Counting: “Easy as 1-2-3”?
What would you think if I told you counting was actually not as easy as 1-2-3? I was as surprised as you when I studied the development of numeracy in our youngest mathematicians. What we might consider done and dusted…
Maryam Mirzakhani: Curiosity and Creativity
This post features ideas and text from student guest editor E.B. from Class III. Maryan Mirzakhani is one of the mathematicians we learn about as we explore the habits of mind of mathematicians who have accomplished amazing things. We often…
Making Connections and Asking “Why?”
When a student is used to scrutinizing the values she is working with, the connections emerge. Often the kids are so excited to share the connections they’ve made that they annotate their math homework or burst into an excited monologue…
“What would you tell a first grader?”
This is what I asked my second graders when reviewing their homework assignment, which included a question asking them to choose one of three basic addition facts and one of three basic subtraction facts that they found interesting or perhaps…
Andrew Wiles: Patience and Persistence
Andrew WIles was a puzzle-loving ten year old when he came across Fermat’s Last Theorem in a book in his local library. He was ten when he decided that he would be the one to discover the proof that Fermat…
Two Dice
How many dots do you see? HOW do you see them? This image appears in our Kindergarten curriculum as part of something called a “dot talk.” This is an opportunity for students to see math as something that is perceived…
Math Colored Glasses
Math colored glasses are really just a way of describing a curious, noticing mindset. When you put them on while you are out and about, you start to see the world a little differently. You notice patterns in the tiles…