the subscript – November 2021

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the subscript – Nov. 2021

Bite-sized ideas for your math classroom.

– British Columbia teacher Janice Novakowski shares her work with primary learners and Numicon blocks in this short blog post (that includes some task cards she created).

– Graham Fletcher shares how he encourages productive struggle with the popular Open Middle math prompts.

– Ontario high school teacher Andrea Biro shares her prompt to introduce the distributive property to her Grade 9s in this Twitter thread.

– Listen to this podcast episode where SMTS director Lana Steiner talks about capturing evidence from conversations and observations in the math class.

– The Making Math Moments Virtual Summit is being held on November 13th-14th, and the SMTS PD Series continues with SMTS director Anita Hamm leading a virtual workshop on November 18th: Making Connections in Math Class. Both events are free!

– Looking to get involved with the SMTS? All members are invited to attend the virtual SMTS Annual General Meeting on November 17th at 7:00PM. (Check your email for meeting link and AGM package) 

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the subscript is compiled by the executive of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society. Suggestions for inclusions are always welcomed! Email: president@smts.ca

The Variable – Volume 6, Issue 2

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Volume 6, Issue 2 of The Variable, periodical of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society, has just been released! From Kindergarten to Grade 12, there is something for everyone.

In this issue, Jeff Irvine shares a favourite lesson on domain and range (“Teaching Domain and Range of a Function Through a Constructivist Lens”, p. 4); Candace Joswick, Douglas H. Clements, Julie Sarama, Holland W. Banse, and Crystal A. Day-Hess explain how executive function demands may be increased or decreased in high-quality mathematical activities to meet their individual needs (“Double Impact: Mathematics and Executive Function,” p. 20); and Glen Aikenhead differentiates between in- and out-of-school mathematics, and encourages us to consider the positive implications of inviting Indigenous mathematizing into the classroom (“Out-of-School, Applied, In-School, and Indigenous Mathematics,”  p. 29). You will also find our regular features, including Shawn Godin‘s “Alternate Angles,” which takes an in-depth look at intriguing problems and their solutions (p. 15); “Intersections,” which will bring you up to date on upcoming professional development opportunities (p. 40); and “Tangents,” which highlights extracurricular opportunities for K-12 students interested in mathematics (p. 42).

Last but not least, this issue features the latest installment of “Math Ed Matters by MatthewMaddux,” a column by Egan Chernoff telling “slightly bent, untold, true stories of mathematics teaching and learning.” In this issue, Chernoff reflects on the ways in which different generations think about the teaching and learning of mathematics, and posits implications for the mathematics classroom of the future (p. 47).

To access this month’s issue, head to http://smts.ca/the-variable/, where you will find this and all issues of The Variable free to read and download.

Yang Math League

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Know some students up for a challenge? Consider the following extracurricular opportunity:

Yang Math League
Levels:  Grade 8 and under; Grades 9 to 12
Frequency:  Weekly
Time:  30 minutes at any convenient time on Saturday or Sunday
Questions:  6
Format:  Google Forms
Topics:  Full range of school mathematics
Goal:  To help students become more interested in math by problem solving and assist them in growing conceptually

The Yang Math League (YML) is entirely organized and run by Saskatchewan’s own Stephen Yang, a talented and passionate Grade 10 math student in Saskatoon.  Students receive the six weekly questions through email each Saturday morning at 9 am and can choose when they do them that weekend.  They submit their answers on a Google form that is scored automatically, and receive their scores back on Monday evening along with their cumulative score and the names of the perfect scorers.  When over 20% of the students ask for a solution to a question, Stephen posts a YouTube video within a week.

Students can participate for as many or few weeks as they want and take a break for one or several weeks.  Students who have participated consistently see a growth in their ability to solve tough mathematical problems.

To register, use the following link: https://bit.ly/2KpRAmX

Also check out Stephen’s YouTube channel, which includes solutions to a variety of tough math questions from contests:  https://bit.ly/39E2C0t

The Variable – Volume 6, Issue 1

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Volume 6, Issue 1 of The Variable, periodical of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society, has just been released! From Kindergarten to Grade 12, there is something for everyone.

In this issue, Jared Hamilton and Angela Fuller share a favourite lesson on linear relations appropriate for both in-person and remote learning (“How Many Steps?”, p. 4); Krista Francis, Stefan, Rothschuh, Sarah Hamilton, and Graham Diehl share share a robotics task that can provide students with contextualized experiences of measurement, geometry, data collection, data interpretation, and more (“Steering a Robot to Engage in Number and Spatial Sense,” p. 30); Karine Ptak identifies effective instructional methods for students not reached by more traditional approaches to teaching mathematics (“High-Impact Solutions for Struggling Mathematics Students,”  p. 25); and Alessandra King explains why she teaches mathematics at an all-girls school (“Kindling the Fire: Why I Do What I Do,” p. 19). You will also find our regular features, including Shawn Godin‘s “Alternate Angles,” which takes an in-depth look at intriguing problems and their solutions (p. 15); “Intersections,” which will bring you up to date on upcoming professional development opportunities (p. 45); and “Tangents,” which highlights extracurricular opportunities for K-12 students interested in mathematics (p. 47).

Last but not least, this issue features the latest installment of “Math Ed Matters by MatthewMaddux,” a column by Egan Chernoff telling “slightly bent, untold, true stories of mathematics teaching and learning.” In this issue, Chernoff identifies, and takes on the task of renaming, several more notorious mathematical “diseases.” (p. 51).

To access this month’s issue, head to http://smts.ca/the-variable/, where you will find this and all issues of The Variable free to read and download. And if you enjoy The Variable, remember share it with your colleagues and invite them to join the conversation!

The Variable – Volume 5, Issue 2

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Volume 5, Issue 2 of The Variable, periodical of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society, has just been released! From Kindergarten to Grade 12, there is something for everyone.

In this issue, Jeff Irvine shares his favourite lesson: “Introduction to Logarithms” (p. 4); in “Family Math: Winning Them Over,” Cindy Kroon shares ideas for engaging families in math play and practice (p. 24); and Nicole Wessman-Enzinger shares pedagogical moves to help students make sense of integer numbers in the context of temperature problems (p. 16). You will also find our regular features, including Shawn Godin‘s “Alternate Angles,” which takes an in-depth look at intriguing problems and their solutions (p. 11); “Intersections,” which will bring you up to date on upcoming professional development opportunities (p. 32); and “Tangents,” which highlights extracurricular opportunities for K-12 students interested in mathematics (p. 36).

Last but not least, this issue features the latest installment of “Math Ed Matters by MatthewMaddux,” a column by Egan Chernoff telling “slightly bent, untold, true stories of mathematics teaching and learning.” In this issue, Chernoff describes and proposes revisions for the names of a number of mathematical “diseases,” making his case for “reducing inflammation” (p. 41).

To access this month’s issue, head to http://smts.ca/the-variable/, where you will find this and all issues of The Variable free to read and download. And if you enjoy The Variable, remember share it with your colleagues and invite them to join the conversation!

New MATH 101 course teaches mathematics for real life

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Dr. Derek Postnikoff (PhD)

Dr. Derek Postnikoff (PhD) is the lead instructor of MATH 101.

Dr. Derek Postnikoff (PhD) wants to change the minds of people who hate math.

MATH 101: Quantitative Reasoning, a new course for students in the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Arts and Science, was designed to be like no math class you’ve ever taken.

“The course is about building strength and confidence. It shows how math can be rewarding and valuable in a personal way,” said Postnikoff, a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and lead instructor of MATH 101.

As part of the renewed curriculum launching in fall 2020, all new students pursuing degrees in the College of Arts and Science will need to meet a quantitative reasoning requirement by completing at least one course focused on numbers, statistics or data.

Arts and Science students can choose from many courses to fulfill the requirement, but MATH 101 was designed specifically for students in humanities and fine arts programs: especially those who have had bad experiences with traditional math instruction…

Continue reading at https://artsandscience.usask.ca/news/articles/5341/New_MATH_101_course_teaches_mathematics_for_real_life 

 

The Variable – Volume 5, Issue 1

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Volume 5, Issue 1 of The Variable, periodical of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society, has just been released! From Kindergarten to Grade 12, there is something for everyone.

In this issue, Jared Hamilton shares “What is Thy Bidding?,” a lesson that engages students in designing a business model for a landscaping company (p. 4); Beth Baldwin explores the impact of group work on student efficacy beliefs (p. 24); Susan Milner shares two intriguing puzzles, Streamers and Kakurasu, to help develop students’ reasoning abilities in intermediate through secondary classrooms (p. 30); and Casey Hawthorne and Bridget K. Druken describe structural reasoning, its significance as a mathematical practice, and ways of supporting students in developing this practice (p. 16). You will also find our regular features, including Shawn Godin‘s “Alternate Angles,” which takes an in-depth look at intriguing problems and their solutions (p. 12); “Intersections,” which will bring you up to date on upcoming professional development opportunities (p. 40); and “Tangents,” which highlights extracurricular opportunities for K-12 students interested in mathematics (p. 43).

Last but not least, this issue features the latest installment of “Math Ed Matters by MatthewMaddux,” a column by Egan Chernoff telling “slightly bent, untold, true stories of mathematics teaching and learning.” In this issue, Chernoff describes how conversations about the teaching and learning of mathematics have changed, as well new challenges for teachers in the “new math class zeitgeist.” (p. 46).

To access this month’s issue, head to http://smts.ca/the-variable/, where you will find this and all issues of The Variable free to read and download. And if you enjoy The Variable, remember share it with your colleagues and invite them to join the conversation!