Math Teachers at Play #90

Welcome to the 90th edition of Math Teachers at Play (MTaP) Blog Carnival! I am so excited to host this carnival again. MTaP is a monthly blog carnival with a collection of tips, games, and activities for teachers and students. It is always great fun to participate in anyway to this Carnival ^_^

Before starting the carnival, let us talk a little about the number 90. In geometry, 90 plays quite an important role, in a right triangle, the angle opposing the hypotenuse measures 90 degrees, with the other two angles adding up to 90 for a total of 180 degrees. Thus, an angle measuring 90 degrees is called a right angle.

Moreover, 90 is a pronic number. In plain English, a pronic number is a number which is the product of two consecutive integers, that is, n (n + 1). Observe that 90 = 9 x 10 = 9 x ( 9 + 1 ).

Now let’s start the fun. Thank you very much for all your submissions and help. Enjoy ^_^

1. The article Math Circle: MacMahon Squares by Math Hombre presents an interesting and extremely fun exercise concerning tessellation. The problem really makes your brain work and tessellations always offer a beautiful colorful result doesn’t matter what. Interesting is the fact that this exercise teaches us more than mathematics, but also group work and collaboration. It is a great idea for students and teachers alike.
2. Next we have another game related article, but this one discusses more about the math tools and games which should never be missing from a a teacher’s shelf. Thus, if you want to see if your shelf has the necessary objects to make your math class interesting check Top Picks for Hands-on Math Manipulatives and Games by Jimmie’s Collage. What I find extremely interesting about the article is the fact that parents can also use those games to encourage their children and also have great fun together. 
3. More on games and mathematics, in the article Our Final Math Class was very Egg-Citing! Susan Carpenter presents a fun probability-related game with great wonderful photos. The author explains that she “got the idea, of course, from a show they are too young to see – The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. We watched a clip of the show beforehand, so we could see how it worked.”

1. Before the next article, I have a question: Did you ever consider how you formulate a mathematical question so that you get the maximum out of the students? As a teacher-to-be I find this an interesting and important concept. The following article fits in the more broadly new collaborative betterQs blog-space dedicated to bringing together educators who want to think critically about question-asking. Thus, Which numbers have exactly two factors? by Maya Quin (BetterQs).
2. I believe most of you know about the concept that girls are not good at mathematics. I definitely do not agree with the idea, but maybe I shouldn’t start talking about this. The following article is written from the perspective of a 15 years old girl’s mother who cares more about mathematics. The article “Does your Daughter lack Math Confidence? She’s not the Only one” by Caroline Mukisa (Maths Insider) gives tips, tricks and advice for teachers and parents (especially) on helping girls love and understand mathematics.
   
3. Math Couch gave a wonderful description of his article What is 76 – 20 ——— 56, 55 or 54?. Thus I will take responsibility and quote: ” Its a discussion I had with one of the sixth graders while assessing her for her understanding of various maths concepts that she has (in principle) learnt in her lower classes. This post is about an interesting conversation that sparked off while assessing her mental math abilities. It has the elements of Inquiry/ Investigation, Problem solving, Discovery, etc which might be helpful for any maths teacher or even parents.” I believe this is an interesting article to read after Caroline’s article on tips for encouraging girls. 
4. Having a lot of articles with teaching ideas for different groups is a great thing for our carnival, but when we get some actual video-lesson, I get more excited about it. So, thank you Maria from Math Mammoth for sharing her lessons and ideas for Inger Basics (pre-algebra/7th grade math). You will find 7 really interesting and useful videos.
5. We have some wonderful videos, but now we have a book. Books are my life and a math book is wonderful. In the article Professor Povey’s Perplexing Problems, we get to find out more about Thomas Povey. A small quote directly from the article to find out more: “He is a Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, where he researches jet-engine and rocket technology. In his new book Professor Povey’s Perplexing Problems, he shares his favorite idiosyncratic stumpers from pre-university maths and physics.” 

6. Talking about lessons and books, what about a math boot camp? By Fractally Speaking ~ Maths T&L  we have some interesting exercise ideas on Preparations for Circular Functions. Take a look at her ideas, I believe that circular functions are hard at first and a little bit of preparations are always welcome. Let us know if you are going to try any of those ideas.

1. I consider that knowing how other countries are teaching mathematics is an important and interesting activity for everyone. In the article A Shift in Primary Maths: England and America, we read about the radical changes being made to the math curriculum in America and comparing it to the England’s changing curriculum. The process of managing and implementing these ideas is important and interesting to observe. You can never know how many new things are discovered and learning during a time of change.

And this is the end of the Carnival. Take a look at the 89th edition for more. Hope you enjoyed it, because it was a great experience and fun. If you want to be a host click here and help us spread ‘Maths LOVE’ .

Thank you for reading. Have a great week. Wish you the best and don’t forget that maths is everywhere. ^_^