and prepare for the upcoming one.
Be ready for questions. Be prepared to answer specific questions parents may have. They're likely to ask questions such as: -What is my child's ability level?
-Is my child working up to his/her ability level?
-How is my child doing in specific subjects?
-Does my child cause any trouble?
-Does my child have any specific skills or abilities in schoolwork?
Get your papers organized in advance. Assemble your grade book, test papers, samples of the student's work, attendance records and other pertinent data together ahead of time. That way you won't be fumbling through stacks on your desk during the meeting.
Plan ahead. Have in mind a general but flexible outline of what you're going to say, including a survey of student progress, a review of his or her strengths and needs, and a proposed plan of action.
Greet parents near the entrance they'll use. You'll alleviate anxiety and frustration (nothing is more confusing to the uninitiated than wandering around those look-alike school hallways trying to find the right classroom) and makes parents feel more welcome.
Get the name right. Don't assume that Jennifer Peabody's mother is Mrs. Peabody. She could well have been married again since Jennifer was born. Check your records ahead of time to make sure you've got the parents' names right. And don't assume that the wrinkled gray-haired gentleman coming in with Johnny is his grandfather. It could be his father, or an uncle. Politely ask. Try not to talk to the Smiths about their son "Stan" when their son's name is "Steve".
Avoid physical barriers. Don't sit behind your desk, while forcing the parents to squeeze into the children's desks on the front row or perch miserably on folding chairs. Arrange a conference-style seating if possible so you'll all be equals together.
Open on a positive note. Begin conferences on a warm, positive note to get everyone relaxed. Start with a positive statement about the child's abilities, work or interests.
Structure the session. As soon as the parents arrive, review the structure of the conference--the why, what, how, and when so that you'll both have an "agenda".
Be specific in your comments. Parents may flounder if you deal only in generalities. Instead of saying "She doesn't accept responsibility," pin down the problem by pointing out "Amanda had a whole week to finish her report but she only wrote two paragraphs."
Games For Kids
Below list of games that may usefull for you children:
the A Book Scavenger Hunt
This is a game that teaches counting and ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd...). The first thing to do is find a book for each child. It works well, and takes less time, for all children to use the same book title and edition, but it is not necessary. The idea is that the answer will spell out a sentence or two and the winner is the first one to decipher it. Each child will be provided with a clue sheet which will list directions for finding each word.
An example would be to say "find the 5th word of the 3rd paragraph on the 11th page after page 101." The children would then look for this word and write it down. You can also work in math problems, such as "go to the page that is twenty-one less than eighty-four and find the 7th word in the 2nd paragraph from the end of the page." Increase the complexity for older children and simplify for younger ones.
Picture Shapes
Math games for kids, especially the younger ones, can benefit from including pictures from books or coloring books. This game accomplishes this by using a picture that has obvious shapes in it, such as balloons for circles, doors for rectangles, etc., then seeing who can find the most shapes hidden. For older children you can include things such as octagons, cylinders, and cones.
Taking Directions
This is a great math game for a larger group of kids to play. The great thing about this game is that it shows us that math games for kids do not need to involve sitting at a table with a pencil in hand. This is played outdoors and involves putting a mat, or other flat object, in the yard and pairing the kids up. One child in each group wears a blind fold. The other child will give them directions.
The goal is for the child with the blind fold to follow the directions so that he/she ends up on the mat. The trick is that the child doing the talking can only give a set number of clues and can only use numbers for how many feet or yards, and the words forward, backward, right, or left. You can put obstacles in the way such as orange road cones or beach balls that they have to maneuver around to get to the mat. The kids giving the directions must stay stationary while giving the clues. Make sure this game is supervised by an adult who can make sure that the kids do not run into one another or trip and fall.
Board Games
Board games offer a variety of creative and interesting ways for teaching math concepts to children. There are many math games for kids that are in board game format. Some of these include Sorry, Yahtzee, and Rummikub. There are also many board games for kids that can be altered to include math skills. One example is to play Scrabble and give triple the points for each math term spelled out, as well as having the children keep a running score for every player.
Matching Math Cards
This is a twist on Old Maid where the goal is to match two cards by putting all of them face-down and turning over two cards at a time on each turn to see if they match. This game is different than Old Maid because it is centered around math concepts. You start by writing a math problem on an index card, using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Then you make another math problem on the next index card that is different but has the same answer. After you have made between twelve and twenty of these cards you lay them face down. Whenever someone turns over two cards with the same answer they get to keep them. The person with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
Learning math does not need to be dull and boring. It can be fun and challenging by using the above math games for kids, where math becomes play instead of work.
the A Book Scavenger Hunt
This is a game that teaches counting and ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd...). The first thing to do is find a book for each child. It works well, and takes less time, for all children to use the same book title and edition, but it is not necessary. The idea is that the answer will spell out a sentence or two and the winner is the first one to decipher it. Each child will be provided with a clue sheet which will list directions for finding each word.
An example would be to say "find the 5th word of the 3rd paragraph on the 11th page after page 101." The children would then look for this word and write it down. You can also work in math problems, such as "go to the page that is twenty-one less than eighty-four and find the 7th word in the 2nd paragraph from the end of the page." Increase the complexity for older children and simplify for younger ones.
Picture Shapes
Math games for kids, especially the younger ones, can benefit from including pictures from books or coloring books. This game accomplishes this by using a picture that has obvious shapes in it, such as balloons for circles, doors for rectangles, etc., then seeing who can find the most shapes hidden. For older children you can include things such as octagons, cylinders, and cones.
Taking Directions
This is a great math game for a larger group of kids to play. The great thing about this game is that it shows us that math games for kids do not need to involve sitting at a table with a pencil in hand. This is played outdoors and involves putting a mat, or other flat object, in the yard and pairing the kids up. One child in each group wears a blind fold. The other child will give them directions.
The goal is for the child with the blind fold to follow the directions so that he/she ends up on the mat. The trick is that the child doing the talking can only give a set number of clues and can only use numbers for how many feet or yards, and the words forward, backward, right, or left. You can put obstacles in the way such as orange road cones or beach balls that they have to maneuver around to get to the mat. The kids giving the directions must stay stationary while giving the clues. Make sure this game is supervised by an adult who can make sure that the kids do not run into one another or trip and fall.
Board Games
Board games offer a variety of creative and interesting ways for teaching math concepts to children. There are many math games for kids that are in board game format. Some of these include Sorry, Yahtzee, and Rummikub. There are also many board games for kids that can be altered to include math skills. One example is to play Scrabble and give triple the points for each math term spelled out, as well as having the children keep a running score for every player.
Matching Math Cards
This is a twist on Old Maid where the goal is to match two cards by putting all of them face-down and turning over two cards at a time on each turn to see if they match. This game is different than Old Maid because it is centered around math concepts. You start by writing a math problem on an index card, using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Then you make another math problem on the next index card that is different but has the same answer. After you have made between twelve and twenty of these cards you lay them face down. Whenever someone turns over two cards with the same answer they get to keep them. The person with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
Learning math does not need to be dull and boring. It can be fun and challenging by using the above math games for kids, where math becomes play instead of work.
Activities To Encourage A Love Of Math In Your Children
Below some activities to make your children love math. You can try this activitites to make respond for your children:
Board Games
Dust off your Monopoly game and your game of Life. Counting money is great practice for learning math. If your child is old enough, ask her be the banker.
Cooking
Cooking is a wonderful way to teach addition, multiplication, division and fractions. (Even the adding of fractions which is, of course, quite advanced.) Whether your child is 3 or 13, you can teach math in a fun way with recipes. If your child chooses the recipes and writes the grocery lists, she will get practice with her reading, spelling and writing skills, too.
Have a Garage Sale
Garage Sales or yard sales are a natural way to practice math. Your child can help by writing the prices on items, by collecting money and dispensing change. No matter how you involve your child, she will be practicing math, gaining confidence, and some good business and communication skills as well.
Math Uno
Remember the game of UNO that you played as a kid? Have you ever involved math when playing the game? Instead of playing one matching color or number on the card that is face up, instead play two or more number cards that add up to that number.
For older kids, you can encourage subtraction, multiplication and division as well.
Start a Family Business
Of course one of the best ways to practice math is by running a business. Either help your child start a small business or consider a family business. Whether it’s a baby-sitting business or a lemonade stand, your child’s brain will be challenged.
If you already own a family business, then, by all means, allow your child to help.
These are just a few ways you can practice math with your child �" and help him to gain more confidence in his math skills.
Board Games
Dust off your Monopoly game and your game of Life. Counting money is great practice for learning math. If your child is old enough, ask her be the banker.
Cooking
Cooking is a wonderful way to teach addition, multiplication, division and fractions. (Even the adding of fractions which is, of course, quite advanced.) Whether your child is 3 or 13, you can teach math in a fun way with recipes. If your child chooses the recipes and writes the grocery lists, she will get practice with her reading, spelling and writing skills, too.
Have a Garage Sale
Garage Sales or yard sales are a natural way to practice math. Your child can help by writing the prices on items, by collecting money and dispensing change. No matter how you involve your child, she will be practicing math, gaining confidence, and some good business and communication skills as well.
Math Uno
Remember the game of UNO that you played as a kid? Have you ever involved math when playing the game? Instead of playing one matching color or number on the card that is face up, instead play two or more number cards that add up to that number.
For older kids, you can encourage subtraction, multiplication and division as well.
Start a Family Business
Of course one of the best ways to practice math is by running a business. Either help your child start a small business or consider a family business. Whether it’s a baby-sitting business or a lemonade stand, your child’s brain will be challenged.
If you already own a family business, then, by all means, allow your child to help.
These are just a few ways you can practice math with your child �" and help him to gain more confidence in his math skills.
Math Is Beauty .....
Mathematics is rife with beauty. Yes beauty. Oh, maybe not the type of physical beauty you are thinking of but a beauty that can only be perceived when you study this subject in all of its fabulous environs. Whether it be the elegance of a particular formula or the economy of expressing something very complicated in a concise way, mathematics trumps the field of aesthetics in a manner worthy of praise.
For one, mathematics has the special beauty of being without hypocrisy. Now you may wonder how being bereft of hypocrisy can be aesthetically appealing. You may ask: "Can you really compare such a situation with the beauty found in a majestic enclave or a sensuous piece of artwork?" Well maybe not exactly, but from an intangible perspective, a lack of hypocrisy is actually a very beautiful thing.
Double talk or double speak---hypocrisy's middle name---finds no place in mathematics. A formula gives the same result all the time and under any circumstance. Mathematical rigor does not succumb to pressure from without. You see, contradictions just do not abound in this wonderful discipline. For example, the quadratic formula always gives us the roots for any quadratic equation regardless of race, religion, or economic background. When a formula predicts an outcome, such as when the Pythagorean Theorem predicts the length of the hypotenuse, given the two side lengths, then this outcome will be obtained regardless of the dispositions of the sides.
When fractals can be condensed to a specific formula and then applied to describe a majestic coastline, we see evidence of beauty all around. When group theory can be applied to subparticle physics, thereby aiding the explanation of the origins of life, mathematics transcends reality and abuts upon divine territory.
In view of these contemplations, it is no wonder that the greatest minds of all time have plumbed as deeply as possible the caverns of this universe, and have tried so hard to get as close to this subject as possible. Maybe by getting closer to mathematics, we can all take a glimpse of that great beyond and behold a beauty unseen in this present world. Until then, we can only sample incomplete beauty in a very imperfect world.
See a list of my ebooks here at Order Ebooks
Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Joe is the creator of the Wiz Kid series of math ebooks, Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC's of arithmetic, the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)-particularly in regard to its educational flavor- continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.
Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook. For more information go to http://www.mathbyjoe.com
For one, mathematics has the special beauty of being without hypocrisy. Now you may wonder how being bereft of hypocrisy can be aesthetically appealing. You may ask: "Can you really compare such a situation with the beauty found in a majestic enclave or a sensuous piece of artwork?" Well maybe not exactly, but from an intangible perspective, a lack of hypocrisy is actually a very beautiful thing.
Double talk or double speak---hypocrisy's middle name---finds no place in mathematics. A formula gives the same result all the time and under any circumstance. Mathematical rigor does not succumb to pressure from without. You see, contradictions just do not abound in this wonderful discipline. For example, the quadratic formula always gives us the roots for any quadratic equation regardless of race, religion, or economic background. When a formula predicts an outcome, such as when the Pythagorean Theorem predicts the length of the hypotenuse, given the two side lengths, then this outcome will be obtained regardless of the dispositions of the sides.
When fractals can be condensed to a specific formula and then applied to describe a majestic coastline, we see evidence of beauty all around. When group theory can be applied to subparticle physics, thereby aiding the explanation of the origins of life, mathematics transcends reality and abuts upon divine territory.
In view of these contemplations, it is no wonder that the greatest minds of all time have plumbed as deeply as possible the caverns of this universe, and have tried so hard to get as close to this subject as possible. Maybe by getting closer to mathematics, we can all take a glimpse of that great beyond and behold a beauty unseen in this present world. Until then, we can only sample incomplete beauty in a very imperfect world.
See a list of my ebooks here at Order Ebooks
Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Joe is the creator of the Wiz Kid series of math ebooks, Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC's of arithmetic, the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)-particularly in regard to its educational flavor- continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.
Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook. For more information go to http://www.mathbyjoe.com
How i introduced my child to Mathematics ?
Your child went to school and your problems began? Your child hates mathematics? Then let me share my experience how I overcame this parenting challenge.
I would like to share my experience with other mothers. My 8 year old son never liked mathematics even after I tried really hard for the last 6 years to develop love for the precise sciences in him. Obviously, you might call it a BIG statement, especially considering the young age of Andre. Still, I am sure, that the earlier you will start, the better your child will understand the subject. Beginning at the very tender age of 2, I began to teach my son to count. For our counting, I used any handy materials such as apples, pencils, toys and even cups, when we were at home. And, while walking outside, we counted birds, trees and cars. I admit that my son loved to count so-called real objects, something he could see or touch. Indeed, he enjoyed these kinds of creative games. But the moment I would open a book or try to explain to him the easiest rules of adding or subtraction, the struggle would start. He would nag, making any excuse not to sit with me, tell me he is bored, or that he cannot understand, etc. etc.
I was trying my best, putting all my possible efforts in introducing him to math, but sad to say, it looked rather like a waste of my time and a real failure. All my hard work brought NO result at all.
The school-year was about to commence soon. But even there the mathematics was the hardest and the most disliked school subject for him. And at home we played teacher and learners to do his homework. I was the teacher and my son and one of his toys, which he liked the most, were my pupils. Andre was pretty keen to play this game and in no time, almost effortlessly, used to complete all his homework. All, except one - mathematics!
Obviously, my main worry was mathematics - how my son will overcome his dislike of this school subject? One month passed by. According to his school programme, he would be exposed to the first mathematical rules soon. But Andre didn't want to hear the very word mathematics! Leave alone any rules! No matter what I tried - Andre stayed indifferent to mathematics and extremely stubborn in his unwillingness to cooperate not only with me, but with teachers too. He simply didn't want to accept mathematics in his life.
There must be some solution, I thought. I am sure that there are many parents who are going through the very same struggle. Let me do some research. Surely I will come across something useful that other people use for their children's education, I encouraged myself.
Needless to say, the easiest and fastest research that can be performed in today's time is on the internet. Many websites were read, many stories and even books were downloaded. But with which one to start? How to select the one from so many?
The answer came by itself: All kids love pictures. Indeed, books with colourful pictures will attract any child, therefore, an appealing cover of the book stands a greater chance. Something that is bright and amusing, and relevant to the math subject - this is what I was looking for. Putting myself in the shoes of my son, I began to look at the pictures. Most of the stories were just in plain text. It immediately reduced the number of literature from what I had to choose from. Then, looking at the illustrations, I decided to stop at the stories from the book Kind Mathematics. Drawings were about digits, and in funny forms of digits. Last but not least, I was very impressed with the book's title: Kind Mathematics. Kind, kindness - this is what we all need!
I printed out the first 3 stories that I successfully (and free!) downloaded from the website. Later the same day, when time came for our home school play, I showed the pages to Andre. I also printed the pictures separately - especially to busy him while I was reading.
And... It worked. The amazing illustrations instantly grabbed his attention, and it gave me a chance to read him the first story. Then, the second story - about adding numbers. I carefully selected this story which explains some simple rules of math to see whether this methodology was going to work for Andre. He was listening and looking at pictures. During the stories he even asked me some questions. So, without changing the topic, I read the third story.
To my surprise he didn't ask me to stop. On the contrary, he even took some previously- read pages with pictures, trying to figure out 'who is who' in the pictures.
There were some questions and activities after the stories. The questions were in a playful form but required good attention - through the nature of the answers one could determine whether the child was really listening to the story. For the first 2 questions he wasn't sure what to say* but readily answered the rest of questions and agreed to draw digits from 1 to 5, as it was required. Later I discovered the reason why he didn't find the answers for the first questions - they were about something that happened in the beginning of the first story, when he was looking at the pictures.
In other words, it was our very introduction to this methodology, and it proved to be effective. I cannot deny this! Even in my seemingly very difficult situation it worked. So I ordered the book. It arrived soon. Even from the cover of this book one would never say that it is about mathematics - it looks much more like a book of play. I opened the book and read its contents page. Wow! Many stories on all that I tried so hard to teach my son. Even more than I ever expected!
Slowly, step by step, we read all the stories, usually 1 or 2 per day. For Andre it actually became the most awaited time - he enjoyed the stories, pictures, the story play-form, questions and activities.
math can be fun too. Now, even I agree with this. Funny personages from the Kingdom of the Queen Kind Mathematics were teaching my Andre about everything from A to Z. About everything in the mathematics kingdom: from the very introductory lesson until lessons on how to multiply and divide.
Dear Mother and Father, grandmothers and grandfathers. Do not pressurize your little child. If he or she doesn't like something then perhaps it is we who didn't find the right solution - the correct method how to introduce something new into their lives. Do your research, have patience and trust in your children. And there are many books that are of great assistance for education, for teachers in schools and for parents who have chosen home-schooling.
Find the correct one for you and your child and follow its teaching method. Children's minds, in some ways, are like sponges - it can absorb new information if it will be interesting enough, and if we approach them with a teaching methodology which looks at their perspective of life.
Don't forget that by nature, children love to play, love interesting stories, love to look at pictures and to draw. Our great grandmothers knew this and that is why they used to spend hours reading their wise stories and educational fairytales. Play and learn - this is indeed the best method that can work. With all children, no matter which country, nationality, social status or religion they are. It always worked in the past, it is working excellently at present, and indeed, it will work in the future too.
Educate your kids, but at the same time do not deprive them their childhood. School subjects can be fun too!
I would like to share my experience with other mothers. My 8 year old son never liked mathematics even after I tried really hard for the last 6 years to develop love for the precise sciences in him. Obviously, you might call it a BIG statement, especially considering the young age of Andre. Still, I am sure, that the earlier you will start, the better your child will understand the subject. Beginning at the very tender age of 2, I began to teach my son to count. For our counting, I used any handy materials such as apples, pencils, toys and even cups, when we were at home. And, while walking outside, we counted birds, trees and cars. I admit that my son loved to count so-called real objects, something he could see or touch. Indeed, he enjoyed these kinds of creative games. But the moment I would open a book or try to explain to him the easiest rules of adding or subtraction, the struggle would start. He would nag, making any excuse not to sit with me, tell me he is bored, or that he cannot understand, etc. etc.
I was trying my best, putting all my possible efforts in introducing him to math, but sad to say, it looked rather like a waste of my time and a real failure. All my hard work brought NO result at all.
The school-year was about to commence soon. But even there the mathematics was the hardest and the most disliked school subject for him. And at home we played teacher and learners to do his homework. I was the teacher and my son and one of his toys, which he liked the most, were my pupils. Andre was pretty keen to play this game and in no time, almost effortlessly, used to complete all his homework. All, except one - mathematics!
Obviously, my main worry was mathematics - how my son will overcome his dislike of this school subject? One month passed by. According to his school programme, he would be exposed to the first mathematical rules soon. But Andre didn't want to hear the very word mathematics! Leave alone any rules! No matter what I tried - Andre stayed indifferent to mathematics and extremely stubborn in his unwillingness to cooperate not only with me, but with teachers too. He simply didn't want to accept mathematics in his life.
There must be some solution, I thought. I am sure that there are many parents who are going through the very same struggle. Let me do some research. Surely I will come across something useful that other people use for their children's education, I encouraged myself.
Needless to say, the easiest and fastest research that can be performed in today's time is on the internet. Many websites were read, many stories and even books were downloaded. But with which one to start? How to select the one from so many?
The answer came by itself: All kids love pictures. Indeed, books with colourful pictures will attract any child, therefore, an appealing cover of the book stands a greater chance. Something that is bright and amusing, and relevant to the math subject - this is what I was looking for. Putting myself in the shoes of my son, I began to look at the pictures. Most of the stories were just in plain text. It immediately reduced the number of literature from what I had to choose from. Then, looking at the illustrations, I decided to stop at the stories from the book Kind Mathematics. Drawings were about digits, and in funny forms of digits. Last but not least, I was very impressed with the book's title: Kind Mathematics. Kind, kindness - this is what we all need!
I printed out the first 3 stories that I successfully (and free!) downloaded from the website. Later the same day, when time came for our home school play, I showed the pages to Andre. I also printed the pictures separately - especially to busy him while I was reading.
And... It worked. The amazing illustrations instantly grabbed his attention, and it gave me a chance to read him the first story. Then, the second story - about adding numbers. I carefully selected this story which explains some simple rules of math to see whether this methodology was going to work for Andre. He was listening and looking at pictures. During the stories he even asked me some questions. So, without changing the topic, I read the third story.
To my surprise he didn't ask me to stop. On the contrary, he even took some previously- read pages with pictures, trying to figure out 'who is who' in the pictures.
There were some questions and activities after the stories. The questions were in a playful form but required good attention - through the nature of the answers one could determine whether the child was really listening to the story. For the first 2 questions he wasn't sure what to say* but readily answered the rest of questions and agreed to draw digits from 1 to 5, as it was required. Later I discovered the reason why he didn't find the answers for the first questions - they were about something that happened in the beginning of the first story, when he was looking at the pictures.
In other words, it was our very introduction to this methodology, and it proved to be effective. I cannot deny this! Even in my seemingly very difficult situation it worked. So I ordered the book. It arrived soon. Even from the cover of this book one would never say that it is about mathematics - it looks much more like a book of play. I opened the book and read its contents page. Wow! Many stories on all that I tried so hard to teach my son. Even more than I ever expected!
Slowly, step by step, we read all the stories, usually 1 or 2 per day. For Andre it actually became the most awaited time - he enjoyed the stories, pictures, the story play-form, questions and activities.
math can be fun too. Now, even I agree with this. Funny personages from the Kingdom of the Queen Kind Mathematics were teaching my Andre about everything from A to Z. About everything in the mathematics kingdom: from the very introductory lesson until lessons on how to multiply and divide.
Dear Mother and Father, grandmothers and grandfathers. Do not pressurize your little child. If he or she doesn't like something then perhaps it is we who didn't find the right solution - the correct method how to introduce something new into their lives. Do your research, have patience and trust in your children. And there are many books that are of great assistance for education, for teachers in schools and for parents who have chosen home-schooling.
Find the correct one for you and your child and follow its teaching method. Children's minds, in some ways, are like sponges - it can absorb new information if it will be interesting enough, and if we approach them with a teaching methodology which looks at their perspective of life.
Don't forget that by nature, children love to play, love interesting stories, love to look at pictures and to draw. Our great grandmothers knew this and that is why they used to spend hours reading their wise stories and educational fairytales. Play and learn - this is indeed the best method that can work. With all children, no matter which country, nationality, social status or religion they are. It always worked in the past, it is working excellently at present, and indeed, it will work in the future too.
Educate your kids, but at the same time do not deprive them their childhood. School subjects can be fun too!
Why we study math ?
Interesting how a fighting technique using the nunchaku weapon, the octagonal oak sticks connected by a short chain or string, which were immortalized by Bruce Lee in his famous martial arts film, "Enter the Dragon," and mathematics---particularly parametric equations---could be so nicely entwined. It is as though mathematics has no favoritism when popping its head up in all kinds of seemingly unrelated fields. Read on and you will see how the nunchaku and math are so related.
In a previous article titled, "Why Study Math? - Parametric Equations," I talked about how these nifty equations can describe some exotic curves which, using only the variables x and y, could not be so easily expressed. Thus we talked about the cycloid and how it is easily described by the two parametric equations x = a(t - sint) and y = a(1 - cost). If you tried to eliminate the parameter and express this curve only in terms of x and y, I think you will find this to be an insurmountable task. I tried it and quickly found myself mired in some deep quicksand. Better to stick to the parametric equations.
Now how would parametric equations and math get caught up with Bruce Lee and the art of nunchakudo? Well firstly, as a master of the martial arts and particularly the art of using the nunchuks, which is called nunchakudo, Bruce Lee could produce beautiful katas, or forms, using the nunchuks as a weapon. When executing these katas, Lee, or any expert nunchakudoka (martial artist who is expert at the nunchuks), would wave these curious sticks in wave patterns and swirls which are described by some beautiful mathematical curves called Lissajous, eponymously named after the French mathematician who studied them in detail.
The Lissajous are given parametrically by x = A[sin(at) + d], y = B[sin(bt)]. The curves range from the simple sideways figure eight, as when A = 1, B = 2, and d = pi/2 (pi is approximately 3.14), to intricate opposite-facing boomerang figures. Now relating these curves back to nunchakudo, it turns out that when practicing with these sticks, the expert will swing them in patterns that trace out the various Lissajous curves. As the practitioner becomes more and more expert, he or she can trace out more intricate Lissajous curves and do this with poise, artistry, and balance. Now how's that for a real-life example of where math comes into play in the world!
The next time you watch a martial arts movie like "Enter the Dragon" and see the nunchuks being swung in graceful fashion, remember there's a set of parametric equations that describes that beautiful motion and elegant display of the chuks. Indeed Bruce Lee would be proud to know that someone understood his art in this way.
Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Joe is the creator of the Wiz Kid series of math ebooks, Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC's of arithmetic, the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)-particularly in regard to its educational flavor- continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.
Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook.
In a previous article titled, "Why Study Math? - Parametric Equations," I talked about how these nifty equations can describe some exotic curves which, using only the variables x and y, could not be so easily expressed. Thus we talked about the cycloid and how it is easily described by the two parametric equations x = a(t - sint) and y = a(1 - cost). If you tried to eliminate the parameter and express this curve only in terms of x and y, I think you will find this to be an insurmountable task. I tried it and quickly found myself mired in some deep quicksand. Better to stick to the parametric equations.
Now how would parametric equations and math get caught up with Bruce Lee and the art of nunchakudo? Well firstly, as a master of the martial arts and particularly the art of using the nunchuks, which is called nunchakudo, Bruce Lee could produce beautiful katas, or forms, using the nunchuks as a weapon. When executing these katas, Lee, or any expert nunchakudoka (martial artist who is expert at the nunchuks), would wave these curious sticks in wave patterns and swirls which are described by some beautiful mathematical curves called Lissajous, eponymously named after the French mathematician who studied them in detail.
The Lissajous are given parametrically by x = A[sin(at) + d], y = B[sin(bt)]. The curves range from the simple sideways figure eight, as when A = 1, B = 2, and d = pi/2 (pi is approximately 3.14), to intricate opposite-facing boomerang figures. Now relating these curves back to nunchakudo, it turns out that when practicing with these sticks, the expert will swing them in patterns that trace out the various Lissajous curves. As the practitioner becomes more and more expert, he or she can trace out more intricate Lissajous curves and do this with poise, artistry, and balance. Now how's that for a real-life example of where math comes into play in the world!
The next time you watch a martial arts movie like "Enter the Dragon" and see the nunchuks being swung in graceful fashion, remember there's a set of parametric equations that describes that beautiful motion and elegant display of the chuks. Indeed Bruce Lee would be proud to know that someone understood his art in this way.
Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Joe is the creator of the Wiz Kid series of math ebooks, Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC's of arithmetic, the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)-particularly in regard to its educational flavor- continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.
Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Probability
Exercises:
1. Two dice are thrown at the same moment. The probability that a total 0f 8 is scored is ....
A. 1/12
B. 1/9
C. 5/36
D. 1/6
E. 7/36
2. Three dice are thrown at the same moment. The probability that a total of 4 is scored is ....
A. 1/67
B. 1/72
C. 1/80
D. 1/100
E. 1/120
1. Two dice are thrown at the same moment. The probability that a total 0f 8 is scored is ....
A. 1/12
B. 1/9
C. 5/36
D. 1/6
E. 7/36
2. Three dice are thrown at the same moment. The probability that a total of 4 is scored is ....
A. 1/67
B. 1/72
C. 1/80
D. 1/100
E. 1/120
Probability Exercises
In a class of 50 students there are 20 students who like beans and 30 students who like bananas. Given that 3 students like both beans and bananas. Find the probability that class likes beans or bananas.
Answer: P (AUB) = 47/50
Answer: P (AUB) = 47/50
Thursday, October 30, 2008
My First Posting
Hello all. This is my first posting. In this blog i will share my experience as a math teacher in high school. I also will discuss all about math. Math is beautifull. We have math everyday.
So, let's join with me. Discussing math is really happy.
So, let's join with me. Discussing math is really happy.
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