News

June 2016 In this edition of the News you will find:   Don't Miss The Bargains   New Cube Tube Videos   Maths300 ETuTE   Self-selected Mathematics Learning   Tasks of the Month Task 232, Dice Footy Task 233, Money Money Money 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 update news as it happens 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.

New Cube Tube Videos At Malmö Högskolan trainee secondary teachers in Barbro Söderberg's class were exploring the growth of Tricubes. Eight Tricubes make a Tricube, as shown in Task 234, Growing Tricubes. They had used this template to construct Sizes 1, 2 & 4. This produced a new problem: Is there a Size 3 and, if so, can we construct it? Growing Tricubes 1, recently added to Cube Tube, shows their struggle to build Size 3 on the assumption that if it existed it would require 27 Tricubes. Growing Tricubes 2 confirms their success (which could also have been achieved another way). Unfortunately, their further work was not recorded. They went on to model the number of Tricubes in each size as a one to one match with the number of unit cubes in a cube of the same size. Then discovered that the sum of unit cubes in the cube sequence appeared to be a square number. Wow! Dissecting the cubes into squares and strips showed that it was indeed possible to lay out the sum of the cubes as a square at each stage. More Wow! factor. Further, the lay out showed a square whose side lengths are the sum of natural numbers. This led them right back to Task 139, Squound, which they had explored earlier. But all this was only demonstration; not proof. Barbro ended the lesson with (in Swedish) ...and that is why we will explore proof by mathematical induction in our next lesson. See Link List below for links related to these videos. Maths300 ETuTE Since the relaunch of Maths300 on July 1 last year, many schools have joined its member community. But are you making the most of your membership? The simple purpose of Maths300 lessons is to provide fuel for on-going, classroom-based discussion about the elements that make mathematics learning better for teachers and students at all levels. Using a Maths300 lesson is, potentially, far more than teaching a class in a different way. It is an opportunity for in-house professional development. Teach a second, third, fourth... lesson and you begin structuring an in-house professional learning plan. The regular Maths300 eNews offers starting points for this journey. Maths300 ETuTE offers additional ways to plan the journey. Maths300 ETuTE allows you to choose from a set of 49 one page tutorials, each based around a stimulus question. The choice can be made: randomly, or by content, or by year level and encourages the construction of units of work. See Link List below.

Tasks & Task Kits Individual tasks ... $11.99 each Kit of 20 tasks Strand specific Choose your strand(s) ... $239.80 each Starter kit of 50 tasks Choose your year level(s) ... $599.50 each Task Centre Kit of 100 tasks Range of strands and year levels ... $1,199 each Maths With Attitude Limited number of kits left Special price $299 $100 saving per kit Other Materials 3D Geoshapes Class Starter Pack 102 Equ. Triangles, 120 Squares 30 Pentagons, 24 Hexagons 3 sets only ... $165 each Triquares Pack of 6 foam panels of 18 ... $88 each Rotagrams Pack of 20 ... $36 each Use this Latest Order Form Contact Ina Koetsier 03 9726 8316 inak@blackdouglas.com.au Spare Parts Have you checked your task collection lately to see if you 'have all the bits'? Now is the time to contact us. Stock is running down.

• Self-selected Mathematics Learning

  One discussion point frequently met when exploring Maths300 is:

  • Is there benefit in revisioning our curriculum as learning to work like a mathematician rather than just learning to choose and use the tools/skills of a mathematician?

  If so, then Maths300 lessons support modelling what it means to work like a mathematician. However, for the most part the only invitations they offer to self-select mathematics (as a mathematician would) are within the context of all students working on the same problem, albeit at differentiated levels. The whole class investigation limits the self-selection component in favour of modelling the process of Working Mathematically to everyone simultaneously.

  There are other resources which support more personalised self-selected mathematics as shown by photos from this 3 hour workshop at Karlstad University for around 100 teachers and teacher trainees.

  The first half of the session was built around whole class investigations, modelling Working Mathematically and identifying and exploring pedagogy. The self-selected mathematics learning in the second half was built around Mathematics Tasks, Picture Puzzles and Menu Maths Packs. See Link List below.

  Over time, modelling, invitation to self-select and practice of mathematical skills builds a Working Like A Mathematician (or Working Mathematically) curriculum.

• Tasks of the Month
  Two new cameos this month.
  The Task Cameo Content Finder has been updated to include these tasks.
  • Dice Footy is a dice game modelling of the scores in an Australian Rules football game. Previous knowledge of the code is not necessary because the scoring rules are explained. A match is played over four quarters and the winner is the team with the higher points total at the end of a match. The task practises calculation of averages (with opportunity for asking Can I check it another way?) and then introduces a challenge involving probability considerations.
  • Money Money Money is a delightful task which captures attention by inviting us to daydream about, and handle, large amounts of money. Then it offers a set of challenges of increasing difficulty which are based around reasoning and problem solving strategies supported by arithmetic practice, algebraic representation and simultaneous equations.
      
  Click a photo to access its cameo, or access all current cameos through the Link List below.

Link List Mathematics Centre Order Form (PDF) Cube Tube Growing Tricubes Squound Maths300 ETuTE Creating Working Mathematically Curriculum (PDF) Mathematics Tasks Picture Puzzles Menu Maths Packs Task Cameo Library (239 tasks listed) Task Cameo Content Finder Calculating Changes Content Finder Maths300 Did you miss the Previous News? If so you missed information about: Bargain Prices New Picture Puzzles Menu Picture Puzzles in Sweden Discussion Lessons & Bundling Tasks & Teacher Training Maths300 & Gifted Student Research Iceberg Information about three Tasks of the Month (Tasks 229, 230, 231) ...and more...

Did You Know? You can Search Mathematics Centre. Our Site Map acts as a Table of Contents to help you find what you need in Mathematics Centre. You can find photos of every task using the Task Library. You can find tasks by content using the Task Cameo Content Finder. Calculating Changes offers Content Finder & Year Level Finder tools. You can find tasks coded by Year Level and Curriculum Strand in the Task Centre Catalogue. (PDF file) You can search for lessons by Year Level, Curriculum Strand, Lesson Features & Keyword at Maths300. You can connect Tasks to their Maths300 companion lesson using Tasks & Maths300 (a PDF file). Excel version provided by Pymble Ladies' College also links each Task to its Maths With Attitude content strand. All these links, and more, appear in Working with Mathematics Centre (a PDF file).