Contains Two Zeroes
I hope this email finds you.
Well,
Should young students be taught math by specialists? An appealing idea to some, but one that has come out looking not great in several recent studies. I write more in "Is subject specialization worth it?"
Should the state of California change how kids learn math? An appealing idea to some edu-celebs, but one that increasingly seems fraught. I write more in "What's the deal with the California Math Framework?"
Should Alan Turing's contributions to mathematical biology be better known? A new newsletter says "yes." A Turing pattern is a regularity created out of a nearly homogenous mix of substances that have simple rules for interacting. Here's wikipedia and here's a gorgeous web applet for playing with some of these patterns.
Should you buy a copy of Ben Orlin's latest book, "Math Games with Bad Drawings"? Let's keep it simple: yes.
Ben writes about Walter Joris' work in his book. He previously blogged about several of Joris' games. I played Sequencium with some 4th Graders and my seven-year old this week.
"Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch" by Rivka Galchen is historical fiction about Johannes Kepler's mother, who was (you guessed it) accused of being a witch. It's sometimes funny and often sad, morally it's about taking a side (and making sure it's the right side when you do).
1210 is self-aware number, because it contains 1 zero, 2 ones, 1 two, and 0 threes. 2020 is also self-aware because it contains 2 zeroes, 0 ones, 2 twos and 0 threes. Are there more self-aware numbers? Do they always end in zero? (From: Play With Your Math)
Here are some other types of numbers that should exist: self-hating; empty; royal; basic; acidic; criminal; innocent; guilty; pointless; spare; bouncy; charming; semi-charmed; fake; grandfather; timebound; purposeful; spicy.
Here are some instructional theories that should exist: question-based learning; thought-based instruciton; teaching for learning; collaborative instruction; cognitive teaching; co-instructional instruction; co-optional teaching; socioeconomic-emotional learning.
I've been reading about homework while trying to write about homework, and here's a concrete takeaway: for a few years I've only been sending home review questions for homework, but now I'm sending home more current classroom stuff. I think some people might appreciate that, especially with the younger kids.
All the best,
Michael