Math Teachers' Circle Takeaways #2

Originally, I'd planned to weblog afterwards each hateful solar daytime of the math teachers' circle summertime immersion workshop.  But, it turns out that driving i threescore minutes to the workshop, spending viii hours doing together with talking math, together with driving i threescore minutes abode makes for a satisfying simply exhausting day!

Here are a few to a greater extent than of my take-aways from our 3 hateful solar daytime workshop.  If y'all missed the starting fourth dimension installment, y'all tin discovery it here.  

Giving Rules is Tricky  

On the 2nd hateful solar daytime of the workshop, nosotros were introduced to a game known every bit The New Eleusis.  The game was shared past times Martin Gardner inwards Scientific American, simply he did non invent the game.  We were given an 11 page handout including rules of the game, simply our facilitator said he would demonstrate how to play the game thus nosotros wouldn't direct maintain to read the rules packet.   We were invited to bring together some i tabular array where nosotros would scout a game together with larn the rules of the game.

The starting fourth dimension affair I noticed is that I acquire really frustrated when I'm given a bunch of rules to learn, simply I don't acquire to practise them correct away.  Trying to encounter over other people's heads to scout a game that was going on is NOT the same every bit getting to play the game myself.  How oftentimes do I do this to my students, though?  I give them steps to solve a problem, together with then nosotros beak almost those steps, nosotros write those steps down, together with and then perchance lastly they scout me do a employment next the steps.  They must experience just similar I did field watching others play this game.  

Another affair that was dandy nutrient for idea for me was the fact that grouping nosotros were watching started playing the game without knowing all of the rules.  The facilitator had the starting fourth dimension soul inwards the grouping play a bill of fare without telling them what type of bill of fare they should play.  As game play progressed, to a greater extent than rules were given out.  Starting to play a game without knowing all of the rules made me experience really uncomfortable.  I'm withal non certain how this applies to the classroom environment, though.  

The game turned out to live fun together with challenging, simply it took soooooooooooooo long to larn how to play the game that I'm non certain it is worth it. John Golden has created a version of Eleusis called Eleusis Express that makes the game shorter together with easier to play together with understand.  I haven't played this version yet.  

Don't Fill inwards all the Blanks

At the workshop, nosotros were given a listing of employment solving strategies inwards the dorsum of our folders.  The starting fourth dimension affair I noticed was that non all of the employment solving strategies were filled in.  In the past, I've been quick to hang upward a listing of employment solving strategies on the wall or on a bulletin board.  What I should actually live doing is letting students prepare their ain listing of employment solving strategies.  As students role dissimilar strategies, nosotros should post service them inwards the classroom every bit a reminder.    

Let Students Create Their Own Examples to Test Conjectures

The starting fourth dimension activeness nosotros did alongside the Four Color Theorem was to endeavour together with color a map of the western U.S. alongside every bit few colors every bit possible.  I idea the role of pieces of chopped upward colored bill of fare stock was bright alongside this activity!  Of course, nosotros had to ignore the E coast since it was also small-scale for our small-scale pieces of paper.  Our facilitator said he uses giant posters of the entire U.S. when using this activeness alongside kids thus tin withal used the small-scale pieces of paper.   

This was a fun activity, simply the twist I actually liked was when he asked us to direct maintain a ruler together with depict our ain maps to color.  We had to start past times drawing 5 lines randomly from border to border on our paper.  Then, nosotros figured out the fewest release of colors nosotros could role to color the regions.  Then, nosotros addeded a 6th line of piece of work together with repeated.

I intend I do a lot of activities similar the starting fourth dimension map inwards my classroom.  I don't do plenty activities were I allow my students examine the conjectures on their ain examples every bit inwards the 2nd map.  

Life is Better alongside Pi Shaped Cookies

No farther explanation necessary. 

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