emergent math

Lessons, Commentary, Coaching, and all things mathematics.

Author: Geoff

  • Update to previous post on weather: holy cow, WolframAlpha is amazing!

    Previously, I tossed out a weekly local temperature plot and asked if you could tell when it started snowing. I also posited that it might be an interesting take periodic motion and/or sine curves. The problem is, not every locale has a nice cache of temperature and dewpoint data. Or do they? Enter WolframAlpha. It’s…

  • Problem Based Learning, start-to-finish, in Ten Minutes

    Want to learn more about Problem Based Learning but don’t have time to read several posts with graphics? Want to see what a student-centered math unit looks like from start to finish, but would prefer to see it visually and hear it in a nasally voice? Well, look no further, my friends! I recorded a…

  • Inquiry-based mathematics: the posing of a problem is only the beginning of the problem-posing process.

    We’ve been exploring some of the steps to an inquiry-based lesson in mathematics recently. In the last post, I tossed out a few .png images and laid out a few general steps in preparation for actually getting into the meat of inquiry-based mathematics instruction. Which we’ll do so starting today. Step 1: Posing a problem…

  • Based on this plot, can you tell me when it started snowing? Or, can we fit a sine curve to it?

    Now, I’m biased of course since I got a MS degree in Atmospheric Science, but I feel like weather and climate is one of the biggest untapped wells of potential math problems. I think there are two reasons for that (aside from the “lack of expertise” / “it’s not in the textbook” angles): 1) The…

  • An artifact produced by my daughter, presented without commentary

  • An oversimplified model of an inquiry-based lesson, with visual aids

    Last week, I mentioned that, having begun to attempt to slay one of the two giants of inquiry-based math instruction, I’d be steering into a potentially trickier aspect of inquiry based instruction: namely that of instruction and facilitation. Most of us learned math like this. We have decades of evidence suggesting that this method of…

  • Inquiry-Based instruction, in a PNG-nutshell

    In talking to math teachers about an Inquiry- , Project- , or Problem-Based approach, these are the following questions that come up most often. 1) “How am I supposed to cover all the standards using this approach?“ and, 2) “So, when do I actually teach?” An attempt at the first question is reflected in the…

  • 7th and 8th Grade additions to the Great Inquiry-Based Curriculum Mapping Project

    If you haven’t read last week’s introductory post or description of the Great Inquiry-Based Curriculum Mapping Project, please do so. Here’s the short description: there are some open google docs that tie math standards to activities, problems, projects, blog-posts and/or ideas. There have already been some great aggregation of ideas and the documents continue to…

  • Introducing: The Great Inquiry Based Curriculum Mapping Project: a plea for collaboration

    I’m kind of tired of working by myself. I’m just not smart or creative enough to create an entirely inquiry-based curriculum. You know, the kind of curriculum where you pose an interesting problem to your students and let them attempt to solve the problem, and the teacher becomes more of a facilitator and intervenes, when necessary, rather…