Nancy's Math Blog

Welcome back to my blog! I just loved the discussion that we had in class about everyone being a mathematician! We are all using mathematical concepts when we use numbers in our everyday lives. We are all Mathematicians Being a math person is not due to some superior genes. In fact, it was surprising to learn that many great mathematicians are quite slow in terms of the time it takes them to solve a problem. Instead of just zipping through a problem, they study it thoroughly, taking their time to examine the problem from all angles.  Source: https://binged.it/2zxntBP So, some may still like math more than others - some may have a good early exposure to numbers when they were young, but regardless, everyone can do math and it is never too late to start! Check out this awesome video about getting over the math mental block!                                   ...

The Problem with Math What is a problem? Just the word has a negative connotation. You think of something that causes distress. Problems usually are uncomfortable. Some people procrastinate and don’t want to deal with the problem right away. We have to change our mindset about math “problems” – perhaps we should use words such as “question,” “challenge,” or even “riddle” instead of the word “problem.” Students must believe that they are “math people” and that they are capable of learning math. Have a look at this inspiring article about how a teacher empowers inter city students to free their minds and to keep asking questions until they truly understand the concepts - http://bit.ly/2O1Xjze So, what is the issue? Dan Meyer’s video “The Math Makeover” provided an excellent analysis of the current state of most math classrooms as students:       -        Lack initiative -     ...

Welcome to my blog for EDBE 8P54! Each week, I will discuss topics that we have covered in class along with some extra thoughts about how we can enhance the learning experience for our future students. This week, we examined attitudes toward math, math “myths,” and looked at debunking the concept of being a “math person.” Math is boring It is true that many people detest math. The video "Kid Snippets: "Math Class" (Imagined by Kids" that we saw in class, is unfortunately an accurate depiction of many students’ attitudes towards math.   Students are not engaged in learning math as they are interested and do not see the point of learning math unless they need it (i.e. if they want to become a doctor). Math is often perceived as painfully dull for them and “not cool.” Students develop anxiety and end up “hating” math.  https://binged.it/2NEUxzt Students who like math are often portrayed as “nerds” as in the ...