This is a quick post mainly for the benefit of my 'Developing Mathematical Thinking' (#math1070) students. Introducing the puzzle Skyscrapers are one of my favourite logic puzzles. They are a Japanese creation, introduced at the first World Puzzle Championship1 in 1992. Skyscrapers are a type of Latin Square puzzle. A Latin Square in an n × n … Continue reading Skyscrapers
Redux: #NoticeWonder and #PrimeClimb
Last year I wrote a post about using the two simple questions 'What do you notice?' and 'What do you wonder?' with my maths pre-service teachers to dig into the mathematically-rich image that accompanies Dan Finkel's game, Prime Climb. This year, I wanted to turn this into a student-driven rather than teacher-led activity. I also … Continue reading Redux: #NoticeWonder and #PrimeClimb
My maths autobiography
School maths I have always loved maths, but the reasons why have changed dramatically over time. This is my Year 1 work. It reminds me about what I thought it meant to be good at maths: lots of ticks on neat work, especially if it was done quickly. This attitude was reinforced by my report … Continue reading My maths autobiography
#NoticeWonder with everyday concepts
I often joke that my blog should be called 'Notice and Wonder in Mathematics' because I blog about the 'Notice and Wonder' prompt often enough! In case you are not familiar with it, the ‘Notice and Wonder’ prompt involves asking two questions: ‘What do you notice?’ and ‘What do you wonder?’. These are powerful questions to engage students. ‘Notice and … Continue reading #NoticeWonder with everyday concepts
#NoticeWonder and Rational Tangles
Yesterday we held the first of this year's Maths Experience days. We invite students in Years 10 and 11 from different schools onto campus for an intensive one-day program. Students find out about mathematical research, talk to professionals who use mathematics in their careers in some way, and participate in hands-on mathematics workshops. Importantly, they also meet and connect with other students … Continue reading #NoticeWonder and Rational Tangles
Thank you for the #lessonfail
This blog has been accumulating a layer of dust. I could name a lot of reasons (I only teach four hours a week, I'm busy with other projects, and so on) but the truth of it is that I usually blog when I feel motivated by my teaching. And lately, well, it's felt a bit 'meh', and who wants to read … Continue reading Thank you for the #lessonfail
#read2016: Part 3
As I've mentioned, I love books. Real books, with paper and ink. None of those fancy ebooks. I spend enough time each day staring into screens. Plus, I like to read in the bath and the idea of accidentally dropping a $1000 device doesn't appeal. (I've only ever once dropped a book in the bath. It … Continue reading #read2016: Part 3
