Climbing a Stairway to 7, or maybe, 77?

They take their maths seriously in Germany. They have monuments to mathematicians. They name streets after mathematicians. They take maths into shopping malls.

They think maths is so important they even put maths on stairs. Here is some times tables art from Germany.

 

Fear and Loathing in Grade 3 Math Class

Hellooo My Little Luvvies,

So you are in Grade 3. You are asked to do this: Use the repeated multiplication strategy to solve: 5 x 3. Here’s your answer:

……………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………..

Firstly, give the kid a cigar. According to The Telegraph, UK,  the kid is only in Grade 3 and can read: repeated multiplication strategy without their head exploding. Secondly, this kid understands the question.        

5 x 3 = 5 + 5 + 5  except, according to the teacher, this answer is wrong. 

The answer should be:        

3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3

……………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………..

According to The Telegraph : The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in the US defended how the paper was marked, saying it gives students a better understanding of the problems they are solving.

Of course, the NCTM is suggesting:

5 x 3 = 5 times 3 = 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3

5 x X = 5 times X = X + X + X + X + X

But what about:

X x 3 = ? 

X x 3 = X times 3 = 3 times X = X + X + X

Mathematicians have to think like this! They must be nibble. Mathematicians must think for themselves.

……………………………………………………………………..

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Too many kids hate maths due to FEAR or BOREDOM. How much would you hate maths if you got correct answers marked WRONG?

And how much would you FEAR the next maths test?

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Needless to say, I’m with Bart. Math teachers should not mark right answers wrong for any reason. More reasons why kids hate maths here:  BEWARE OF MATHS FUNDAMENTALISTS

I’m MATHSPIG. I LOVE MATHS.

Cheerio for now

Mathspig

Outdoor Maths Adventures: Grade 3 – 5

This fab idea comes from Juliet Robertson, an outdoor education consultant in Scotland. Her blog Creative star learning is one of the most inspiring outdoor maths blogs you will find.

Check out Mathpig’s protractor joke here.

Another fab idea from Juliet Robertson.

 

HUGO does his HOMEWORK, sort of.

Meet Hugo.

He’s 13 years old and this is how he does his homework:

7 Hiccup Cure II: Counting Forward

There are so many Folk Remedies for Hiccups you would think they cause some kind of madness.

Counting forward in fives is one such cure. It may not help your hiccups but it is good for learning your tables.

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You will find everything you need to know about the anatomy of the hiccup and one bad-ass cure (involving aforementioned anatomy) here.

Counting forwards hiccup Cure Busted, sort of.

Friday Maths Madness

  Introducing FRIDAY MATHS MADNESS for Maths Piglets (Prep – Grade 2)

  It is Friday, the weather is improving, it’s time to take maths outside. You mathspigs know about Gardner and Multiple Intelligences. This week’s exercise involves kinesthetic learning.

 

     Thanks to mathspigs Sophie and Ivy, both 7, for the Pig Art. Now to maths business.

Evey kid in the class should have a shirt with a number. Most schools have a set of  soccer, Aussie rules, basketball shirts or singlets. Or you can to choose one number each between 1 and, say, 25 or the size of the class. Students can draw the number on an A4 sheet and tape it to their chest.  You can make two teams and score the game or just have some random fun. If you score a game appoint an official scorer. It’s good for their maths.

 

   You can do +, – , X, / .

  Friday Maths Madness 1:  Put two kids from one team in the middle of both teams. Say 7 , 8. Then yell ADD. The answer has to run out to the middle. Or yell take away. Again the answer must run to the centre for the team to score. Make up the sums as you go along. Note: Madness increases when answers aren’t available. (1 Point for correct ‘running’ answer. )

 

Friday Maths Madness 2: This time the answer is in the middle of the two teams. Again call out add … the first two numbers to run out get a point each. Repeat. You can also yell take away etc. (1 Point for each correct answer)

 

Friday Maths Madness 3: Now everyone in a team has to form an even number with another student. This should work like musical chairs. There may be one odd student. Then they have to form odd numbers with a pair. ( 1 point  for each pair.)

 

Friday Maths Madness 4: This is about times tables. Line up the teams. Call out for all… 3 times tables numbers to go in the middle. Repeat for 2, 4, 5 etc. ( 1 point for each team with correct answers in numerical order)

Friday Maths Madness 5: This is a time trial. Ask teams to form a line from the lowest to the highest number. Then yell ready set go. You can do this for evens only, odds only.  (5 points for correct numerical lines.)

Friday Maths Madness 6: Ask each team to send out the numbers that they think add up to your age!!!! That should be entertaining. Tell them you are going to take away lots of points if they make you too old or too young. Ham it up!!!!!!

What are maths teachers for, sir?

A major fast food firm, all right, McDonald’s has put the entire Australian Year 7 – 12 Maths curriculum on line and it is FREE!!! #mce_temp_url#

I never thought I’d be enthusing over McAlgebra or McTrigonometry or McX, but this site has been recommended to me by maths teachers and it looks great. Students can view worked examples of maths problems, hear the problems solved step-by-step, work at their own pace and even track their progress through the website.

  

  If the entire maths curriculum can be accessed for free on line what ARE maths teachers for? 

  Gather round mathspigs and I will tell you why we need maths teachers. 

  Maths is boooooring for the majority of students. It needs a maths teacher to breath fire into the concepts to make them interesting, relevant and exciting. Otherwise, students feel maths is on a par with re-translating the dead scrolls. 

Mathspig’s mission is to provide maths teachers with fun, pop-culture based, media-savvy maths to excite students about the whole idea of maths. These topics can be used by maths teachers in the same way retailers use ‘loss leaders’. Get them in the door and you can sell ’em anything…. almost!!!!!!

  Since maths teachers often moan about students not knowing their tables… here is a COOL MATHS GAME called

  MATH LINES : X-FACTOR which is all about using your knowledge of tables …quickly.  #mce_temp_url#

 This is how I would use it in the classroom. Get this game up on the Smartboard and call kids up one at a time to have a go!!!!!! It’s fun.

  And it is FREE  x FREE = FREE !!!!!!!!