News: How people learn Or dont
Pi, Tau and Eta
Recently, I've heard a lot about the number Ï„, and I find the whole thing a bit odd.
Rule collision
The same experience has happened to me several times in the Maths Drop-In Centre recently – with different students from different courses – and it was such a strong pattern I need to talk about it.
The students are doing some algebra involving negative powers on the tops of fractions. Something like this:
Rapunzel's Epiphany
We bought Disney Studio's newest film "Tangled" on the weekend and I have to say it's one of my favourite movies ever. It's certainly Disney's best movie since "Beauty and the Beast", and I dearly loved "Beauty and the Beast". I should warn you now that in order to say what I want to say I'm going to have to reveal a bit of the plot, so let this count as your spoiler alert.
Discounting your problem-solving
As I was leaving the other day, a student said that she would come to see us the next day to ask some questions about her assignment. She said she had tried to do as much of it herself as she could, and had only done 70% of it.
Charlotte's Sudoku
The other night I was doing a Sudoku, and my two-year-old daughter Charlotte decided she wanted to help, as she always does at any time when I have a pen and paper she could steal.
The Fairyland Clickety-Clock
This post is again inspired by the television show The Fairies (you have been warned!).
Plastic bag CPR
There is a saying that goes "practice makes perfect", but I've had several people point out to me that a truer statement is "practice makes permanent". If you do something over and over, it will stick – whether it is the right thing or not.
Rhapsody's sunburn
My daughter asked to watch The Fairies (distributed through ABC for Kids) this morning and as we ate our breakfast I watched as Harmony and Rhapsody visited their friend Bubbles the Beach Fairy on Fairy Beach.
The Bare Drop-In Centre Walls
I took down all the posters in the Maths Drop-In Centre on Friday and the effect is startling.
![RSS News Feed](/global/images/rss.gif" "RSS News Feed"){kind=small}