I’ve just been perusing a very interesting blog (and a great resource for teachers in public schools). It’s called MathNotations.
This post intrigued and annoyed me, though. (Hey, maybe that’s a sign that it is a good blog!) It’s a poll about which method should be used to teach multidigit multiplication, like 48*73, for example. (If you do go to the link, make sure you scroll down and read the comment on Jan 30th by Michael Paul Goldenberg. It is excellent.)
Unfortunately, this poll is guilty of the same myopia as the American school system in general. It’s about creating a “standard.” Standard is just another word for limitation for people who really don’t know how to excel.
In the case of this poll, it is about choosing (out of an artificially limited group of choices – which is the logical fallacy of “false dichotomies”) how multidigit multiplication should be taught.
The wording of the poll is:
“Here are your options regarding your preference for how multidigit multiplication should be taught in Grades 3-5:”
Um, here are my options? I think not.
One of the great problems in (at least) American education today is that we’re firmly locked, sealed, and vacuum-packed into the box of pedagogical dogma.
Continue reading Multiplication, Algorithms, Tricks, and “The One Best Method” →
A reader in China asked about how to change fractions…not just simple ones, into percent.
“I am trying to assist my 6th grader and my way of doing math works, but it appears complicated when I explain it….”
Professor Homunculus replies:
I know what you mean. I used to be a math teacher, and I understand that [...]
A girl recently asked:
“I need help learning multiplication. Can you help me learn to multiply?”
Professor Homunculus replied:
I have lots of questions to ask you, but first, here is something you can do right away to help you learn multiplication by 2, 3 and 4:
Get out a deck of cards. Make sure they are all (52) there. [...]
A reader wrote in the following request:
I need to know what would be a good activity to use with preschool and primary students to help them grasp the concepts of the following:
1. Centering
2. Reversibility
3. Conservation of
-amount
-length
-number
-liquid
-area
I would really appreciate any suggestions!
Professor Homunculus replies:
The best activity would be for you to be able to explain those concepts [...]
As loyal readers know, I am a semi-retired professional magician. I live in rural upstate New York, where there’s not a lot of work for magicians, except at birthday parties, weddings, etc. I’d rather eat a raw frog than perform at functions like that, so I don’t get a lot of gigs up here.
So I was happily surprised yesterday, around 2 pm, when Ken, the owner of the Night Eagle Cafe in Binghamton, NY, called me out of the blue, and asked if I would perform that evening as an opening act for Leon Redbone.
Would I open for Leon Redbone? Is 2 a prime number?
Continue reading Opening for Leon Redbone →
Recently an interested reader (a teacher) wrote in a great question. I thought you might be interested in it, too. Here it is:
I ran across your website of mathematical terms. Is there a specific name for the division bracket? We are introducing 3rd graders to the vocabulary and symbols. Thank you.
Haven’t you ever wondered about [...]
