Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #ITeachMath

Most recents (23)

Six effective #teaching practices: anyone disagree? #ITeachMath
Pairing graphics with words.
Young or old, all of us receive information through two primary pathways - words and graphic or pictorial representations. Student learning increases when teachers convey new material through both.
Linking abstract concepts with concrete representations.
Teachers should present tangible examples that illuminate overarching ideas and also explain how the examples and big ideas connect.
Read 8 tweets
Awesome article! And: take just about every single thing written about the coaching and learning of sports here, and hit ‘find/replace’ for math, and you have more of the full picture of what’s going on with #math instruction.
I’ll elaborate some parallels here: “Strict, militaristic discipline and authoritarian power with frequent outbursts of screaming and cursing” — “Strict, “get it right the first time” focus, authoritarian pedagogies with direct and indirect messages that demoralize students
“Winning at all costs” — increasing test scores at all costs
Read 30 tweets
We're missing the point about math anxiety and timed math tests.

Whether the relationship is causational or not is NOT what's significant.

The entanglement of these 2 concepts is blinding us to the dangers each brings to a student.

Lean in, folks. I'm fired up. 🧵
#MTBoS
Any teaching practice that triggers an anxiety response in students should be avoided. Full Stop!

Feeling anxious (in general or within the context of math) triggers a response from the amygdala - the emotional control center of the brain.
Because the brain is designed for survival (not for learning the math we teach in school), the amygdala has the power to shut down the learning centers of the brain to attend to the potential threat it has detected - whatever is prompting the anxiety.
Read 10 tweets
Wanna play a game?
It’s called “Break Up 25”
It goes like this…break 25 up into some (positive) numbers that add to 25.
10+10+5 = 25
Change the + to *
10*10*5 = 500
That’s my score.
Can you beat my score?
#ThinkingClassroom
#OntEd
#ITeachMath
Seriously. Try it.

Then I’ll tell you how my students did.
If you are trying…stop here. Spoilers below.
Read 17 tweets
Tried out a different kind of assessment with Calculus students who are also taking Physics at the same time…integrated course with the awesome @mrtoltonphysics.
Details in the thread.
#ThinkingClassroom #OntEd #ITeachMath
Presented students with this video. You might notice the ball bounces four times.
Asked students to determine
1) When the ball starts its seventh bounce
2) The maximum height of the seventh bounce
3) The initial velocity of the seventh bounce
Read 7 tweets
critical thinking (in math)
vs.
critical mathematics

what's the difference? 🧵 #mtbos #mathed #iteachmath
critical thinking:
what do we know and how do we know it?
is this answer right?
does an argument make sense?
do we have enough evidence?
are these data reliable?
are there other interpretations or solutions?
critical mathematics:
how can we use mathematics to reveal or document or analyze various forms of oppression?
how can we use mathematics to transform unjust systems?
how is mathematics used and who benefits from looking at or solving a problem this way? (cont.)
#iteachmath
Read 5 tweets
There is a beautiful way to derive the famous Euler’s formula!

In this🧵, I’ll explain a visual, intuitive derivation. It’ll fit into a single picture at the end.

#iteachmath #MTBoS #math #maths #Mathematics An equation with 𝑒^(𝑖𝑡) on ...
This is Thread 3 in a series, but don't worry! This thread is self-contained.
In Thread 1, we saw applications of a mass on a spring.

We solved for its future position, at time 𝑡. This led to 𝑒^(𝑖𝑡), but 𝑖 is "imaginary."

The position along the ground had to be “real,” so we sought to interpret 𝑒^(𝑖𝑡) in terms of real numbers.
Read 19 tweets
@ATMNE_math panel discussions happening now! Being recorded for those who can't attend live.
Thanks @atomic_math!
Looking forward to panel on "Math 4 All" with @carloliwitter @mslailanur & Michelle McKnight
#MTBoS #iTeachMath
Michelle: Math 4 All means all Ss see themselves as math do-ers & thinkers & communicators. No obstacles are being set up by us, so all Ss see themselves as "math people"
@mslailanur : Meet all Ss where they are
@mslailanur @carloliwitter Everyone should have the access to all the math, so everyone can have the opportunities & options.
Reminded of Bob Moses, radical equations.
Read 24 tweets
The book “The unfinished game” by @profkeithdevlin, is a fascinating account of the history of probability theory. Here are a 13 things that I learned: #mathreads #iteachmath

1. Probability theory is often considered to have started with an exchange of letters between Pascal
and Fermat in 1654. In the letters they try to solve a tricky gambling problem called “The problem of points”.

2. Before their exchange, many learned people (including leading mathematicians) believed that predicting the likelihood of a future event was simply not possible.
The future was a matter determined by God. In that sense, Fermat’s and Pascal’s ideas were a leap of thought.

3. The first known attempt to discern patterns in games of chance, dates to around 960, when Bishop Wibold of Cambrai, enumerated the 56 outcomes when 3 dice are thrown
Read 12 tweets
My website is so big that it has 30 subdirectories. Which suggests to me that I should take a month or so to tweet a link to one of those each day. I’ll start tomorrow. For now, here’s the link to the site:

mathed.page

#mtbos #iteachmath #mathed Image
1.
_Algebra: Themes, Tools, Concepts_ is a ground-breaking textbook I co-authored in the 90’s, with powerful lessons for grades 7-12. Free, with supporting materials and commentary:

mathed.page/attc/

#mtbos #iteachmath #mathed Image
2.
Seeking Depth in Algebra 2

Bad teaching has given that course a bad rep. Done right, it helps prepare *all* students for more advanced work.

Links to a range of curricular materials:

mathed.page/alg-2/index.ht…

#mtbos #iteachmath #mathed Image
Read 33 tweets
harassment alert #mtbos #iteachmath
I'm with @_CrystalMWatson on this
"there's no racism in mathematics" is quite the stance
Read 10 tweets
#disrupttexts activism, led by teachers, pertains to school literature. Math ppl might feel like this discussion is tangential to our work as math teachers.

i'm going to try to explain here how this is centrally related to math education, using their principles.
1) "We have been socialized in certain values, attitudes, and beliefs that inform the way we read and teach texts, and the way we interact with our students. How are my biases affecting the way I’m teaching this text and engaging with my students?"

Math teachers, for us too.
2) "Literature study in U.S. largely focuses on White (and male) dominated society, as perpetuated through a traditional, Euro-centric canon. Ask: What voices—authors or characters—are marginalized or missing in our study?"

Replace the words "literature study" with math.
Read 8 tweets
the trolls appear and it's due to this guy once again directing them towards me.
this time, they're bothered by this statement, which was liked by a whopping 3 people
that thread:

Q: "We value the journey in so many subjects in school. Why are we so focused on answers in math?"

My Answer: Math functions as a gatekeeper, and so focuses on who answers correctly and quickest. if you change that approach to math, then you might open the gates.
Read 9 tweets
@AmazonHelp Don’t get me wrong though @amazon, this is a math teacher’s dream for volume/capacity and optimization problems.
@AmazonHelp @amazon So since none of my students want to attend my Zoom office hour today, I should give you a math lesson today, @amazon.
@AmazonHelp @amazon Here’s what I opened the box up to. @amazon
Read 11 tweets
The gradient descent algorithm should become a standard part of high school calculus courses. This material is a tiny extension of existing calculus material, but vital to the future of information technology through its role in artificial intelligence. 1/
[Disclaimer: opinions in this thread are my own, and not my empoyer's.] In this thread: what is gradient descent and how does it fit into AI? How does this serve students? How does this material fit into calculus? Is this material at the right level for high schoolers? 2/
Background: Mathematical optimization is core to many economic sectors. Off the top of my head: prominent in operations research and logistics, engineering (for pretty much every engineering field in one form or another), economics, and more. 3/
Read 25 tweets
Math teachers just now looking for social justice lessons - you cannot just show up to class one day with a lesson on systemic racism and police brutality! A thread 1/
These topics require an incredible amount of care when planning. How might your students react? How will you react to your students? How will you center and discuss these heavy and layered issues while still teaching your students the math they need to make sense of them? 2/
Math lessons rooted in issues of social justice are much more to your students than simply swapping a context of Joey going to a carnival with incarceration rates 3/
Read 7 tweets
#math Problem of the Day!
I have 26 students and my classroom is 24' * 22'

Where should I put the desks?
#makeitreal #mathchat #mtbos #iteachmath #msmathchat #122edchat #COVID19 #SocialDistancing
Thanks for the pic @gwaddellnvhs
My 8th grade daughter made this and said:
"This gets you 20 students with an illegal teacher zone."

Can you come up with something better?
#makeitreal #mathchat #mtbos #iteachmath #msmathchat #122edchat #COVID19 #SocialDistancing
Read 4 tweets
With Pi Day just around the corner, let’s remember what Pi is all about.

After washing your hands thoroughly, cut the crust off a pizza pie and lay it across four others. You’ll see that the crust spans a little more than 3 pies. That’s Pi ≈ 3.14.

But that’s not all! (Cont’d)
2/ Remember that

Area = Pi r^2

formula for a circle? That’s not really the formula. It should be:

Area = radius x (half circumference),

where circumf=Pi*diameter, so half of that is Pi*radius.

Proof: cut your pizza into small slices and arrange into an r x (C/2) rectangle...
3/ Plenty more fun to be had, and will be had at @MoMath1’s pre-Pi Day Family Friday, a week from today. Register here: momath.org/civicrm/?page=…

Q: What’s the volume of a cylinder with height a and radius z?

A: Pi z z a!

(With thanks to the @RutgersU math grad student seminar!)
Read 4 tweets
Pre-2010, 50g of crack-cocaine got you a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison.

Post-2010, that threshold was raised to 280g, which resulted in this .... uhhh suspicious drug seizure graph.

#OMGraph #iteachmath h/t @JohnHolbein1

econweb.umd.edu/~tuttle/files/… pre 2010, pretty reasonable power law graphpost 2010, pretty reasonable power law graph, except for a huge spike right at the 280g threshold
@JohnHolbein1 That utterly implausible spike in 280g seizures, each one triggering a 10-year prison sentence? Would it surprise you to find out it disproportionately comprised Black & Hispanic people?

#OMGraph #iteachmath the graph
This tweet is going places so plz check out my soundcloud. 👇 berniesanders.com/volunteer/
Read 3 tweets
I’m teaching a college writing course this semester, and I’m noticing a lot of ways that #writing is like doing #math. Here’s a short list. Can you think of others? (thread) #iteachmath
1. Both involve reasoning and making convincing arguments.
2. Both involve creative choices about what arguments are most compelling.
Read 11 tweets
This thread shares what I learned from the #NCTMontheHill Capitol Hill visit as part of @NCTM’s advocacy work… #mtbos #iteachmath

@DavidBarnes360 @robertqberry @TrenaWilkerson @kdykema @bkobett @drjeffshih @dh11235 @MrDaveEbert @LindaD_BPSMath @KAWooleater
1) Advocacy is rewarding. Every teacher wants to make a difference with our students, colleagues, schools, and districts. Advocating for our field to our government leaders has that same rewarding feel for me.
2) Advocacy is teaching. Behind the politics there are ambitious aides eager to make a difference but who usually know little about education. Like most people they rely on their own school experiences. We need to teach them about the issues that matter to teachers and students.
Read 8 tweets
You're going to teach a new lesson. How do you prepare? #iteachmath
💡 Love seeing how many of y'all use Twitter for help with lesson /preparation/, not just lesson /sharing/.
Read 7 tweets
Was thinking about an exercise in a textbook (@emilyriehl's Cat Thy in Context). It referred to a def given in a previous exercise, which I had "already done." Nonetheless, my understanding of that def was clearly insufficient to the present purpose. 1/
After being stuck for a while, I finally asked myself to build some sort of visualization of the previous definition. Once I found a mental image that worked for me, the answer to the exercise was clear. But it struck me that nothing had prompted me to do this beyond being 2/
stuck for a while and having a (frankly, inconsistent) habit to search for an appropriate visualization when stuck. Neither the metacognitive skill of remembering to search, nor the concrete skill of how to go about building one's own appropriate visualization, were ever 3/
Read 8 tweets

Related hashtags

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!