Week of Inspirational Math
This week is about inspiring students through open, beautiful and creative math. We have chosen the different tasks so that students see math as a broad, interesting and visual subject that involves deep thinking. Students will learn important growth mindset messages that will help them feel confident, try harder all year, persist with open and difficult problems and embrace mistakes and challenge. All tasks are low floor and high ceiling – they are accessible to all students and they extend to high levels
As a class, we will be exploring the beauty of math honoring ideas, visualizing numbers, folding geometry, exploring patterns (Pascal's Triangle) and growing shapes to stretch algebraic thinking. For more information and parent links check out the youcubed website from Stanford University.
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Jo Boaler, Co-Founder
Dr Jo Boaler is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University, and the Co-Founder of youcubed. She is also the editor of the Research Commentary Section of The Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME), an analyst for PISA testing in the OECD, and author of the first MOOC on mathematics teaching and learning. Former roles have included being the Marie Curie Professor of Mathematics Education for Europe, a mathematics teacher in London comprehensive schools and a researcher at King’s College, London. Her PhD won the national award for educational research in the UK and her book: Experiencing School Mathematics won the ‘Outstanding Book of the Year’ award for education in Britain. She is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (Great Britain), and a former president of the International Organization for Women and Mathematics Education (IOWME). She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation ‘Early Career Award’ and the NCSM Kay Gilliland Equity Award (2014). She is the author of nine books and numerous research articles. Her latest books What’s Math Got To Do With It? (2009) published by Penguin, USA and The Elephant in the Classroom (2010) published by Souvenir Press, UK, both aim to increase public understanding of the importance of good mathematics teaching. She serves as an advisor to several Silicon Valley companies, and a White House presenter on girls and STEM. She recently formed www.youcubed.org to give teachers and parents the resources and ideas they need to inspire and excite students about mathematics. |