This is another amazing anamophosis from Francisco De Comite, In “Hidden Pentagram”, the curved arms of increasing thickness form the image of a pentagram on the mirrored surface of a sphere. You can find out more about the artist’s work here.
This is another piece from the 2013 Bridges Mathematical Art Gallery.
The Museum of Mathematics has posted my Rosenthal Prize lesson, Sphere Dressing, on their website and made it freely available for download.
In this lesson, students explore the connections between plane and solid geometry by designing and building hats to cover a sphere. This set of activities, which includes options for grades 4 to 12, was part of my application portfolio for the 2012 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Teaching Mathematics , and I was honored to be named runner-up. A nice profile of the two winners appears in Scientific American here.
You can download my lesson, Sphere Dressing, here. You can find out more information about the Rosenthal Prize, and find more award-winning lessons for download here.
Through Math for America, I am part of an ongoing collaboration with the New York Times Learning Network. My latest contribution, a Test Yourself quiz-question, can be found here
Test Yourself Math — September 4, 2013
This question relates to the expansion of aptitude tests like the SAT and ACT. How much is spent each year on these two exams?
Education Week has an informative and interesting article on how the new Common Core standards and the accompanying exams mesh with calculator use in math class.
The piece gives a nice overview of where and when calculator use is allowed across different states, how those policies match up with the Common Core standards, and how the new Common Core-aligned exams plan on dealing with the pros and cons of calculator use by students. I am briefly quoted in the piece, as well, discussing appropriate use of calculators in the classroom.
One thing I had not considered is that mandating calculator use on the new Common Core-aligned exams will likely bring calculators into the hands of students that previously didn’t have them.
Ms. Cole said a key advantage of using online calculators is it levels the playing field to ensure all students, regardless of background or income level, use the same calculator on the test.
“The biggest benefit to me is the equity issue,” she said.
You can read the piece here.
