Theater and dance for teaching math? Math for teaching art? Arts integration is not only a great idea, but a great idea in the news. A recent story in the Education section of the Washington Post describes students from kindergarten through middle school learning mathematical concepts through the arts. You can find a description of … Continue reading
A friend recently shared this with me and I chuckled, thinking a few of the students in my graduate research courses might benefit from it. I considered sharing it with a middle school math teacher friend, but wasn’t sure if it would lead to learning or middle school hysteria. I suppose it could go either … Continue reading
It’s cold in Michigan. We’re expecting record-breaking low temperatures tonight and I just discovered a new gelato place a mile from my house. My husband and I love gelato, but I just can’t do it. So you can imagine how I chuckled reading Dan Meyer’s Frozen Code post. The post relates an actual frozen code … Continue reading
Ever wish for a personal assistant who could instantly answer your questions about just about anything? Enter Wolfram Alpha. Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge engine that uses a vast storehouse of expert knowledge to answer queries in a wide range of disciplines. What’s a computational knowledge engine? Here’s Wolfram’s explanation. You can get a … Continue reading
One of the roots of creativity is the ability to look at the world in new ways. This may be one of the reasons that experiences in different cultures seem to be tied to greater creativity. A wonderful example of both flexible and multicultural thinking—along with a great teaching resource—comes from ethno-mathematician Dr. Ron Eglash. … Continue reading
It’s bedtime. Just envision yourself snuggling with children you love and a good book. Can’t you picture them begging, “Please, please, just one more…..math problem!” I will admit, I’ve never thought about bedtime math. But then I ran across the Bedtime Math book, which led me to the Bedtime Math website—and now I’m a Bedtime … Continue reading
It is winter in Michigan, and as I’m writing the snow is accumulating on the ground and covering the tree branches outside my window. So naturally, my thoughts turn to–fractals. Or, more specifically, to this guest post from Melanie describing creative ways to teach fractals, including fractal snowflakes. Here’s Melanie. Fractals are mathematical sets that … Continue reading
How many pigeons would you have to stack in order to reach the top of the Statue of Liberty? How long would it take a car to drive to the moon—at 65 miles per hour? The answers to these and other questions can be found in Wacky Comparisons: Wacky Ways to Compare Size. I can’t … Continue reading
Here’s an example of interdisciplinary teaching that will be very good for students’ BRAINS! (Yes, that really was a zombie reference.) STEM Behind Hollywood brings together science, math, and film making in a program designed to get students excited about STEM education and careers. In truth, there’s a lot of science behind the entertainment industry. … Continue reading
The cartoon blog xkcd.com calls itself “webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.” The comics range from mathematical romance: to more explicitly math/physics related topics. The author accurately warns “This comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be … Continue reading
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