Instructor: Ira Nirenberg, Ben Franklin HS (ret), New Orleans, LA
It’s been said that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results—ready to try something different? In this workshop, rather thanbeginning with definitions, formulas, and equations, we begin with hands-on activities that inspire those definitions, formulas, and equations. Let’s stop putting the cart before the horse. Most middle and high school mathematics begins with an abstraction—we write down a ratio, and then go through some kind of mathematical manipulation (perhaps we cross multiply) to arrive at an answer. We draw lines and begin talking about slope and intercept. We show students how to “solve” word problems. We give students formulas that appear out of the blue. How well have these approaches worked for you? If they haven’t been as effective as you’ve wished, and you’d like to bring back some classroom ready activities, join us for something a bit different. Please bring a calculator!