Tag Archives: Common Core State Standards

Elementary Mathematics

Early Childhood Math Routines

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Mathematics is a wonderful game. It's one that can stretch students' minds and expose them to the beauty and unexpected delights that lie behind every good problem. I've always gravitated to colleagues who share my love of math's playful, game-like side, so I quickly made friends with Toni Cameron when we met at P.S. 503 in … Continue Reading ››
Assessment, Elementary Mathematics, Math Software

Deducing the “Mystery” Fraction

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Estimation is an important mathematical skill, yet we rarely ask students to make estimates that relate to fractions. As part of the Dynamic Number project, we created a "mystery" fraction challenge  that presents a green point somewhere between 0 and 1 on the number line. The point's location can be represented as a fraction with numerator between … Continue Reading ››
Educational Technology, Geometric Functions, Math Software

Connecting Functions in Geometry and Algebra

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News alert! Scott and I wrote the cover story, Connecting Functions in Geometry and Algebra, in this month's Mathematics Teacher. You can read the article in print, but better yet, go to the free online version. This is the first time Mathematics Teacher has incorporated live dynamic-mathematics figures into its online offerings, allowing readers to manipulate … Continue Reading ››
Educational Technology, Elementary Mathematics, Math Software

A Coordinate Plane Logic Puzzle

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For the past few years, Scott Steketee and I have collaborated with the author team of Everyday Mathematics to integrate Web Sketchpad deeply into their curriculum. As part of that work, I just completed a websketch that nicely mixes practice with logical reasoning. Students are challenged to find a hidden treasure on … Continue Reading ››
Educational Technology, Geometry, Math Software

Constructing Equal-Area Triangles

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The origins of this week's Web Sketchpad model date back to the  Connected Geometry curriculum from the mid 1990s. I was one of the co-authors of the curriculum, working at Education Development Center with a  wonderful team of math educators (Al Cuoco, … Continue Reading ››
Educational Technology, Geometric Functions, Math Software

Reflecting on the Annual NCTM Meeting

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This Thursday, Scott Steketee and I will be presenting two sessions at the NCTM 2015 Annual Meting in Boston: Functions as Dances: Experience Variation and Relative Rate of Change

Session 52 on Thursday, April 16, 2015: 8:00 AM-9:15 AM in 157 B/C (BCEC)

How better to explore rate of change than as independent and … Continue Reading ››

Assessment, Educational Technology, Math Software

Innovative Approaches to Computer-Based Assessment, Part Four

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For the past month, I've focused this blog on the role that computers can play in assessing students' mathematical knowledge. I've presented three Web Sketchpad-based examples of assessment with mathematical topics ranging from isosceles triangles, to the Pythagorean Theorem, to the Continue Reading ››
Assessment, Common Core, Educational Technology, Math Software

Innovative Approaches to Computer-Based Assessment, Part Two

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In my previous post, I shared Dan Meyer's analysis of what's wrong with computer-based mathematics assessments. Dan focuses his critique on the Khan Academy's eighth-grade online mathematics course, identifying 74% of its assessment questions as focusing on numerical answers or multiple-choice items. This is … Continue Reading ››

Assessment, Common Core, Educational Technology, Math Software

Can Computer-Based Assessment Model Worthwhile Mathematics?

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Several weeks ago, Dan Meyer described his experience of completing 88 practice sets in Khan Academy's eighth-grade online mathematics course. His goal was to document the types of evidence the Khan Academy asked students to produce of their mathematical understanding. Dan's findings were disappointing: He concludes that 74% of the Khan Academy's eighth-grade questions were either multiple choice or required nothing more … Continue Reading ››

Educational Technology, Elementary Mathematics, Math Software

Exploring Factor Rainbows

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This week, I'm going to describe one of my favorite activities for introducing young learners to multiplication and factors. It comes from  Nathalie Sinclair, a professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University.

In the interactive Web Sketchpad model below (and here), press Jump Along to watch the … Continue Reading ››