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Math Teachers Chatboard

How Can I Help This Student?

by Carolyn

Feb 19, 2014

I'm looking for expert advice on one of my students. I teach third grade, and I received a new student to my class back in December. He demonstrates great mental math skills during math strings. For example, when I put 70-45 on the board, he showed his understanding of constant difference by putting 65- 40 on his white board. He also showed his und...See More

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Sara On 2/20/14, Not commutative wrote: > On 2/19/14, Carolyn wrote:

this is an interesting kid! It sounds to me as if they're are likely some interesting issues - how are his social skills, his verbal skills, how does he do in other subjects?

It's extraordinary to be able to intuitively manipulate two digit numbers and not single ...See MoreOn 2/20/14, Not commutative wrote: > On 2/19/14, Carolyn wrote:

this is an interesting kid! It sounds to me as if they're are likely some interesting issues - how are his social skills, his verbal skills, how does he do in other subjects?

It's extraordinary to be able to intuitively manipulate two digit numbers and not single numbers. But wait - how does he do with constant difference when working with single digit numbers? That could help to tell you if his issue is single digit numbers or addition/subtraction.

What happens if you give him manipulatives to add and subtract with? Can he come to the right answer when he's got the 'goods' in front of him?

I need a bit more information. > >> I'm looking for expert advice on one of my students. I >> teach third grade, and I received a new student to my class >> back in December. He demonstrates great mental math skills >> during math strings. For example, when I put 70-45 on the >> board, he showed his understanding of constant difference >> by putting 65- 40 on his white board. He also showed his >> understanding of commutative property by changing the >> question of 49+36 to 50+35. Now, having said all of this, >> he absolutely struggles with single digit addition and >> subtraction. While he works on three-digit standard >> algorithms, he will make MULTIPLE errors (like 8-4=6). When >> I have a conference with him, it will take him several >> attempts to finally arrive at the correct answer. >> >> What can I do to help him? We've had several opportunities >> to play simple addition and subtraction games. Can anyone >> make any suggestions or help me understand why he >> comprehends complex strategies but can't solve the simplest >> questions? >> >> Thanks in advance! > > I don't have any answer to your question, since I am not an > elementary school teacher, but I had to comment that the bold > > portion is NOT an example of the commutative property It > could > be the associative property, though if framed > correctly. > > It could be rewritten: 49 + (1 + 35) = (49 + 1) > + 35 > > which WOULD demonstrate the associative property.

Mar 18, 2014

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mathdad On 2/19/14, Carolyn wrote: > I'm looking for expert advice on one of my students. I > teach third grade, and I received a new student to my class > back in December. He demonstrates great mental math skills > during math strings. For example, when I put 70-45 on the > board, he showed his understanding of constant difference > by ...See More

Apr 2, 2014

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Help for a rookie

by Traci

Mar 3, 2014

I am currently teaching several levels of middle school math-grades 6-8. I haven't been in this position long enough to know of great teacher websites or sources to help me make math easier to understand and more interesting. Any sources of tricks or methods of teaching would be appreciated.

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Mike Theodore On 3/03/14, Traci wrote: > I am currently teaching several levels of middle school > math-grades 6-8. I haven't been in this position long > enough to know of great teacher websites or sources to help > me make math easier to understand and more interesting. Any > sources of tricks or methods of teaching would be > appreciated. I ...See More

Mar 4, 2014

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Sara On 3/03/14, Traci wrote: > I am currently teaching several levels of middle school > math-grades 6-8. I haven't been in this position long > enough to know of great teacher websites or sources to help > me make math easier to understand and more interesting. Any > sources of tricks or methods of teaching would be > appreciated. ...See MoreOn 3/03/14, Traci wrote: > I am currently teaching several levels of middle school > math-grades 6-8. I haven't been in this position long > enough to know of great teacher websites or sources to help > me make math easier to understand and more interesting. Any > sources of tricks or methods of teaching would be > appreciated.

Math is a tool that was invented to serve a very important need - without math, we cannot measure anything. By length or quantity or in any way that's specific.

I've told students - imagine two cavepeople and one takes a walk and sees a lot of wooly mammoths. So many the mammoths won't all be able to run away. The first caveperson comes back and tries to tell the other how many wooly mammoths he saw but - math hasn't been invented yet... how does he communicate how many there were?

It's not possible without math - we're reduced to clumsy gestures without math. I use a film clip from a film where a Native American is asking a settler how many more of you will come here to our land - and the settler knows he can't say 'thousands' because the Native American's counting system doesn't include 'thousands'.

What does he say? "Like the stars". That's a lovely phase, not a clumsy phrase but again it illustrates the function of math.

But when we invented school... we took math out of the subjects it serves - and we teach it in isolation from real use with made-up problems. Let's not even talk about algebra, geometry and calculus...

I've found if I can get kids to better understand what math really is, it helps. I ask them to tell me how many books on my shelf - without numbers. I have to be a bit careful because Middle Schoolers get annoyed when given an impossible task and it's impossible to 'count' without the symbolic language that is math.

It is simply not possible to make operations like decimalization of fractions interesting - unless the student is a numbers nerd or a math kid. The only way I've found to make math interesting is in how I teach - my manner, my stance. On Fridays we do an enrichment day on something I want to be fun but still math - like probability. Or choosing a stock and watching it for a week or a month. My kids live for Fridays - the rest of the week we pretty much just have to bite the bullet and learn the operations.

Mar 18, 2014

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Selly question ( confused in signes

by Ahmad

Mar 8, 2014

expand (x-1)(y+2)= xy-2x-y-2 or xy+2x-y-2 or any other answer

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Richard Jensen On 3/08/14, Ahmad wrote: > expand (x-1)(y+2)= xy-2x-y-2 or xy+2x-y-2 or any other > answer

You have a classic binomial multiplying another binomial. A perfect example for "F O I L" So, multiply the "firsts" xy then multiply the "outsides" +2*x yielding +2x then the "insides" -1*y yielding -1y or -y then the "lasts" -1*+2 yielding -2 ...See More

Mar 8, 2014

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mathdad On 3/08/14, Ahmad wrote: > expand (x-1)(y+2)= xy-2x-y-2 or xy+2x-y-2 or any other > answer Use the FOIL method. x times y = xy x times 2 = 2x -1 times y = -y -1 times 2 = -2 Put it all together. Answer: xy + 2x - y - 2

Mar 14, 2014

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Math Intervention Program

by Maureen Lempke

Mar 10, 2014

I am in search of a research based math intervention program for next year for my middle school. Any suggestions?

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Middle Age Math Fan...xyz

by harpazo

Feb 4, 2014

I have two CUNY degrees in areas other than math. I took precalculus in 1993 as an elective course and got an A minus, which is not too bad for someone who did not major in math. At 48 soon to be 49, my love for math is more alive than ever.

I wanted to return to college for a math degree but recently learned that banks no longer have a p...See More

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deb Don't listen to them and go with your dreams. I originally got a Business degree, just completed my masters to teach high school math and an in my first year teaching. Oh and I'm 47.

Feb 5, 2014

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Math Teach harpazo:

Apparently the website censor did not allow my post.

I had suggested that you should visit the online videotaped lectures from a well known engineering school in Massachusetts. You will find lectures on The Calculus, along with Diffy-q's and Linear Algebra, among others.

Follow your passion, and don't allow yours...See More

Feb 11, 2014

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5 Ways to Bring the Common Core Shift into Your Classroom

by Kathleen

Feb 3, 2014

Click below to read "5 Ways to Bring the Common Core Shift into Your Classroom" by Aimee Barber in the February issue of Teachers.Net Gazette!

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What do yoiu think of some of the new gurus?

by ok

Feb 2, 2014

Dan Myers, Fawn Nguyen, Robert Kaplinsky, etc?

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About what you'd expect On 2/02/14, ok wrote: > Dan Myers, Fawn Nguyen, Robert Kaplinsky, etc? I think they are going to make a lot of money. They have the knack of seeing where the conventional wisdom is going and hopping on the train using all the buzzwords. Whether that will result in any improvement in student learning is questionable, since most of what is now bei...See More

Feb 2, 2014

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What do yoiu think of some of the new gurus?

by ok

Feb 2, 2014

Dan Myers, Fawn Nguyen, Robert Kaplinsky, etc?

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Sketching

by Yann

Jan 27, 2014

Hello, I am looking for a sketching programm. I would like to be able to draw : circle, triangles, ... in a way that it look like a sketch. This will help the students to remember they should not mesure on the picture.

Thanks for your help.

Yann

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Neat math tips

by Sandra

Jan 23, 2014

I am tutoring some middle school students in math and would like to know of some great websites that help with teaching math skills. Students range from 6th to 8th grade.

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