Simple Math | Education | Change.org - 1 views
-
Another time, a student asked me out of the blue—not in class, just in the course of a normal day—what I knew about counting in base 2 (a.k.a. binary numbers, the basis for digital computers). A spontaneous quasi-class ensued, as she and I looked things up, using a chalkboard to piece together the mysteries, treating it like a puzzle or a grand game: When do you add another digit? When is a 1 replaced with a 0? and so forth.
-
Matt Townsley on 08 Jul 09this is an inspiring example. how can we create/foster/encourage more of this type of conversation in our classrooms?
-
-
"A Mathematician's Lament"
-
an outstanding read for any and all math educators; agree or disagree, it's a nice conversation starter.
-
-
We learn things because they interest us now, not because they might be useful later. But this is exactly what we are asking children to do with math...Of course it can be done, but I think it ultimately does more harm than good. Much better to wait until their own natural curiosity about numbers kicks in.
-
I appreciate this point, but it seems to go against so much of the daily grind of public education, i.e. curriculum mapping, assessments, instructional decision making, etc. I wonder how/if we can make this big shift? Have other countries already done so?
-
I think a big part of this is how the system was created and its goals. Much of learning does not fit well in an "efficiency" driven model with common standards for all.
-
- ...2 more annotations...
