News

In 1984 Tim Finn suggested there's a 'fraction too much friction'. Before and since, many teachers have felt a fraction too much friction when teaching fractions, but this was not the case for the Canberra Goulburn Diocese teachers. See Link List below for stories from Year 0 to Year 6 confirming that much of the success described above occurred during planned units on fractions.

Teachers who receive Pot Boiler from Calculating Changes already know that a new video was added to Cube Tube at the beginning of the month. If you didn't know that, then perhaps now is the time to look. (See Link List below.) Jamie Kemp, St. Francis of Assisi, Calwell, took his Year 6 class and his camera into the school ground to explore Move Around.

This activity from Calculating Changes Free Tour easy to state, easy to start and involves heaps of mathematics related to number sense, sequencing on the number line, place value and decimals. It is an activity that can be used from Year 1 - Year 8, and beyond, depending on the range you choose on the number line. The children learnt lots about mathematics and Jamie's video makes it clear that he learnt lots about teaching and learning. The video includes a trial of the same activity with Year 3 and the two experiences, combined with what his school learnt, and continues to learn, from our Working Like a Mathematician course, has recreated how the school approaches the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Also, two of our Cube Tube videos are stored on the You Tube channel of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics (UK). One is built around Task 45, Eric The Sheep, and one around Task 154, 4 Arm Shapes. Both illustrate teaching craft likely to fascinate, captivate and absorb students in the process of Working Like a Mathematician. Links to the videos have been added to the cameos for these tasks. You can also access them through our Cube Tube link. See Link List below.

In the past week, I've really enjoyed my Year 7 students' reactions to working on Arithmagon problems. After a lesson of 'playing with the problem,' my students came up with the approach of picking any number for the top (say 5), and then finding the missing numbers for the bottom two vertices (13-5 and 8-5 in the example). They then turned their focus to what their total for the bottom edge was, and what the problem 'wanted the total to be.' They came up with the idea of 'sharing the difference' by halving between the two bottom vertices, which then gave them the solution immediately. Having a 'sense of power' over the problem, especially when many adults will struggle with the problem for a while, was a very powerful outcome for these students.

Please feel welcome to contact me via matt@skoss.org if you'd like to follow up on the spreadsheet idea or 'Write on-Wipe off' sleeves.

In this recent email, Dave Miller-Stinchcombe may have given you a reason, if you have Rotagrams, to talk with the art teacher(s) in your school.

Dear Ina,
I'm a maths teacher based in the UK. I have recently taken up drawing as a hobby, and have started using a Rotagram as a way of checking angles, particularly for perspective drawing and for portraiture. This works much better than a protractor, as I'm not cluttered up with numbers and can just use my eyes, plus the Rotagram has square sides so it can rest on a ledge, or be fixed to a clear surface and still used.

I showed the art teacher at school what I was doing and she had never seen a Rotagram before, but loved the idea of using them to help students to draw in perspective. The Rotagram is superior to ...alternatives... for the same purpose (I feel), as well as having further applications in art. So a quick bit of googling, and I find you, who appear to be the only makers and retailers of Rotagrams I can find.

(I have included) a couple of pictures showing how the Rotagram can be used to help sight angles when making a drawing. Please forgive the drawing, I've only been learning for a few months. I hope these are useful to you.

Regards,
Dave

One of the very good reasons why Geoff Giles designed this tool to assist with learning about angles is, exactly as Dave has realised, because it isn't cluttered with numbers. And yes, Mathematics Centre is the world supplier of Rotagrams. See Link List below.