All posts by mathconfidence

new SAT

The new SAT Week 1: Studying for 3/5/16

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SAT Study Guide 2015

Week 1 of studying:

Registered for the first administration of the new SAT on March 5:
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register

Signed up for Khan Academy’s FREE SAT Prep
Completed 3 of the 4 Math diagnostic quizzes and 2 of the 4 verbal diagnostic quizzes
https://www.khanacademy.org/sat

Tweeted to College Board re: SAT Question of the Day

Received the new Official SAT Study Guide shown above from amazon on Weds 7/1 and have read through Chapters 1 – 3
Here are the Key Content Changes and the Redesign Specifications

brain teaser

June 2015 Brain Teaser Solution

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Q: Can you take the clock face below, and cut it into four pieces such that the numerals on each part add up to the same number?

A: The key is to turn the number XI upside down to a IX or:
turn the IX upside down to a XI
The numbers 1-12 add up to 78 which is not divisible by 4
Replace 11 with a 9 and the numbers now add up to 76 which is divisible by 4
and/or replace the 9 with an 11 and now the numbers add up to 80 which is also divisible by 4
http://ken.duisenberg.com/potw/archive/arch03/030918sol.html
photo

Fortune Cookie: How Many Steps in a Mile?

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20150617_175533
A mile walked with a friend contains only a hundred steps

The experience of walking a mile with a friend can be so engaging that it may feel like only a hundred steps.
But mathematically speaking, those would be mighty BIG steps.
With 5280 feet per mile, 100 steps would make each step 52.8 feet: almost twice as long as the long jump record set in 1991 by Mike Powell.  Dividing 5280 feet by 29.375 feet/step is about 180 consecutive long jumps which would likely make anyone forget they were taking a walk with a friend (not to mention, we did not count the long runup to the long jump).

Surely this fortune from the Chinese restaurant: “A mile walked with a friend contains only a hundred steps” is using a metaphor.  Usually for most people, there are about 2000 steps in a mile.

So grab a friend and take a walk and feel only 5% of your steps!!

Teaching Philosophy

Increasing the Math Willingness of Students

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Boosting Math Confidence is most of what I do in the classroom and one-on-one.  I named my website Math Confidence as it is the opposite of Math Anxiety.   Grouping students may increase classroom discussion although sometimes the sharper students will just tell the reluctant students.

Here are some things I do to encourage participation:
Note: this may not lead to everyone being part of the whole class discussion but at
least it makes the more reluctant students do Math ;) and it gives the teacher a lot of material from which to lead the discussion.

Independent Work

5 or so mins of independent work (the room is slient) so I can walk around and work with s’s one on one.  This could include comparison type questions, matching, or other low-intensity tasks.

Surveying without Student Names

low tech: index cards or Post Its
high tech: Nearpod, Poll Everywhere or Kahoot (disclaimer: I have not used Kahoot yet but plan to next year)

blind voting:  everyone puts their head on their desk and votes (I can see but fellow
students cannot!)

Increase Self-Awareness

A lot of Math mistakes are “fuzzy errors” rather than conceptual errors.  A lot of the questions I ask are self-reflective, metacognitive questions such as “Is it bigger or less than 1/2? Why?”, “Easy, Medium or Hard?” and “Is that your final answer?”.  And for reluctant students, building confidence often comes from being ok with making mistakes and correcting them.

Allowing/Requiring Open Book/ Open Note Exams
Math is not about memorization and I have the great fortune of being able to allow students to use their notes/textbooks during quizzes and tests.  This boosts confidence for many students that they do not have to memorize but instead figure it out!!
I also share that iif they write nothing then their score will be nothing and talk to students about reading over the entire exam before they get started and figuring out their “Easy, Medium or Hard?”.

Teaching Philosophy

Launching into a Lesson (vs a Do Now)

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stomprocketThe best time to teach something new is usually when the period has just started and students are freshest.  A Launch is a question or a pattern or something to think on to introduce a new concept.

In contrast,  a Do Now is usually ties to something they already know.  A Do Now can be great for starting the class with a routine so students settle into class. although sometimes the Do Now can take quite a while and “Now” can become “Later”.  If you must have a Do Now, keep it short and sweet and try the Launch right afterwards.

Do you want your students to know what you are going to do before you do it?  In some schools, the culture is to have routines in the classroom and I can understand that perspective.  But too often the Do Now is followed by going over Homework and the opportunity to learn new material is put off until there is not much time left in the period.

Here is an example of a Launch for Exponential Functions   from the most recent College Algebra lesson.

Enjoy these definitions of launch and feel f any launc( http://www.thefreedictionary.com/launch)

launch 1

(lônch, länch)

v. launched, launch·ing, launch·es

v.tr.

1.

a. To throw or propel with force; hurl: launch a spear.
b. To set or thrust (a self-propelled craft or projectile) in motion: launch a rocket; launch a torpedo.
2. Nautical To put (a boat) into the water in readiness for use.
3. To set going; initiate: launch a career; launch a business venture. See Synonyms at begin.
4. To introduce to the public or to a market: launched the new perfume with prime-time commercials on the major networks.
5. To give (someone) a start, as in a career or vocation.

v.intr.

1. To begin a new venture or phase; embark: launch forth on a dangerous mission; launched out on her own after college.
2. To enter enthusiastically into something; plunge: launched into a description of the movie.