Having a mathematical idea is only one part of the equation (excuse the pun!); we also need to be able to communicate it. A good example is Fermat writing next to his conjecture that he (purportedly) had a proof that the margin was too small to contain. If Fermat really did have a proof, then he could have saved mathematicians 350 … Continue reading Better student talks
Category: other
Tracy Zager’s word clouds
Over the past year I have held this image in my head as a reminder and a motivation. It comes from Tracy Zager's 2015 NCTM ShadowCon talk 'Breaking the Cycle', which is mandatory viewing. (If you have limited time, stop reading this post and go watch Tracy's talk instead.) At the same time that Tracy was giving her talk … Continue reading Tracy Zager’s word clouds
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
Falling down the mountain
I first saw snow when I was 21, which is not surprising given that I grew up in rural South Australia and hardly needed to venture far from home. I finally learned to ski three years ago on the Australian ice-fields1 at the decidedly un-bouncy age of 33, starting on imperceptible slopes that were stymied by a … Continue reading Falling down the mountain
‘Train-food’ (The ten hundred word challenge)
Good science communication is hard. This handy guide from SMBC Comics helps distinguish the good from the bad. Jargon (that is, specialised or technical language) is a common problem in poor science communication. Randall Munroe, of xkcd and what if?, took the idea of cutting out jargon to the extreme. (If you haven't checked out either xkcd and what if?, go do … Continue reading ‘Train-food’ (The ten hundred word challenge)
A photo and a memory
I was ready to hit 'Publish' on a puzzle post (I'll be back to more mathematical posts tomorrow, I promise!), but a news story and the day prompted me to dig out this photo. This is me (age 4) and my mother at my birthday party in 1984. (When I look at how tiny I was, I … Continue reading A photo and a memory
On the same page
I want to share something with you. Mathematics shares an equal-sized place in my heart with the English language. I don't remember being read to or being taught to read. (I'm sure that I was; I had attentive parents.) My memories of reading as a child are of being deep in a novel or at the library. I read on the school bus, … Continue reading On the same page
