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This video is taken from the iTunes Visualiser called Jelly that makes pretty patterns that react in real time to the music that is playing. The patterns produced show rotational symmetry and could be used as an excellent resource in a starter or plenary on the topic.

really like this math blog

" The use of logarithms, an important tool for calculus and beyond, has been reduced to symbol manipulation without understanding in most entry-level college algebra courses. The primary aim of this research, therefore, was to investigate college students' understanding of logarithmic concepts through the use of a series of instructional tasks designed to observe what students do as they construct meaning. APOS Theory was used as a framework for analysis of growth. APOS Theory is a useful theoretical framework for studying and explaining conceptual development. Closely linked to Piaget's notions of reflective abstraction, it begins with the hypothesis that mathematical activity develops as students perform actions that become interiorized to form a process understanding of the concept, which eventually leads students to a heightened awareness or object understanding of the concept. Prior to any investigation, the researcher must provide an analysis of the concept development in terms of the essential components of this theory: actions, process, objects, and schemas. This is referred to as the genetic decomposition. The results of this study suggest a framework that a learner may use to construct meaning for logarithmic concepts. Using tasks aligned with the initial genetic decomposition, the researcher made revisions to the proposed genetic decomposition in the process of analyzing the data. The results indicated that historical accounts of the development of this concept might be useful to promote insightful learning. Based on this new set of data, iterations should continue to produce a better understanding of the student's constructions. " (from the abstract)

Abstract: "The principal aim of this study is to find the weaknesses of secondary school students at geometry questions of measures , angles and shapes , transformations and construction and 3-D shapes. The year 7 curriculum contains 4 geometry topics out of 17 mathematics topics. In addition to this , this study aims to find out the mistakes, 28 , 7th grade students made in the last 4 exams including two midterms and two final exams.To collect data, students were tested on two midterms and two final exams using open-ended questions on geometry to analyze their problem solving skills and to test how much they acquired during the year.Frequency tables were used in data analysis.To fulfill this aim in the first midterm exam the subject measures were tested.In the first final exam which followed the first midterm exam in addition to measures and angles shapes skills were also tested. Following these tests , in the second midterm we tested the students on transformation and construction. A descriptive methodology and student interview were used in the study to analyze and interpret the results. The results from this study revealed that 7th grade secondary school students have a number of misconceptions, lack of background knowledge, reasoning and basic operation mistakes at the topics mentioned above."

a new math blog

Published 2012 "Circles Disturbed brings together important thinkers in mathematics, history, and philosophy to explore the relationship between mathematics and narrative. The book's title recalls the last words of the great Greek mathematician Archimedes before he was slain by a Roman soldier--"Don't disturb my circles"--words that seem to refer to two radically different concerns: that of the practical person living in the concrete world of reality, and that of the theoretician lost in a world of abstraction."

This site features a math category, math concepts explained informed by the principle that "math is no about equations than poetry is about spelling .. .[but exist] to convey an idea."

Compiled by Drexel University "The Internet Math Library is our best resource for teachers, students and parents looking for web sites across the Internet on math topics. Sites are gathered from our own explorations and submissions from users like yourself."

Good collection of math related links

Using games to illustrate concepts in statistics

Describes Motion Math, an iPad game, shown in a study to improve 5th graders' facility with fractions

Describes a mentoring program for middle school girls to encourage interest in math and science and engineering

relationship between "puzzle-solving and mathematical skills"

From the abstract: :The first aim of this discussion is to suggest a framework for designing serious games based on game features in commercial games, opinions of fourth graders and their teachers, literary studies, contemporary learning theories, as well as successful and unsuccessful similar endeavours. The second part of this paper describes a concrete example of a maths game based on the proposed framework that implicitly tests math and collaboration skills. The game is made of three components: the game itself, a social network, and a teacher reporting tool. Despite a growing interest in GBL, some teachers are reluctant to use serious games in school. To increase usage of serious games as resource, it is important to equip teachers with information and address their concerns. The paper concludes with the idea that serious games need to be designed well in order to provide the immersion and collaborative active learning that most learning theories recommend."

LOG IN January 24th 9pm ET: http://tinyurl.com/MathFutureEvent Music and mathematics have been linked together for thousands of years, but rarely have students had the opportunity to explore the many connections that exist between them. To try to fill this gap, Mike Thayer of Hyperbolic Guitars is developing a course. At the event, we will discuss the course outline, as well as math and music links in general. All events in the Math Future weekly series: http://mathfuture.wikispaces.com/events The recording will be at http://mathfuture.wikispaces.com/HyperbolicGuitarsCourse Event challenge! Help Mike find a resource - a web page, a video, a music piece - to go with one of the topics in the course outline. Full syllabus and details of the outline: http://hyperbolicguitars.wikispaces.com/Math+%26+Music+Course Major topics: What is sound, anyway? The physics of waves The mathematics of waves Resonance Elasticity The generation of sound by "simple" systems The vibrating string The vibrating rod The vibrating plate (e.g., drumhead or cymbal) Open and closed pipes The Helmholtz resonator (--> the vocal chords) White noise, pink noise The concept of "timbre" The perception of sound Human listeners Other "listeners": Digital recording The interaction between the generator and the listener: the science of acoustics What makes sound become music? What does a listener "listen for" in music? Basics of music and musical notation: Musical descriptions Basics of music: Psycho-physical (auditory) descriptions What makes sound "musical" (

A numeracy program and a registered charity offering materials and training for "encouraging an understanding and love of math"

"Math Quest is a role playing game that could be used as a tool to learn numbers and basic mathematic operations. The Math Quest package consists of two main modules; learning and game modules that can be executed separately. The use of the learning module as a tool in learning will allow for a highly individualized and interactive environment. This paper presents the design of the learning module for numbers and their mathematics operation. Due to its interactive and stimulating nature, the module is suitable for school children age 9 to 12 years old to learn the subject. The development takes into consideration of constructivism learning theories where learning is based on students' active participation in problem solving and critical thinking regarding activity that they are involved in. The framework for each of module is as follows: objectives, concept, examples, exercises, quizzes. A heuristic evaluation on the design was conducted and positive feedback was obtained."

U.S. Department of Education report including research that "tested the impact of offering an online Algebra I course on students' algebra achievement at the end of grade 8 and their subsequent likelihood of participating in an advanced mathematics course sequence in high school."

"a weekly activity for students of grades 8 to 12 and post-secondary students. The activities are something beyond classroom traditional in-class and curriculum-based learning. Presentations by Circle members or by invited mathematicians and scientists, discussion about specific topics and solving math problems, puzzles and games; review math/science history and preparation for maths contests and Olympiads are the main activities in the GMC."

This site has an extensive collection of science and maths resources and videos to use with secondary students. Free sign up required. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Cross+Curricular

Study of 6th graders in China using virtual Tangram puzzle to improve collaboration and learning of geometric concepts and problem-solving