Tweet Asking “What if?..” always opens up mathematical possibilities. But this hack is about scale analysis, ratio and proportion, and other spatial reasoning skills. Yet it also helps with general problem-solving and imagination. Photo sources: the skies; the hands; eye/mouth. It’s a remake of my more general mini-poster. I like this version better, because it has clearer visual […]
Tweet Would 7-year olds really use calculus? Wouldn’t they forget it all by the time they encounter calculus in school, if ever? We frequently revisit these questions as we continue to plan and lead Inspired by Calculus local math circles for 7-11 year olds. The issues of knowledge retention, use, and transference came up again […]
Can you really teach calculus concepts to young children? Don’t they need to know algebra first, or at least arithmetic? We receive these questions a lot, and we do have our share of worries as we plan and lead “Inspired by Calculus” local math circles for 7-11 year olds. But let’s be brave together! Do […]
Tweet Turn making mistakes into a game. Make as many mistakes as you can in one problem. Can you make huge mistakes? Tiny, subtle mistakes? Clever mistakes and silly mistakes? This game helps to prevent, or cure, math anxiety. Here is Neil Gaiman’s speech on the subject. Thank you for the poster idea, Julia Brodsky […]
