What a whirlwind class we had Fri evening and Sat. I hope
the clarification on how to set up a tape diagram and the manner in which one
is used to illustrate comparisons, and comparisons when values are added or
subtracted resulting in revised ratios is clear. It was satisfying to see how
well you, as a group, took to illustrating computation of fractions on the
Cartesian coordinate plane. How many of you have used this in your classrooms?
How successful has it been? Do you use the common denominator method …actually
anything is better than giving them a “cutesy saying” or a rule to follow. We
really need to be at the fore front of improving the way in which we teach mathematics.
I was listening to the news this morning and the newscaster was reporting on a
survey about how well mathematics is being taught to their children. 83% of the
respondents said the teaching is deplorable and their children do not understand why any of the procedures
work. That is evident in my own teaching and coaching when I visit classrooms
and children are doing rote procedures. When I ask why, most answer, “that’s
what my teacher told me to do!”
I keep thinking about the problem with the ratio of girls to
boys being 2:1 and if 30% of the girls leave how many boys must be added to
have a 1:1 ratio. Have any of you tried to graph it since class? I hope so and
challenge you to but suggest you don’t label the x-axis in percents…we did see
a great example of how this looks (no cheating and asking your fellow two
students who did it this way) how to model it. (no names to protect the
innocent) Also, try to solve some of this week’s homework using the Cartesian
plane…in fact I will insist upon it!
I am also curious about what you thought about TAU versus PI
as the value for the ratio for the circumference to either the diameter or the
radius and why TAU is so much more accurate.
Curious to hear about your experiences doing Gulliver.
I look forward to reading your blogs.
Anne
