Category Archives: K-12 Education

Three foundational theorems of elementary school math

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Ben Blum-Smith

By Ben Blum-Smith, Contributing Editor This post discusses three very familiar facts from grade-school mathematics. In spite of their familiarity, I believe they tend to go under-appreciated, at every level of math education. In the elementary grades, my experience is … Continue reading →

Posted in Curriculum, K-12 Education, Mathematics teacher preparation | 7 Comments

Access To Epidemic Modeling

Posted on October 4, 2021 by msaul

Kurt Kreith and Alvin Mendle, University of California, Davis Covid-19 has left teachers seeking topics that are both engaging and lend themselves to online instruction. As a guiding force for the measures that have reshaped our lives, epidemic modeling stands … Continue reading →

Posted in Active Learning in Mathematics Series 2015, Classroom Practices, Curriculum, K-12 Education, Mathematics Education Research | Tagged active learning, Curriculum, education, epidemiology, K-12 mathematics, mathematical modeling, Mathematics Education | Comments Off

In Memoriam N. N. Konstantinov

Posted on September 12, 2021 by msaul

by Mark Saul This summer marks the thirtieth year since the end of the Soviet Union. It also marks the passing of one of the great figures of Russian mathematical culture, Nicholas Nikolayevich Konstantinov. This note concerns both events, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, History of mathematics education, K-12 Education, Mathematics Education Research, Outreach | Tagged community, culture, education, history of mathematics, K-12 mathematics, Mathematics Education | Comments Off

Mathematics as Logic

Posted on July 31, 2021 by msaul

by Mark Saul Maybe it is obvious, but it is something I’ve come to appreciate only after years of experience: mathematics is logic driven, and teaching and learning mathematics is centered on teaching and learning logic. I find this to … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom Practices, Communication, Curriculum, Faculty Experiences, K-12 Education, Mathematics Education Research | Tagged Conceptual Understanding, education, K-12 mathematics, logic, mathematical thinking, Mathematics Education, teacher training, teaching | 3 Comments

Happy New Year(?)

Posted on January 6, 2021 by msaul

Mark Saul, Editor Mathematics and mathematicians rarely make press. So it was a bit sweet, but mostly bitter, to read in the New Yorker of the deaths of John Conway, Ronald Graham, and Freeman Dyson, three great losses to our profession. … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Education Policy, Faculty Experiences, K-12 Education, Mathematics Education Research, Outreach, Student Experiences | Tagged Conceptual Understanding, culture, Curriculum, education, K-12 mathematics, mathematical thinking, Mathematics Education, outreach | 1 Comment

The Calculus of Context

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Yvonne Lai

by Yvonne Lai (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) It is 2020. You are taking a high school mathematics teacher licensure exam. Suppose you see these questions. What do you do? What do you think? (Warning: Your head may spin. These are not … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom Practices, K-12 Education, Mathematics Education Research, Mathematics teacher preparation, Task design | 1 Comment

MATH ON THE BORDER: Working with unaccompanied migrant children in Federal custody

Posted on October 19, 2020 by msaul

The events recounted here happened in January 2020. The program described has been suspended during the COVID crisis. Perhaps there will be no need for it when the crisis is over. Nadia looked at me with big brown eyes and … Continue reading →

Posted in Active Learning in Mathematics Series 2015, Communication, Faculty Experiences, Influence of race and gender, K-12 Education, Mathematics Education Research, Prison | Tagged culture, diversity, education, Immigrant minors, K-12 mathematics, Mathematics Education, outreach | Comments Off

THE ZOOM ROOM: Vignette and Reflections About Online Teaching

Posted on September 1, 2020 by msaul

Mark Saul A child’s insight “I know how to find out how many divisors a number has. You factor it into primes….” Alejandro was with a virtual group of four enthusiastic ten year olds, in the midst of exploring a … Continue reading →

Posted in Active Learning in Mathematics Series 2015, Classroom Practices, Communication, Faculty Experiences, K-12 Education, Mathematics Education Research, Online Education, Outreach, Student Experiences | Tagged active learning, community, diversity, K-12 mathematics, mathematical practices, mathematical thinking, problem solving, productive struggle | Comments Off

Writing Good Questions for the Internet Era

Posted on August 4, 2020 by msaul

Jeff Suzuki CUNY Brooklyn The forced conversion to distance learning in Spring 2020 caught most of us off-guard. One of the biggest problems we face is the existence of free or freemium online calculators that show all steps required to … Continue reading →

Posted in Active Learning in Mathematics Series 2015, Communication, Curriculum, K-12 Education, Mathematics Education Research, Online Education | Tagged Curriculum, education, K-12 mathematics, Mathematics Education, online learning | 3 Comments

The Future of Enrichment: Math Contests or Math Circles?

Posted on January 13, 2020 by msaul

by Doug O’Roark Executive Director, Math Circles of Chicago The New York Times recently published an article entitled “The Right Answer? 8,186,699,633,530,061 (An Abacus Makes It Look Almost Easy)”. Its lead photograph features over 100 children seated at desks, facing … Continue reading →

Posted in K-12 Education, Mathematics Education Research, Outreach, Student Experiences | Tagged extra-curricular, math circles, math contests, math festivals | 2 Comments