TED Talk – Dan Meyer: Math class needs a makeover
This will be interesting to anyone who is interested in teaching, or has concerns or frustrations with how teaching is done in the US. I’ve said many times – we have answers for most of the problems we have, but no will to put good ideas into practice.
“Today’s math curriculum is teaching students to expect — and excel at — paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. In his talk, Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think.”
Dan Meyer’s TED Talk is here.
In a similar vein, Arthur Benjamin says we should teach statistics before calculus. “Someone always asks the math teacher, ‘Am I going to use calculus in real life?’ And for most of us, says Arthur Benjamin, the answer is no. He offers a bold proposal on how to make math education relevant in the digital age.”
Arthur Benjamin’s TED Talk is here.
You might have heard of Arthur Benjamin and his “Mathemagic.” In this TED talk, he races a team of calculators to figure out 3-digit squares, solves another massive mental equation and guesses a few birthdays. He’ll tell you how he does it!
http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_does_mathemagic.html