Whenever I say this, the unfinished sentence in my head is 'Fold-and-cut, baby! Fold-and-cut.' I am totally weird. The fold-and-cut theorem states states that any shape with straight sides can be cut from a single sheet of paper by folding it flat, possibly with many folds, and making a single straight complete cut. I have been impatiently waiting to try this … Continue reading Fold-and-cut
Month: May 2016
My motivating images
This morning I read Sara Van Der Werf's post, 'The Story of 2 Words & One Simple Tweak to Get All Students Talking'. Her post is great, and you should definitely check it out, but what prompted me to write this post was the photo I've included below. Sara has it pinned up near her desk. If I walked in … Continue reading My motivating images
Why students might choose the textbook
(In the same week that I wrote this, Carl Oliver posted on a similar experience. I recommend that you go and read 'CLOG: The chose the worksheet?!?!' for some interesting reflections.) I like to give my university students choice about the kinds of questions they tackle in tutorials. Usually it's as unsophisticated as grouping questions by type and giving them the choice … Continue reading Why students might choose the textbook
#QuarterTheCross and @FractionTalks
Something that has captivated me from the Maths Twitter Blog-o-Sphere (#MTBoS) in the last few months is Quarter The Cross. It is a classic low-threshold high-ceiling task. And, the more you experiment, the deeper and richer your mathematical understanding becomes. This can lead to some quite sophisticated and beautiful solutions. The solutions above are six of mine. They are rather … Continue reading #QuarterTheCross and @FractionTalks
Friday Five: #3
On Fridays I plan to list five highlights from the #MTBoS and the internet at large. I could have discovered them in the last week, or the last year, but for some reason want to share them with you this Friday. I know it might be Thursday in your part of the world when I post this; what can … Continue reading Friday Five: #3
K to 2, to infinity
Okay, so 'infinity' might be a bit of a stretch but I'm talking about the latest low-threshold, high-ceiling task to become my favourite puzzle1. Louise Hodgson shared this activity at the Mathematics Association of Tasmania conference at the weekend. The learning intention, as might be voiced to students, was: "There are patterns in the hundreds chart and the patterns can help us answer questions … Continue reading K to 2, to infinity
One hot minute
The best1 minute in my class is often just before my students leave. And no, it's not because they are leaving! This is when I sometimes ask them to fill out a 'One Minute Survey'. I can't remember where I got this idea, and I don't do the surveys frequently enough, but it is always revealing when I … Continue reading One hot minute
