In an effort to help their students attain the kind of stellar math scores regularly achieved by Singapore students, some U.S. schools are adapting the Asian city-state’s mathematics teaching model.

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Tags: International K-12 Education, Math teachers, Mathematics, Research on Learning

Math teachers who want to refine their teaching methods might want to check out a new volume of articles that presents the latest research findings for improving math education. Published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the articles are jargon-free and include references and a handy use guide.

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Tags: Math teachers, Mathematics, Publication, Research, Research on Learning

Who can resist fiddling with the Rubik’s Cube, that enduring, colorful puzzle? In this lesson, as students in grades 9-12 learn to solve the cube, mixing up, then re-aligning each of its sides, they become acquainted concepts of solid geometry and practice skills of sequencing, memorization, and problem solving.

Holding the Rubik’s Cube, twisting and turning the parts, can help students of all ages grasp important math concepts including area, perimeter, volume, angles, algorithms and enumeration, among other geometry and algebraic topics. This sample lesson, drawn from youcandothecube.com, is one of several on the site that uses the cube to illustrate concepts of general mathematics, algebra, and geometry.

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Filed under: Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 1 Comment »

Tags: Geometry, Grades 9-12, Mathematics

Formative assessments can be a great teaching tool to help math instructors ensure their pupils are grasping the lessons. If problems are spotted, adjustments can be made before it’s too late. But, is there a better way to conduct them? Researchers aim to find out.

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Tags: Math, Math teachers, Mathematics, National Science Foundation, Research, Research on Learning

The Illuminations website from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics features a library of 104 online activities that help to make math come alive in the classroom or at home. It also has 560 lessons for preK-12 math educators, information on mathematics teaching standards, and hundreds of links to outside web resources.

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Tags: Class Activities, Curriculum, Internet Resources, Lesson Plans, Math, Math teachers, Mathematics, Web Resources

The world’s number two professional golfer Phil Mickelson says that some of his success on the links comes from a firm grasp of math and science — he can calculate the odds of sinking a putt from how many feet away the ball is from the hole, for example. Today, the Mickelson ExxonMobile Teacher Academy in Jersey City, N.J. is helping third, fourth, and fifth grade science teachers hone their math and science teaching skills.

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Tags: Math, Mathematics, Outreach, Outreach for Schools, Science, Sports

Students learn about sailboat design and how the shape of sails affects their movement. They apply what they learn about sailboat design to their math lesson, which involves the basic postulate of right triangle trigonometry and the Pythagorean Theorem. The lesson provides a fun, hands-on way to demonstrate that the Pythagorean Theorem can be tested and proved.

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Tags: Geometry, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan, Mathematics, Nautical Engineering

Middle School students in McLean, VA, took up a challenge to take a snapshot of the Earth’s curvature without spending more than $200. They pulled it off, using a cooler, camera, weather balloon, GPS cellphone — and all their math ability.

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Tags: Math, Mathematics, Technology, Technology for Learning

In this detailed .pdf from the HandsOn Network, teachers and educational leaders interested in starting math and science clubs find instructions, advice and tips, a sample agenda, and additional web resources. Math and science clubs can give students a safe environment to learn and interact with others with similar interests. They can also provide a safe place for students to explore and discover, especially for those who may not have strong support at home.

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Filed under: Web Resources | Comments Off on Resource: Math and Science Club Step-by-Step Guide

Tags: Internet Resources, Math, Mathematics, STEM Clubs, Web Resources