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Modeling Monday – 110 Years On

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Modeling Monday Math Event

Modeling Monday Math Event

Modeling Monday was born when the math teachers in my school district decided that it would be a valuable exercise to have ALL of the students from grades six through twelve complete the same math problem on the same day.

Recently, all of the students in my district’s two middle schools and one high school worked on a math problem titled, “110 Years On.”  In this post I will share with you the purpose of Modeling Monday and some interesting takeaways that our math teachers experienced as we implemented Modeling Monday in our classrooms.

I will also share with you a link to the problem itself, a YouTube video that captured the essence of the Modeling Monday event in our district, and some pictures of student work in the event that you decide to give Modeling Monday a try in your own classroom. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Common Core Math, Middle School Math, Modeling Monday, Problem Solving, Special Events

Khan Academy for Middle School Math (Part 2)

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Khan Academy for Middle School Math (Part 2)In Part 1 of Khan Academy for Middle School Math we looked at how Khan Academy was born, how it can be used by students to practice Common Core Standards in math, and how teachers can set up classes and monitor progress.

In Khan Academy for the Middle School Part 2, we will look at the phenomenon that is Khan Academy, some of the data surrounding the use of Khan Academy worldwide, and some student and teacher tips for using Khan Academy to improve student mathematical understanding.

The Phenomenon that is the Khan Academy

The reach and impact of the Khan Academy is amazing and continues to grow.  At the time of this writing, more than 29,000 classrooms are using Khan.  My six math classes have added to this total.  Two to three million daily problems are worked by students and over one billion problems have been answered in 216 countries throughout the world.  There are over 85 million users taking advantage of the free, world-class education that the Khan Academy offers. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Khan Academy, Math Skills, Online Mathematics, Problem Solving Tagged With: , , , ,

Khan Academy for Middle School Math (Part 1)

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Khan Academy for Middle School Math (Part 1)My goal in this, the first of a series of blog posts, is to show you how valuable the Khan Academy can be as a tool in your classroom.  I will give you a little background about the Khan Academy, explain to you why I value this tool so much, and give you step-by-step directions on how you can use the Khan Academy in your classroom.  Of course, you can discover all of this on your own, but perhaps my experiences, research, and writing will end up saving you time and giving you new insights or ideas to use in your middle school math classroom.

A Little Bit About Sal Khan

By now, most of you have heard about the Khan Academy.  In 2004 Salman Khan began tutoring his cousin Nadia in mathematics.  Soon others wanted to be tutored by Khan and he decided that the most efficient way for him to help them was by establishing a YouTube channel where he could post videos of his teaching.

The Khan Academy is Born

Today that channel has evolved into the Khan Academy, which has helped millions of students from around the world to learn mathematics as well as many other subjects.  The Khan Academy slogan is “a free world-class education for anyone anywhere.”  To get an overview of the Khan Academy visit the Khan Academy “About” page.

Khan Academy is Interactive and Individualized

There are a number of reasons why I love using the Khan Academy with my students. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Khan Academy, Math Skills, Online Mathematics, Problem Solving, Teaching Math Tagged With: , , ,

Video: Problem Solving in the Math Classroom

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At a recent seminar that I attended, I was introduced to Dan Meyer’s TED Talks video on the topic of problem solving in the mathematics classroom.  The talk is entitled, “Math Class Needs a Makeover.”

Dan begins with a classic quote when he says, “I teach high school math. I sell a product to a market that doesn’t want it, but is forced by law to buy it.” In the remainder of his TED Talk, Dan shares his ideas on how to more effectively teach problem solving in the classroom. His ideas apply equally well to those of us who teach middle school math.

Without trying to re-convey Dan’s ideas, here are a few areas he touches on in his talk:
(Watch the video below to see the details.)

  • math reasoning is “the application of math processes to the world around us.”
  • 5 symptoms that you are doing math reasoning wrong as a teacher
  • ideas on how to teach problem solving
  • the importance of having students formulate the problem
  • 5 suggestions for teaching patient problem solving

The 11 minutes you spend watching the video will be well worth your time and will give you some things to think about when it comes to teaching problem solving in your classroom.

As a middle school math teacher, what do you think is important when teaching problem solving to your students?

 

Filed Under: Problem Solving, Teaching Math Tagged With: , ,

20 Questions Fun Activity

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I have enjoyed the opportunity to interact with many of you and to share ideas and resources with you over the years. I hope that you have found some value at DigitalLesson.com and in receiving our Middle School Math Treasures newsletter. 

I look forward to sharing many exciting ideas and resources that you can take back into your middle school math classroom

Today I would like to share with you a quick, fun, critical thinking activity.  I often use this activity on the day before a school vacation (Winter Break, Spring Break, or even summer vacation).  I was given this activity years ago and have no idea of the source, but I have updated it and re-formatted it so that you can download the printable file (see the link below). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Printable Math Activity, Problem Solving