This Week in Math Ed: January 19, 2018

Math Ed Said

January 12: I think this is the second time I have seen this Desmos graph of the spinning Desmos logo appear as the most-shared thing on Twitter. I don't get it.

Shared by: Pam Harris, Judy Keeney, Karen Gartland, Darren Burris, Cathy Yenca, Kat Hendry, Matt Vaudrey, Scott Leverentz, Jen McAleer, Kyle Pearce, Robbyn Glinsmann, Bob Lochel, Zach Cresswell, Bridget Dunbar, Laura Wheeler

January 13: Laurie Rubel of Brooklyn College got some media attention (and unwanted negative attention from readers of some of those sites) about a story discussing her article, "Equity-Directed Instructional Practices: Beyond the Dominant Perspective" in the Journal of Urban Mathematics Education. As usual, most of the criticism/harassment came from people who didn't read the article, even though it's available via open access.

Shared by: Equity MathEd, Chris Brownell, Kit, Laurie Rubel, Regan Galvan, Brian R Lawler, Geoff Wake

January 14: If you haven't seen SolveMe Mobiles, you should really check them out. These are good examples of how algebra doesn't always have to look like variables and equations, and that students can figure these out as puzzles well before they're in 8th or 9th grade.

Shared by: Heidi Allum, Patrick Honner, Simon Gregg, Emily Stewart, Shelby Aaberg, Jen Overley, Margie Pearse, Dr. Steve Humble

January 15: The original link to this was broken, but I'm pretty sure people were trying to share "Minimizing the 'Matthew Effect'," a blog post by Mark Chubb. By the "Matthew Effect," Mark describes that phenomenon where children who start off a little bit ahead of others get offered more opportunities to engage (in sports, or math, or whatever) and that extra engagement gives them compounding advantages over time — and maybe we should consider that as teachers when structuring participation in the classroom.

Shared by: Jennifer Lawler, Laura Wheeler, Laura Wagenman, Lane Walker, Mark Chubb

Kara Imm leaning in during the 2015 RME Conference.

January 16: First of all, if you're into number talks and haven't been to the Number Strings website, you need to be there like yesterday. Second, take your time and read "Trusting the digits: Developing place value understanding." Are conversations among students happening like this in your classroom? Although unstated, Kara Imm gets the author credit for this post — I recognized her masterful facilitation!

Shared by: Brett Parker, Bridget Dunbar, Marilyn Burns, Erica Litke, Sendhil Revuluri, Kit, Math in the City, Rachel Lambert, Geonz, Rachel Lambert, Kara Imm

January 17: The American Association of University Professors collected names of those wanting to Stand With Dr. Laurie Rubel at Brooklyn College.

Shared by: Spencer Bagley, Annie Perkins, Equity MathEd, Brian R Lawler, Nicole Bannister, Mike Steele, Laurie Rubel, Amanda Jansen, Samuel Otten, LaurieRubel

January 18: Graham Fletcher put together a Fraction Video Series called "The Foundation of Fractions." The videos are presented with teachers as the audience, such as teachers who want to improve the way they teach fractions or the way they want to understand fractions themselves.

Shared by: Amanda Haskell, Kyle Pearce, Shawna Hedgepeth, Jennifer Lawler, Georgina Rivera, Mike Flynn, Emily Campbell, Jill Gough, Pam J. Wilson, Bridget Dunbar, Matthew Oldridge, Chrissy Newell, Graham Fletcher