Community of Adult Math Instructors (CAMI)
teachers learning math together
Ramon led the group into an investigation of a simple equation with many possible solutions.
Ramon Garcia brought a problem type called an Open Middle problem. He talked about how usually teachers give students problems that look like this:
1+2=?
There is one answer: 3. And you’re done. (It could be more challenging, but it would still have only one solution that makes the equation true.)
Continue reading “Open Middle equations”For the first evening meeting of 2020, Greg Fein led us through an exploration of the card game, Set.
The meeting began with Greg passing out a few decks of the game Set and giving time for all to explore the cards. Some of us were familiar with the game, but for others this was the first time seeing these cards. We then shared our observations of the cards in the deck.
Continue reading “The Game of Set”NYC CAMI revisited the Grid Power problem and modeled the collective problem-posing/problem-solving process of CAMI meetings.
At this year’s NYC ABE Conference, Jane, Eric and Mark brought back the Grid Power problem from the summer 0f 2016.
Continue reading “CAMI Roadshow: 2018 NYC Adult Basic Education Conference”
We welcomed two first time CAMI members to a meeting where we once again looked deeply at something that is so familiar, we take it for granted. Greg Fein’s exploration helped us to unpack tic-tac-toe and find the math. It turns out is an ancient game with roots all over the world, with perhaps something innately human at the heart of it.
Greg started by putting a familiar drawing on the board and asked us what came to mind:
We responded with “tic-tac-toe, hashtag, 9 squares, right angles. parallel lines…”
Greg then focused us on our first impression and asked us to remember the rules of tic-tac-toe:
Continue reading “There’s More to Tic Tac Toe than You Know…”
Several engaging activities for exploring factors. Which would you use for HSE math classes and how would you use them?
I puzzled over what to bring to today’s meeting for days. I have a couple unfinished problems that I’ve been thinking to bring to a CAMI meeting, but in the end I chose to go with a few activities on factors, mostly from Fostering Algebraic Thinking, by Mark Driscoll. A group of us read the book last summer and loved the problems. There were so many good ones that we weren’t able to solve them all while reading the book. I went into this meeting hoping that the surprise of the central problem wouldn’t be ruined. Continue reading “Multiple Factors”
Inspired by Mathematical Mindsets, by Jo Boaler, we explored questions related to “trains” made out of Cuisenaire rods.
A few of us are reading Mathematical Mindsets, by Jo Boaler, as part of a book group on LINCS that will start this coming Monday, April 17th. The book is similar to Boaler’s other writing in that it cites evidence of recent work in brain science to show that everyone can learn, that the brain is plastic and grows like a muscle when used, and there is no such thing as math people and non-math people. Boaler also argues for an approach to developing growth mindsets that is rooted in mathematics. The book includes examples of low-entry, high ceiling problems that can be used to develop mathematical mindsets. Continue reading “Making Trains from Cuisenaire Rods”
