Search Mathematics Centre ... Big Picture ... News ... Research & Stories ... Cube Tube ... Web Papers ... Contacts ... Site Map

Professional Development ... Working Mathematically ... Mathematics Task Centre ... Calculating Changes ... Maths300 ... Indigenous Students

Resources & Ordering ... Poly Plug ... Task Cameos ... Menu Maths ... Maths With Attitude ... Working Mathematically with Infants ... Sphinx Album

 

News

February 2014

In this edition of the News you will find:

Red Square  New Web Address

Red Square  Mathematical Valentine

Red Square  Crossing The River 1

Red Square  Bubblz The Maths Clown

Red Square  Pick A Box Solutions

Red Square  Rotating The Sphinx

Red Square  Domino Trails Update

Red Square  Tasks of the Month
Task 174, Magic Cube
Task 175, Pythagoras 1

Please feel free to distribute this information.

Email News Services
If you would like to subscribe please send an email request to: doug@blackdouglas.com.au:
  • In the subject line write Subscribe Maths.
  • In the body of message state which divisions you want to subscribe to, or simply write Subscribe All.
  • Add your name and preferred email address.
Update messages are sent from:
Mathematics Centre monthly
Calculating Changes bi-monthly
Maths300 occasionally
Working with Mathematics Centre
will help you find your way around our site
Browsing Hint
Use the View/Zoom options of your browser to 'move' the page closer or further away. Ctrl +, Ctrl - and Ctrl 0.
Green Line

  • Crossing The River 1

    Crossing the river - it is the best introduction to algebra that I know.
    One response when asked to name favourite Maths300 lessons in a 2013 survey of Maths300 members. It reminded me of this page from Maths300 ETuTE. It begins:


    Click the image to read/print the full page as a PDF.

    For this teacher - and others in the professional development session - that question didn't need to be answered. The tutorial goes on to raise the question:

    What would the curriculum look like - how would it 'feel' to students and teachers - if it were constructed around Pivot Problems such as this which could be visited and revisited to 'milk' their richness?
    • Mathematics Task Centre offers a treasury of 240+ rich problems in a hands-on form supported by Task Cameos.
    • About half of the 180+ Maths300 lessons are built on the whole class investigation life of these tasks.
    • Every task and every Maths300 lesson includes a professional learning aspect.
    • Our PD sessions are about encouraging teacher conversations across the school ...district ...state ...country ...world ...about the qualities of best practice mathematics teaching.
    • Mathematics Centre resources are designed to stimulate those conversations using the classroom as the starting point.
    • If you have tasks, use the Task Cameos to design and support your own in-house professional learning.
    • If you have Maths300, use Maths300 ETuTE to design and support your own in-house professional learning.
    • If you have Maths With Attitude or Menu Maths Packs, you have several ways of answering the question about the look and feel of a problem rich curriculum built around the attitude that all students can learn to work like a mathematician.

    See the Link List below for more information.

  • Tasks of the Month
    Two new cameos this month.
    The Task Cameo Content Finder has been updated to include these tasks.

    • Magic Cube uses blocks numbered from 1 to 27 which have to be arranged in a cube so that the rows and columns of any slice, the pillars of the cube and the leading space diagonals of the cube each sum to the same total. To support students the card offers two clues. The magic total to aim for and some of the blocks already placed. Finding the solution requires careful step by step exploration and serious application of mental arithmetic.
    • Pythagoras 1 The task introduces Pythagoras' theorem through geometry checked by measurement. There are no As or Bs or Cs. It is a dissection proof attributed to Henry Perigal. Students are told Pythagoras' statement and then have to check it with the pieces. The challenge is to discover how the pieces have been created so they can create their own and check Pythagoras again.
    Magic Cube      Pythagoras 1
    Click a photo to access its cameo, or access all current cameos through the Link List below.

Keep smiling,
Doug.
Green Line

Link List

  • Did you miss the Previous News?
    If so you missed information about:
    1. Ina is NOT retiring...
    2. ...The Tradition Continues
    3. LegoŽ & Maths
    4. Menu Maths Article in ATM Journal
    5. Lilydale High School Plans MWA
    6. Iceberg Information about two Tasks of the Month
      (Tasks 188, 194)
    7. ...and more...

Did You Know?

Green Line

Previous News

November 2013 ... October 2013 ... September 2013 ... August 2013
July 2013 ... June 2013 ... May 2013 ... March 2013 ... February 2013
Dec. 2012 / Jan. 2013 ... November 2012 ... October 2012 ... September 2012 ... August 2012
June/July 2012 ... May 2012 ... April 2012 ... March 2012 ... February 2012 ... January 2012
December 2011 ... November 2011 ... October 2011 ... September 2011 ... August 2011 ... July 2011
June 2011 ... May 2011 ... April 2011 ... March 2011 ... February 2011 ... Dec 2010/Jan 2011
November 2010 ... October 2010 ... September 2010 ... August 2010 ... July 2010
June 2010 ... May 2010 ... April 2010 ... March 2010 ... February 2010 ... Dec.2009/Jan.2010
November 2009 ... October 2009 ... September 2009 ... August 2009 ... July 2009
June 2009 ... May 2009 ... April 2009 ... March 2009 ... February 2009 ... Dec.2008/Jan.2009
November 2008 ... October 2008 ... September 2008 ... August 2008 ... July 2008
May/June 2008 ... April 2008 ... March 2008 ... February 2008 ... Dec.2007/ Jan.2008
November 2007 ... October 2007 ... August/September 2007 ... July 2007
June 2007 ... May 2007 ... April 2007 ... March 2007 ... February 2007 ... Dec. 2006/ Jan. 2007
November 2006 ... October 2006 ... September 2006 ... August 2006 ... July 2006
June 2006 ... May 2006 ... April 2006 ... March 2006 ... February 2006 ... Dec. 2005/ Jan. 2006
November 2005 ... October 2005 ... September 2005 ... August 2005 ... July 2005
June 2005 ... May 2005 ... April 2005 ... March 2005 ... February 2005 ... Dec. 2004/ Jan. 2005
November 2004 ... October 2004 ... September 2004 ... August 2004 ... July 2004
June 2004 ... April/May 2004 ... March 2004 ... February 2004
December 2003 ... October 2003 ... August/September 2003 ... July 2003
June 2003 ... April/May 2003 ... March 2003 ... February 2003 ... January 2003
December 2002 ... November 2002 ... October 2002 ... September 2002 ... March 2002
December 2001 ... October 2001

Continue exploring our history back to July 1992 through the Sense of History link.

Green Line