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LOG IN February 22, 2012 at 2pm Eastern US time: http://tinyurl.com/math20event During the event, John Mason will lead a conversation about multiplication as scaling, and answer questions about his books, projects and communities. All events in the Math Future weekly series: http://mathfuture.wikispaces.com/events The recording will be at: http://mathfuture.wikispaces.com/JohnMason Your time zone: http://bit.ly/wQYN1Y Event challenge! What good multiplication tasks about scaling do you know? Share links and thoughts! John writes about elastic multiplication: "It is often said that 'multiplication is repeated addition' when what is meant is that 'repeated addition is an instance of multiplication'. I have been developing some tasks which present 'scaling as multiplication' based around familiarity with elastic bands. Participants would benefit from having an elastic (rubber) band to hand which they have cut so as to make a strip; wider is better than thinner if you have a choice." About John Mason John Mason has been teaching mathematics ever since he was asked to tutor a fellow student when he was fifteen. In college he was at first unofficial tutor, then later an official tutor for mathematics students in the years behind him, while tutoring school students as well. After a BSc at Trinity College, Toronto in Mathematics, and an MSc at Massey College, Toronto, he went to Madison Wisconsin where he encountered Polya's film 'Let Us Teach Guessing', and completed a PhD in Combinatorial Geometry. The film released a style of teaching he had experienced at high school from his mathematics teacher Geoff Steel, and his teaching changed overnight. His first appointment was at the Open University, which involved among other things the design and implementation of the first mathematics summer school (5000 students over 11 weeks on three sites in parallel). He called upon his experience of being taught, to institute active-problem-solving sessions, w

"What if I were to tell you that Angry Birds had been surpassed in the App Store - by a game that involves solving algebra equations? Because that's what DragonBox did."

An Algebraic calculator is the most ideal approach to traverse those challenging math classes without liquefying down.

This slide show demonstrates some techniques that would be suitable for an experimental geometry project. The basic shapes of square and circle are explored using open source Geogebra and Dr Geo geometry software. The examples includes exercises in geometric construction, novel solutions and recursive (spiral) constructions. This is mathematics that can be done without algebra. There is some algebra on slide 18, to calculate the radius and area of a semicircle inscribed in a square.

Teaching Algebra is always a challenge with students, because it is procedural driven and typically taught without any connection to the real-world.

Fundamentals of Mathematics is a work text that covers the traditional topics studied in a modern prealgebra course, as well as topics of estimation, elementary analytic geometry, and introductory algebra. It is intended for students who (1) have had a previous course in prealgebra, (2) wish to meet the prerequisite of a higher level course such as elementary algebra, and (3) need to review fundamental mathematical concepts and techniques. NOTE: This collection is a work in progress, and the content has not yet been marked up in CNXML. You can download PDF copies of individual chapters in from their respective modules.

This great maths site has an amazing collection of maths self-marking problem solving questions. Search by age level or topic. This covers both Primary and Secondary levels. Topics include numbers, geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability and more. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Maths

"This is a rather unusual structure for organizing mathematical content, but offers an exciting opportunity for teachers across the nation and abroad to exchange ideas and discuss what they teach. This Wiki will address the underlying central concepts and propose activities that also provide rich opportunity to engage students in the Mathematical Practices. "

An open source "general-purpose" computer algebra system.

"Mathics is a general-purpose computer algebra system. Enter queries and submit them by pressing Shift + Return. See the gallery for some neat examples or the documentation for a full list of supported functions. Mathics uses MathJax to display beautiful math."

"Abstract: Some were born to do math, some persevered past fearful environments, while others withdrew. In this qualitative study, adults describe life with algebra and the meaning they sought. For all, pedagogy was critical, either positively or negatively; and all found salvation in intervention."

Abstract: Educational videogames can be designed to provide instructional feedback that is responsive to specific actions. However, existing research indicates that students tend to ignore videogame feedback and subsequently use less effective help-seeking strategies. Research on help-seeking in learning environments has primarily focused on the role of cognitive factors, the nature of the help, or issues of timing and frequency. There is a noticeable gap in understanding regarding how to motivate and increase the use of feedback for improved learning. Using a pre-algebra videogame, this study examined the relationship between an incentive to use feedback and math achievement. A randomized-control design was employed, which compared learning outcomes of students who received the incentive to those who did not. Results indicated that students given the incentive to use feedback had significantly higher normalized change scores on math items (d = .53), with stronger effects for students with low academic intrinsic motivation (d = .88 - 1.17).

really like this math blog

A good maths game where you need to find the unknown numbers. Good as an introduction to algebra. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Maths

Fun and educational for everyone!

An emeritus professor from Queens College questions algebra's role in quantitative literacy and workforce preparation

"S.O.S. MATHematics is your free resource for math review material from Algebra to Differential Equations!"

"This book is designed to provide mathematics undergraduates with some historical background to the material that is now taught universally to students in their final years at school and the first years at college or university: the core subjects of calculus, analysis, and abstract algebra, along with others such as mechanics, probability, and number theory. All of these evolved into their present form in a relatively limited area of western Europe from the mid sixteenth century onwards, and it is there that we find the major writings that relate in a recognizable way to contemporary mathematics."

The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel noted that many middle school students have a weak understanding of mathematical equality and that this lack of understanding impedes their learning of algebra.