Regressions on Desmos

 

See instructional video on YouTube.

 Equation Editor in Google Docs

Go to Insert, Equation.

       

Click on 'New Equation'.

It's not as good as Math Type but Math Type no longer works on Macs, alas.

This works in the Chrome and the Safari browsers.

Common Core Explained

This is a good explanation of the Common Core approach. It is a joy, when a middle or high school student says, "I get it now!"

A Good American - the film

A documentary... the bureaucrats aren't listening to the mathematicians. So infuriating.

When Textbooks go Awry

Some of the math books are particularly amusing.

Fidget Spinners and other Fidget Gadgets in the Classroom

Erin Silver of the Washington Post has written a good article on the subject of fidget gadgets in the classroom.

In my experience, especially working one-on-one with students, fidget gadgets are a distraction. Instead, I work with students to help develop the skill of keeping focused for a period of time. When the student starts to have difficulty keeping focused, even when they are trying, it is time to take a small break where they can fidget, look at their phone, stare out the window, do jumping jacks or walk around the room.

Another strategy that works for me is to change what the student is working on... If we have been working on Algebra, switch to Art.

Are fidget toys too much of a distraction? - Erin Silver, Washington Post

U Can’t Talk to Ur Professor Like This

From Molly Worthen of the New York Times: 

U Can't Talk to Ur Professor Like This

I agree with many of the points in the article, especially this quote: “More and more, students view the process of going to college as a business transaction,” Dr. Tomforde, the math professor, told me. “They see themselves as a customer, and they view knowledge as a physical thing where they pay money and I hand them the knowledge — so if they don’t do well on a test, they think I haven’t kept up my side of the business agreement.” He added, “They view professors in a way similar to the person behind the counter getting their coffee.”

So true. I once had the experience of a cheeky (and slightly delusional) 10th grader, verbally accost me in the hallway, claiming that I didn't understand the structure of the academic environment. He scolded me for not understanding that the structure of the high school academic environment was like a corporation and that I was essentially ignoring the stock holders (when his grade began to slip).

As a high school teacher, I invite and insist, my students to call me by my first name after graduation. However, students in college are usually adults. If the professor wants to be addressed as Dr. Worthen, then I do hope that she when she insists on formality, that she also has the mutual respect for her students by addressing them as Mr. Garcia and Ms. Wong. If my doctor would like to be addressed as Dr. Dubois, then he or she might not want to expect to call me Karen. Otherwise, expecting such, is just a way to establish artificial lines of status.

Apparently Gerrymandering has a Math Solution!

A math solution! That seems obvious to mathematicians... it might take a while for  the politicians to believe the science.

Brilliant

A fun website that can offer challenging alternatives for your precocious math students in the differentiated classroom.

Brilliant.org

Awe Inspiring Mathematics in Nature

A Puffer Fish showing of his mathematical art skills!

Clocks for the Classroom

Or for the Nerd in You

The Albert Clock

featured in the Daily Mail

I wish I had had this in my classroom when I taught middle school.

This one calls out "I'm a math geek!"

You can find it on Amazon.

For those of you who are training to memorize decimal digits of Pi.

Also found on Amazon.

Best Calculator App!

GraphNCalc83

I found an awesome calculator app. If you use a TI-84 or TI-83, you will be pleased with this graphing app. It cost $5.99. I currently am using an iPhone 6s and it is a perfect solution for those days when I don't have my calculator with me.






Find it in iTunes

An Oldie but A Goodie

Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics: Teachers' Understanding of Fundamental Mathematics in China and the United States

I read this book years ago and highly recommend it, still, for any math teacher, especially elementary teachers. It should be the basis of a required course for elementary school teachers and will explain some of the better aspects of the Common Core.

Using Venn Diagrams to find the Lowest Common Multiple and Greatest Common Factor of two Numbers

Combine number theory and set theory into one lesson with the use of Venn Diagrams. A great lesson for 4th and 5th graders but also works for middle school students.

101 Questions

Check out 101 Questions.
This is a fun website that posts random photos and videos that you can use to instigate mathematical discussions in your classroom.

The Proof School is Coming to San Fracisco

What a great idea! Maybe the tide is turning!

The Proof School - SF

Math Phobia - A Problem for Modern Math Teachers

How many math teachers have heard a parent say, "My daughter/son is not anxious with any other teachers... it is just your class!"?

Last week, as we were heading for finals, I heard this again. My response... Yes, math does cause anxiety for many students. It is the most common class to cause fear. You can find many articles, about the phenomenon, on the Internet. You will probably not find ONE about Social Studies anxiety or English phobia. Please try to remember that it is the subject matter, not the teacher, that most often causes the problem. It is a problem related to performance anxiety in the subject.

What can parents do to help their kids with math phobia? They can do the exact same practices that they use to help their children with reading and other subjects. When a child is small, a parent will sing the alphabet, read to him, take her to the library, recite nursery rhymes, etc.

For math, play counting games. Start with 10s, then 5s, 2s, and so on. Play mental math games. I often did this on road trips when my kids were small (captive audience). For example, "What two numbers add to 7 but multiply to 12?" Answer: 3 and 4. Start with numbers between 1 and 10. As the child gets more accomplished, add larger numbers and negatives.

A parent, who is NOT afraid of math, who interacts with a child in a relaxed, comfortable manner, playing math and number games, will produce a strong, confident math student, much less likely to suffer from math anxiety.

I tell parents: If you see a child who is afraid of the water, you will find a parent who is also afraid of the water. If you, the parent, tell your child that you are unable to do math, or that you were never any good at it, then you will reap what you sow. YOU will be the underlying cause of your child's anxiety. Please remember that when you confront and blame the teacher.

Some Great Facts About the PISA Report

http://youtu.be/hf9UVg-TdH0

"Math is the great mental bogeyman of an unconfident America"

There’s one key difference between kids who excel at math and those who don’t

This is a great article by Miles Kimball and Noah Smith busting the 'I can't do math' myth.