An Excellent Plan to Begin a Math Class

Dr Rule was a professor at UTN who unlocked Mathematics for my Dad. His course was called mathematical analysis.  The things Dr Rule taught my father, my father in turn taught me.  I asked my Dad to tell me about his classes.  What resulted was a series of notes that I will be sharing with you in the next few blog posts.

First lecture, my father recounts this section of Dr Rule's first lecture to the college age people in his class:

• 'He told us upfront that most people dread math. They feel they can't understand it. He began by introducing the elephant in the room.
• Then he said he just got finished teaching in a private middle school and those kids were absolutely amazing. They could do anything.  With this statement he showed the students kids were able to succeed. Then he gave the recipe the kids used for success.
• "They listened, retained and gained a command of mathematics."  One of the greatest struggles in Math is staying focused so you can follow what is being shared.
• Finally, he told them he was going to teach some of the same things he was teaching to 7th graders with these college students.
• He ended this initialization process with a little bit of a challenge, "Don't worry if you can't catch on I will be here to remind you."'

If anyone knows Dr Rule I would love to meet him.  He taught at either MBA or BGA.  The way he taught echos.  It resonated with my father, with me and I hope it will resonate with you. Tune in next week when we will talk about his lecture on Odd and Even numbers.

If you would like to gain a better command of Mathematics I have crafted a lecture to help you understand this beautiful Philosophy better so you can help your child learn it. You can learn more about it at our page on Facebook called EDGE-ucational Consultants.  We would love to see you stop by and like our page.

Have a great week!

Five Things You Should Tell Your Child about Math

Sometimes people can be afraid of Math and can pass that fear down to their children. A young person's beliefs drive who they become and there is no greater driver of a student's beliefs than what their parents say to them.  The words you use with your child can profoundly shape your child's feelings and beliefs about a variety of subjects. Today we are going to talk about the top five things you can say to help your son or daughter succeed at Mathematics. 

     1.  Math is beautiful! If you have trouble with this concept here are a few links.

• http://fractalfoundation.org/resources/what-are-fractals
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/17/beautiful-math-equations-brain-great-art_n_4789667.html

     2.  Math is a system that is designed to make sense. Similar to a Philosophy, one idea builds on anther so we can move from 1+1=2, to 2+2=4, to 2+2+2=6 just like 2X3=6 and so forth.

     3. Math numbers and equations relate to one another.  When my daughter was very young we started talking about fact families. A fact family is four equations that use the same numbers and logically follow from one another. For example, 3+9=12, 9+3=12, 12-9=3, 12-3=9 is the set of equations that make up a fact family for 3,9, and 12, using addition and subtraction.  My children and I would make up fact families during road trips sometimes to keep us entertained.

     4. Math can be entertaining. There are several Math problems which have which are so loved they are passed down from generation to generation. Here is a version of one of our favorites:

• http://illuminations.nctm.org/BrainTeasers.aspx?id=4992

     5. There are recipes to help us do Math well. The Order of Operations tell us what part of a large equation to do first and how to follow the order to get the Math to work.  If it has been too long since your seen the Order of Operations: start with parenthesis; then exponents; multiplication or division; lastly addition or subtraction. When you need to choose one of the operations from the ors always work left to right.
Other recipes come along later.  In Math they are usually called formulas or algorithms but they are just directions on the steps to get the solution you need to a special problem.

If you would like more direction for a parent group on teaching mathematics to your child at home you can connect with Amy at @AmyFlatt1Five things to

Celebrate with Us

       Let's celebrate a beautiful victory! Over the last few weeks I have been coaching a family in scaffolding their eighth grader for Mathematics success.

        Initially it seem the student would not pass the course or the EOC, required end of course test.  I consulted with his family on the things to say to help him, ways to help his brain remember and focused skills to study.

       Together we found resources that were uniquely tailored for him.  He worked daily on learning Math with his mother.  We used his failures to scaffold his success.  Since he was allowed to retake the test it was handy to be able to concentrate on problems that he missed to see what he needed to know next.

    Celebrating small successes put him on the path to greater success. It also gave him a step up because we could take a moment to see what he had right.  On every test there were always some problems I could use to show he was learning the Math.  I would say you have these problems right.  Since you learned this Math, you can learn the others. He did his part.  He believed me and he worked hard.

      At the beginning of this nine weeks ,the first test we reviewed as a group was a 50, the lowest score he could receive.  On retesting he was able to bring it up to a 75 and we celebrated.

      When the next test rolled around, he made a 70 out of the gate.  After working together he was able to bring it up to  82.

      When he took the EOC it had to be sent off for grading.  He felt ill about the wait and did not know how he performed.  He did not feel good about it. This test could make the difference between passing Algebra or failing.

I received a call this Friday evening.  His score on the EOC was a 92! He passes for the year. Amazing!

       I now remember why I love teaching and how grateful I am to have discovered the joy of coaching families.

Some of my favorite fun Math resources:

 The Secrets of Mental Math is in my personal library.  Teaching your children these tricks can cure boredom on long car rides and can begin the scaffolding process for Math success.
 http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Mental-Math-Mathemagicians-Calculation/dp/0307338401/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=teachersandco-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=K4OELUMSGXS7B3VL&creativeASIN=0307338401

Crossing the River with Dogs is also in my personal library. It teaches the problem solving skills George Polya wrote about in How to Solve it.
http://www.amazon.com/Problem-Solving-Strategies-Mathematical-Adventures/dp/1559533706/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=teachersandco-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=PZS5SQ7VMFUJFH3K&creativeASIN=1559533706

Not for kids but really powerful if you want to create strong roots for the Math success  of you family. How to Solve it by George Polya:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Solve-It-Mathematical-Princeton/dp/069116407X/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=teachersandco-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=B6JAK552RBOM3TCP&creativeASIN=069116407X