5 Maths Gems #21

Happy New Year's Day as well as welcome to my 21st gems post - this is where I portion v pedagogy ideas that I've seen on Twitter inwards the yesteryear week. Now I'm dorsum at travel from motherhood leave, I await these posts volition cash inwards one's chips fortnightly rather than weekly. Sadly, marker as well as lesson planning volition hateful I select less fourth dimension to get together ideas from Twitter.

My aim for 2015 is to cash inwards one's chips on to travel towards a post for every topic, therefore that when you're planning lessons you lot tin refer to these posts as well as there's everything you lot demand - concepts, ideas, resources, enrichment as well as links. I truly promise these posts cut back the amount of fourth dimension you lot select to pass searching the internet. My latest post was on Teaching Indices, as well as you lot tin come across the total attain here.

1. Brilliant
I've been enjoying the questions from brilliant.org this week. It has a big attain of mathematical problems that you lot could purpose inwards lessons (algebra, geometry, calculus, mechanics etc). Plenty of the problems are available for gratis - total solutions, extra problems as well as a bunch of other materials is available for a small-scale subscription.

Here's a couplet of examples of problems for your students:

Some topics also select explanations as well as interesting worked examples - depository fiscal establishment represent out the chapter on the volume of a pyramid. The associated quiz has questions similar the ane shown below.

So if you're looking for interesting questions to purpose when pedagogy a specific theme therefore you lot mightiness discovery Brilliant helpful.

Also, if you're looking for some challenging problems to select a cash inwards one's chips at yourself, I recommend you lot similar Brilliant.org on Facebook - you'll acquire a overnice menstruum of problems inwards your newsfeed. Here's what Facebook presented me amongst this morn - this is a degree 2 enquiry (levels cash inwards one's chips from 1 to 5, amongst 5 existence the most difficult).
2. FOIL

Whether or non you lot learn 'FOIL' every bit a method for expanding brackets, sentry the video below.

By the way, I don't intend there's necessarily anything terribly incorrect amongst pedagogy 'FOIL' every bit long every bit students know that the gild doesn't matter. When I was at schoolhouse I was merely told to 'multiply everything inwards the outset bracket yesteryear everything inwards the 2d bracket' as well as every bit a upshot I purpose a attain of FOIL, FIOL, FOLI as well as FILO on the board... sometimes my students who've been taught FOIL intend I'm doing it wrong. It's truly of import that nosotros emphasise that at that topographic point is no laid upward order. I suppose FOIL merely helps students hold rail of their workings.

3. BODMAS
Sticking amongst the first-class videos from @minutephysics, if you lot haven't seen this ane close PEDMAS (that's BODMAS inwards the UK), it's good worth a sentry (thanks to @JustinAion for sharing). The gild of operations turns humans into robots!


4. Furbles
I may last the in conclusion maths instructor to take away heed close Furbles, but inwards illustration anyone else hasn't heard of them, they deserve a get upward here. Thanks to Hannah (@missradders) for bringing this cute statistics pedagogy tool to my attention.

Furbles tin last used to learn statistical graphs as well as probability - if you've non seen them earlier therefore select a play or therefore - there's ii web-based versions on the website, summation a downloadable version here. Examples of Furbles-related questions are shown below, as well as there's a to a greater extent than comprehensive listing here (thanks to @clwatson999 for sharing this link).

• Which is the best graph to present you lot which is the most as well as the least? 
• What would the telephone substitution for this pie nautical chart facial expression like? 
• What is the probability the adjacent starred Furble volition last … a regal triangle amongst iv eyes?

You tin also enquire students to brand a laid upward of Furbles to laissez passer detail nautical chart properties or a specified probability distribution.

5. Euclid the Game
H5N1 few people select recommended Euclid the Game to me as well as I finally got circular to having a skillful facial expression at it. I come across what all the fuss is close now. I'm pedagogy loci as well as constructions shortly therefore I intend I'll mass an information technology room to permit my students select a cash inwards one's chips at this game. After a curt tutorial inwards which they acquire how to purpose the basics of GeoGebra, students are asked to create a serial of constructions.

What I similar close it is that students who unremarkably merely acquire a physical care for for these constructions select to intend close how the constructions truly travel (ie they're non merely drawing arcs). It's a cracking game therefore if you've non seen it before, create select a look.

Well that's it from me today. Hope you lot all select a skillful outset calendar week dorsum at school!

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