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News

August 2011

In this month's News you will find:

Red Square New Tasks on the Move

Red Square Revised Manual

Red Square Working with Mathematics Centre

Red Square Teaching Craft Video from ATM

Red Square Tasks of the Month
Task 133, Win At The Fair
Task 134, Eight Queens

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New Tasks on the Move
Last month, Mathematics Task Centre announced an entirely recreated set of 241 hands-on problem solving tasks designed to invite students to work like a mathematician. Since then those tasks have been sent all over the world. There are already schools using them in Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, New South Wales and two schools in Sweden. Where to next?
Several people commented on how good they looked in the sample photos last month, so we have included a different set of samples in the photos below just to help you to get a sense of the range and quality. Remember, if you would like to keep your current equipment and update your task cards, contact our Distribution Manager, Ina Koetsier, 03 9726 8316 or inak@blackdouglas.com.au

Revised Manual
With the new tasks comes a completely revised Mathematics Task Centre manual. Each order of 50 or more tasks automatically receives a print copy, but we have also made the complete manual freely available in the documents section of Mathematics Task Centre.
The manual is divided into two parts. The first section contains all the main points of the collected wisdom related to installing and using tasks. It is easy to read and every part links to more detail on the web. This section is only 20 pages and can be easily read in about half an hour sitting in your favourite recliner or under your shadiest tree. The second section expands the first and adds ideas for Poster Problems and for creating your own tasks. This is an important reference work that should be easily available in any school with tasks. See Link List below.

Working with Mathematics Centre
Working with Mathematics Centre is another new document this month. It is designed to help you find your way around Mathematics Centre and find what you are looking for. We hope it makes it even easier to explore our rich alternatives to text-based learning. See Link List below.

Teaching Craft Video from ATM
The Association of Teachers of Mathematics, UK, produces an excellent journal titled Mathematics Teaching. It has been a source of wonderful teaching ideas for decades. These days you can find it on the web and the July issue includes a 10 minute video of two colleagues exploring teaching craft using Task 154, 4 Arm Shapes. With permission, we have added it our Cube Tube collection. The video plays from YouTube. See Link List below.

Tasks of the Month
Two new cameos this month.
- Win At The Fair offers a fairground style game that turns out to be badly designed. Well badly designed if you are the operator and want to make money from it. When enough data is collected, it becomes clear that the owner is paying out more than they are getting in. The challenge is to change the game so the owner makes a fair profit.
- Eight Queens is a recreational puzzle that grows from the game of chess. Can eight queens be placed on an 8 x 8 board so that no queen can be 'attacked' by any other. In how many ways? The challenge includes virtually every aspect of the process of working like a mathematician.
Win At The Fair Eight Queens
Click a photo to access its cameo, or access all current cameos through the Link List below.

Keep smiling,
Doug.

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Link List

Documents to support Mathematics Task Centre
Task Centre Manual (PDF file)
Working with Mathematics Centre (PDF file)
Teaching Craft with 4 Arm Shapes
Task Cameo Library (144 tasks listed)

Did you miss July?
If so you missed information about:
1. The release of 241 completely recreated tasks
2. Iceberg of the Sphinx revised and refreshed
3. Price changes - some up and some down
4. Testimony to the value of Task 131, Walk The Plank
5. Educators for Africa
6. Iceberg Information about one Task of the Month
  (Tasks 166)
7. ...and more...

Did You Know?

You can find tasks coded by Year Level and Curriculum Strand in the Task Centre Catalogue (PDF file).
The Activities link of Calculating Changes offers Content Finder & Year Level Finder tools.
Our Site Map acts as a Table of Contents to help you find what you need in Mathematics Centre.
You can search for lessons by Year Level, Curriculum Strand, Lesson Features & Keyword at Maths300.
You can connect Tasks to their Maths300 companion lesson using Tasks & Maths300 (a PDF file).
All these links, and more, appear in Working with Mathematics Centre (a PDF file).

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Previous News

June 2011 ... May 2011 ... April 2011 ... March 2011 ... February 2011 ... Dec 2010/Jan 2011
November 2010 ... October 2010 ... September 2010 ... August 2010 ... July 2010
June 2010 ... May 2010 ... April 2010 ... March 2010 ... February 2010 ... Dec.2009/Jan.2010
November 2009 ... October 2009 ... September 2009 ... August 2009 ... July 2009
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December 2001 ... October 2001

Continue exploring our history back to July 1992 through the Sense of History link.

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