Scarce Paper

Scarce Paper

I failed yesterday. Background: I encourage students to work in pairs or occasionally triples with a single puzzle-sheet shared between them. In my classes paper is a scarce resource. I love to see co-operative math as in the photo above. However, I have been relaxed...
The Value of Forgetting

The Value of Forgetting

Mathematics is usually taught brick on brick – each brick resting solidly on the ones underneath. This sounds good. Brick on brick mathematics education is capable of building an impressive edifice. Look at the power of the average calculus student after a...
Be unhelpful! Be wrong! Be unprepared!

Be unhelpful! Be wrong! Be unprepared!

I am most impressed with the advice of the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival to the volunteers who come to people its tables: Be as unhelpful as possible. Joshua Zucker Director, Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival This is marvellous advice for educators and parents...
Erasers – Good or Bad?

Erasers – Good or Bad?

Why do we allow students to work in pencil? Sometimes we do it because we want them to erase their mistakes. If done to excess, this is wrong. Mistakes are there to learn from – not to be erased or scribbled out. They should be artfully identified so...