This question was closed Dec 07, 2013 at 05:43 PM by Maria Droujkova for the following reason: The course is over.
Books, links, resources?
Please share resources that help you with your goals in this course and beyond!
There's so many resources out there that it's really hard to recommend some. There's 2 companies that are putting out really good logic-puzzle type games. Think Fun and Smart Games. Check them out. I feel that most young kids <8, are not developmentally ready for problem solving. They just want to play. There's many good resources on problem solving, puzzles, but most are geared towards older kids.
Chris, I am pondering your comment about readiness. I see possibilities for problem-centered play, though. A puzzle or a problem can inspire a math-rich play session! The format of racing to the solution, for one problem after another, is less appropriate for young ones.
Maria, I was pondering your comment too. I think maybe we have different ideas of problem-centered play. I have a daughter that loves all kinds of puzzles and games, but a niece and son that would run screaming from anything like that. The thing is, I can't figure out why they run screaming? I just think maybe they are not ready for it yet.
When my kid was around one, we rigged a touch-screen for a big desktop monitor we kept on the floor for games. Back then, there were no smart phones, etc. That enabled the one-year-old baby to solve puzzles that would otherwise require too much fine motor control. From that and similar experiences, it looks like most babies love puzzles of some sort! Then in some people, the love goes away. Maybe they run screaming because they've been hurt by that sort of thing before? Maybe because they fall in love with something else?
**Out of the Labyrinth**, by Robert and Ellen Kaplan, and ANYTHING by James Tanton
Thanks for recommending this book! I read it over the last few days and it has really flipped my paradigm on math. This should be a must read!
The Cat in Numberland
http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Numberland-Ivar-Ekeland/dp/081262744X/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373317719&sr=1-10&keywords=numberland The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat
http://www.amazon.com/The-Adventures-Penrose-Mathematical-Cat/dp/1884550142/ref=pd_sim_b_3
Developing Math Talent: A Guide for Educating Gifted And Advanced Learners in Math
http://www.amazon.com/Developing-Math-Talent-Educating-Advanced/dp/1593631596/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1373317539&sr=8-4&keywords=develop+mathematical+talents
This course started from James Tanton's Inspiration essays: [
http://www.jamestanton.com/?p=1193][1] ![alt text][2] [1]:
http://www.jamestanton.com/?p=1193 [2]: /storage/temp/71-thirdblockaha.png
