Math Blogger Initiation, Week 4
Although this is the last set of posts from MBI, I have high hopes that our new and renewed bloggers will continue to write, reflect, share the continually challenging and rewarding work that we do in math education. Thank you for joining the conversation — your writing informs and inspires me, your writing makes me laugh and think, your writing lets me know I'm not alone.
Kudos to Sam and Julie for all your hard work and for allowing me to be part of the team.
Kudos to Sam and Julie for all your hard work and for allowing me to be part of the team.
I'm including a hyperlinked heading from each site, blogger's name and twitter ID (if available), a hyperlinked post title, the author's favorite sentence from post along with his/her summary of post.
"I also think a lot of it has to do with the amazing group of bloggers I have met who have been kind enough to share their ideas with me (and the rest of the world)."
This is a summary of what I have done my first three days and why I think they went so well.
This is a summary of what I have done my first three days and why I think they went so well.
Theron J Hitchman, @ProfNoodlearms
Stuff I Say a Lot
Stuff I Say a Lot
"Half a proof is no proof, but progress is progress!"
I share my stock phrases for helping students get through the psychological difficulties of doing mathematics.
I share my stock phrases for helping students get through the psychological difficulties of doing mathematics.
Kaleb Allinson
Factoring with Dice
"I play a game in class called guess my dice right before we do factoring."
Kaleb quickly explains how to play a game he calls, "Guess my Dice." He uses it at the end of the period the week or two before a unit on factoring.
Jennifer Wilson, @jwilson828
Defining Congruence
"Defining congruence using CCSS is not the easiest concept that I have ever taught to a group of students…and I am not convinced that I have it all right."
My students have always come in to their high school geometry course thinking of two congruent figures as those with the “same size and shape”. So instead, we are asked to define two objects as congruent when there is a rigid motion that maps one object onto the other. I’ve mulled over how to introduce this to students (in the back of my mind, most of the summer), and I decided to use a document from Geometry Nspired to begin.
Scott Keltner, @ScottKeltner
Absolute Value Activity Reflection
"Students brought their cell phones to class and were able to display a screen shot using the IPEVO Point2View document camera I have on my desk (they are excellent for what I use it for and allow quick, easy interface via USB interface including quick screen shots when desired) and were able to sketch on top of their photos using the SMART Board in my room as well, even being able to accept suggestions from classmates on examples of absolute value within their own photo that they had not acknowledge."
I was hesitant to encourage students' use of their camera phones in my class, since it is such a touchy topic among school policy, but was very pleased with the resulting conclusions they made and the connections they made to the math lesson in what is seen in the world around them. This definitely encourages me to attempt more open-response tasks with them of that nature. I've even tried using QR codes to allow students to download their notes directly to their phone to review at lunch, after school, or on a bus ride to an activity they participate in. Utilizing a device my students always have with them has been a big motivator in their increased engagement in my class.
Updated 09/18/12:
Please check out the rest of Week THREE posts featured at:
Julie, Anne, Megan, Bowman, Sam, Lisa, John, Shelli, Tina, Kate, Sue
Posted by fawnnguyen at September 13, 2012 8:41 PM 
Categories: Teaching, General Math
Tags: New Blogger Initiation blogosphere the number twenty one Courtney Steketee Circles and Tangents Theron J Hitchman To Accumulate a Rate - Integrate! Kaleb Allinson Easing the Hurry Syndrome Jennifer Wilson Good for Nothing Scott Keltner
Categories: Teaching, General Math
Tags: New Blogger Initiation blogosphere the number twenty one Courtney Steketee Circles and Tangents Theron J Hitchman To Accumulate a Rate - Integrate! Kaleb Allinson Easing the Hurry Syndrome Jennifer Wilson Good for Nothing Scott Keltner
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