Mathematical discussions are a vital part of my daily work as a research mathematician. It's true that when you walk around the building in which I work, people are often sitting in deep thought behind closed doors. But, when needed—which can be often—these same people also participate in animated mathematical conversations with each other: to help untangle … Continue reading Debating maths: Chris Luzniak’s new book
Connecting SET with geometry
SET is a card game that inspires many mathematical questions from players of all levels—from primary students to research mathematicians. Mathematical ideas in SET include counting and combinatorics, probability, geometry, modular arithmetic, vectors, and linear algebra. The book 'The Joy of SET' is a very accessible deep dive into many of these topics. I've outlined … Continue reading Connecting SET with geometry
A linear relationships ‘menu’
Nat Banting wrote recently on his blog about a type of task he calls a 'menu': Given a list of features, the task for students is to build as few functions as possible to satisfy each requirement at least once. Nat's original post is about a quadratics functions menu. My attention was captured by Dylan … Continue reading A linear relationships ‘menu’
Do they really know what I think they know?
Despite my fifteen years of teaching experience, I still feel slow1 to realise what I'm sure is obvious to others — just because students get the answer right, it doesn't mean that they understand. I was sharply reminded of this just now. This year I've been making a concerted effort in my Mathematics for Primary … Continue reading Do they really know what I think they know?
Three looks at a WODB for numbers
This semester I am redeveloping Mathematics for Primary Educators, the (ideally) first maths content course for our pre-service teachers who choose to specialise in maths. I have a notebook full of 'things I want to do right' this time, but it mostly boils down to giving students many opportunities to have mathematical conversations, and for … Continue reading Three looks at a WODB for numbers
Australian mathematics education and Indigenous peoples [an essay]
This blogpost is an exact reproduction of an essay I wrote and submitted in October 2018 as a requirement of the course 'Aboriginal Futures', an elective I took as part of the Master of Teaching at the University of South Australia. The course aims to 'explore Aboriginal Futures in contemporary Australian society' and to provide … Continue reading Australian mathematics education and Indigenous peoples [an essay]
#read2018: My year in books
In each of the last three years, my goal has been to read 50 books. This blog post summarises aspects of my 2018 reading year. I also tweeted short reviews using the hashtag #read2018. In 2016, I read 53 books. Blogposts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Goodreads: 2016 Reading Challenge. In 2017, I read 62 … Continue reading #read2018: My year in books
