This document summarizes a presentation about improving math education. It discusses how traditional math classes focus too much on computation and getting the right answer, rather than developing mathematical reasoning skills. The presentation advocates using multimedia, asking open-ended questions, and letting students build problems themselves to encourage intuition over formulaic answers. It also draws on a TED talk and video that promote teaching students the underlying mathematical concepts and problem-solving process rather than just getting to the solution.

1. Presented by
Margie Mullins
&
Elizabeth Pendergraph

2.  A makeover for math class

3.  High School Math teacher
 Sells a product to a market that doesn’t want it but is
forced to buy it.
 He expects no higher than a 25% pass rate if he gave
an algebra exam

4. Computation
Math Reasoning
 The stuff we as adults
 The application of math
have forgotten
 For example, factoring
quadratic equations
 Also easy to relearn
provided you have a very
strong grounding in math
reasoning
processes to the world
around us
 What we would love
students to retain even if
they don’t go into
mathematical fields
 The way we teach it in the
U.S. ensures we won’t
retain it

5.  Lack of initiative: students don’t self-start
 Lack of perseverance
 Lack of retention: You have to re-explain concepts
 Aversion to word problems
 Eagerness for formula

6.  Present a visual
 Ask a question
 Encourage discussion
 Apply labels and measurements
 Apply mathematical structure
 Develop sub steps to solve

7. “The formulation of a problem is often more essential
than its solution, which may be merely a matter of
mathematical or experimental skill.” –Albert Einstein

8.  Use multimedia
 Encourage student intuition
 Ask the shortest question you can
 Let students build the problem
 Be less helpful

9.  Against “Answer-Getting”
 Ordinary teacher developing high performance
teachers in Japan
 High performing teachers producing ordinary
student in USA

10.  USA teachers teach for students to get answers
 Japan teachers teach to the mathematics for the
student to be able to solve the problem
 Math is suppose to taught for students to learn
mathematics

11.  Why solve problems?
 Answers are the product
 Answers are a part of the process
 Correct answers
 Are important
 Should not be solve mission

12.  Is a opportunity to find out why the answer is
incorrect
 Helps student to see the problem differently
 Gives an opportunity to clarify the mathematics of
the problem

13.  Student don’t try to understand the problem
 They try to make anything come out even
 There is no need to make sense of the problem just
get a even answer and move on

14.  Dan Meyer: Math class needs a makeover | Video on
TED.com. 2013. Dan Meyer: Math class needs a
makeover | Video on TED.com. [ONLINE] Available
at:
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curric
ulum_makeover.html. [Accessed 26 October 2013].
 Phil Daro - Against "Answer-Getting" on Vimeo.
2013. Phil Daro - Against "Answer-Getting" on
Vimeo. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://vimeo.com/30924981. [Accessed 26 October
2013].