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Being Nimble with Numbers

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In this blog, I want to discuss one of the issues in Maths education: The focus on one method to solve problems of a particular type. The example I will use throughout is the unitary method : When you work out the cost per unit of an item. The unitary method The following illustration of the unitary method comes from a very good textbook (Lipson et. al., 2022):  Students can apply this method to compare "cost per unit" when deciding which of the following to buy: Hopefully, students realise that 100g would be a good unit here, rather than feel compelled to use 1g. Using one method: The good and the bad It is a good thing to practise a method that applies in as many contexts as the unitary method does. It gives the student a strategy and enables them to master it. It also gives the teacher direction on how to teach. I am all for explicit teaching and it is difficult to teach explicitly in the absence of a repeatable method. The bad thing about emphasising one method is that i...
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What I learnt from a "hands-on" digital tech subject

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In the last semester, I taught a new Year Nine elective at my school, "Out of this world: Technology to take us to Mars." I am writing this post to force myself to evaluate my practice and to document what I learnt from the experience. DJI Robomaster EP Core, programmed as a simulation Mars Rover
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Book Review: The Math(s) Fix - Part 2 of 2

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In the last instalment , I reviewed Conrad Wolfram's diagnosis of what is wrong, or outdated, about Maths education today. In this second part, I will review his "Math(s) Fix".
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Book Review: The Math(s) Fix - Part 1 of 2

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The Math(s) Fix is Conrad Wolfram's case for teaching mathematics with the assumption that computers exist! To be clear from the beginning, Wolfram is not advocating that we solve the same problems but with a greater reliance on computers and calculators. He wants us to recognise that computers have revolutionised the discipline of mathematics and that we need to reflect this change in our curricula. In the following lines, I will present a summary of Wolfram's thesis, as I understand it. My aim is to give you enough of an idea so you can decide whether you want to read the book for yourself. This part will concentrate on the case that the book builds for a radical change of the maths curriculum. Part 2 will explain the alternative in more detail.
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Online Learning - Tech toolkit

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For what it's worth, I thought I would write a blog post about the technology I am using in my online classes and about some of the ways I use it. There is nothing ground breaking here, which is why I think it may be useful to some readers. (c) Can Stock Photo / Emevil
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A useful question to ask your students about online learning

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Teaching in Melbourne, I am about to start my second round of online classes. I am taking some time to remind myself of the lessons I learnt from my and other people's experience in lockdown 1.0. Some of the best student feedback that I received from the last period was due to a question that was suggested by my school's principal: How did I, as a teacher, help you learn during the lockdown? (c) Can Stock Photo / lightkeeper
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Students presenting their projects at a teachers' conference

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Today, I had the privilege of co-presenting with three of my students at DigiCon 2018. The whole day was really engaging and the students benefited from hearing the keynote speech and from playing with robots. In the afternoon, we ran our own session, which a friend and colleague asked me to write about. Our session was about designing digital tech electives that appeal to girls. I wanted to share some ideas about what has been working for us at Avila College and to show that attracting girls to digital technologies need not mean a watering down of our offerings. The session was well attended, with about 30 teachers there. The students, previously nervous about presenting to teachers, seemed relaxed and confident once we got started. This slipper hides a message from Bob to Alice
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