Math Links for Week Ending Dec. 7th, 2018

Are you a math facilitator in Ontario? If so you may have been part of a virtual session this week with details on how to implement the Ministry of Ed's Focus on the Fundamentals campaign. If you missed it then you should check out their training site. There are a lot of good videos here to give more details on what the intent of this initiative is. Take a look.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://math.thelearningexchange.ca/training/

I don't think we can have enough visual representations of mathematics for students. This site from @BerkeleyEverett is new to me but I think it's been around for about a year. I think these kinds of visuals are not only good for students as they are learning these concepts for the first time but also for remediation in the later grades. Take a look.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://mathvisuals.wordpress.com/

This is an interesting take on how to deal with remediation with students from @cheesemonkeysf. Instead of working with students individually, turn the class into a community of learners with the same goal:

"I announced that our skills quiz for this unit was going to be a whole-class skills quiz, in which everybody would earn the AVERAGE SCORE of all individual quiz scores taken together."

She saw some great success. Have a read
Curriculum Tags: All
https://cheesemonkeysf.blogspot.com/2018/12/asking-different-question-manifesto-on.html

Here's one way that a college professor helps his students overcome math anxiety: He asks them to write about it. Thanks to @Taylored_Teach for pointing this one out.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51676/how-writing-can-help-you-overcome-math-anxiety


Math is everywhere. Even in the geometry of trying to describe smell
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unraveling-the-mathematics-of-smell/

I have continued to create videos on mini constructions using Desmos Geometry. This time I have added five more, each one about one of the different types of transformations that can be done. Check them all out at the link below
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8
http://engaging-math.blogspot.com/p/desmos-geometry-videos.html

I made this quick video on creating a dynamic fraction or percent circle using a template. You can download the template here.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku6IaIAVYIM

Leave it to Jo Boaler to not only tell us how to make things engaging for students but also how to make math hated.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://twitter.com/joboaler/status/1070006500347666432

Are there some high school teachers out there who can make me feel better? Seeing my children's high school maths experience is so dispiriting. Tell me you are breaking this cycle? Policy makers need to support teachers in making urgent change. pic.twitter.com/FIHtwsIFiu

— Jo Boaler (@joboaler) December 4, 2018

Here is a simple activity for dealing with composite area.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MFM1P
https://twitter.com/vaslona/status/1063504189190545408

The challenge: Write your name so that it covers an area of exactly 100 cm squared.

Love the different strategies students used here. E.g. Leia, who chose to make each letter 25 cm^2. Notice the revisions on the A.#mathchat #MTBoS Cc @PaiMath pic.twitter.com/FowEQoL4I6

— Ilona Vashchyshyn (@vaslona) November 16, 2018