Why Teachers Like Me Support Unions.
March 22, 2011, 12:00 am
Why do I support teacher unions?
Because the quality of education is better. Yes it is. (note: I worked in a private boarding school for two years before moving to public schools). We want our students taught by teachers who focus on the students learning.
Without unions, teachers also have to...
No Homework Grade! No Way!
March 11, 2011, 12:00 amIn concert with the Standards Based Grading, I’ve also changed my homework policy. In the past I would check homework completion levels every day from every student. They would have a grade out of 4; 4 fully done, 2 half done or late, 0 not done.
Firecrackers #wcydwt
February 28, 2011, 12:00 amThree Slips of Paper – Car Talk Puzzler
February 20, 2011, 12:00 amExcellent probability (ish) puzzler from Car Talk:
Three Slips of Paper
RAY: This is from Norm Leyden from Franktown, Colorado. The date on it is 1974–I’m a little behind.Three different numbers are chosen at random, and one is written on each of three slips of paper. The slips are then...
“Skinny” Diet Pepsi Can WCYDWT
February 10, 2011, 12:00 amDiet Pepsi will soon be available in a “taller, sassier new Skinny Can” that the company says is a “celebration of beautiful, confident women.”
(Article linked by @21stcenturychem and found here.)
I’ll table the discussion on whether or not this can is “sassier”, but if the can is 6 inch...
A Converse Tale
February 4, 2011, 12:00 amFor the past 6 years I’ve been explaining converse (of the inverse, converse, and contrapositive fame) by saying that you can switch your Converse® shoes from left to right (although potentially uncomfortable), but you certainly cannot negate your Converse® shoes.
Today a volunteer stepped up...
Two Classic Puzzlers from Cartalk
January 21, 2011, 12:00 amPuzzler 1:
Every two-digit number can be represented as AB, where B is the ones digit and A is the tens digit. Right? So for example the number 43, A is 4 and B is 3.
Imagine then that you took this two-digit number and you squared it, AB x AB, and when you did that the result was a three-digi...
The App Store – 10 Billion
January 14, 2011, 12:00 am
Developing Math Intuition
January 14, 2011, 12:00 amGreat post: http://math-blog.com/2011/01/13/developing-math-intuition/
Our initial exposure to an idea shapes our intuition. And our intuition impacts how much we enjoy a subject. What do I mean?
Suppose we want to define a “cat”:
- Caveman definition: A furry animal with claws, teeth, a...
Today is brought to you by the number 73
January 13, 2011, 12:00 amHere’s a great set of facts about the number 73 (a Chuck Norris Number, sidenote I might grow to like that show but I can’t stand the laugh track):
- The mirror of 73, the 21st prime number, 37, is the 12th prime number. The number 21 has factors 7 and 3.
- In binary, 73 is a palindrome – 10...