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Presentations by the Think Math! Team
Papers written by the Think Math! Team
Presentations by the Think Math! Team
Keynote address at MassMATE, the Massachusetts Mathematics Association of Teacher Educators, Roger Williams University, June 11, 2008.
What do Attention, Memory, and Language Learning have to do with Problem Solving? - E. Paul Goldenberg - The way young children learn their own language can tell us a lot about how they — and perhaps the rest of us — learn mathematics. Through examples of activities and children’s thinking, this talk will show some of the roles that attention, memory, and language processing play in problem-solving, and how to develop and take advantage of these “non-mathematical” strengths of children. Examples will include some ways that young children learn to use algebraic language, and one way to help solve the “word-problem” dilemma. Notes accompanying each slide help put the “speaker” back into the presentation. Powerpoint presentation (1.2 Mb).
Keynote address at ATMIM, Boston College, January 10, 2008; and presentation
at NHTM, Southern New Hampshire University, March 26, 2008.
How the ideas and language of algebra K-5 set the stage for algebra 6–12 - E. Paul Goldenberg - PowerPoint presentation (large file - 11Mb), PDF version (808Kb)
Rice University, Houston, TX, Fall 2007
From Buttons to Algebra: Learning the ideas and language of algebra, K-12 - E. Paul Goldenberg - What could mathematics be like? It could spark curiosity! (How can addition and subtraction sentences ever do that?!) And it could be fascinating! (How can anything as un-sexy as memorizing multiplication facts be fascinating?!) This presentation is aimed to hook the curiosity of teachers. Through activities that teachers can use in class—activities that simultaneously give students practice and also rivet their attention and interest—this presentation shows adults some intriguing (and useful!) surprises in familiar mathematical areas. It also tells part of the story of children’s development of algebraic ideas and language, from Kindergarten sorting activities, through elementary school, culminating in knowledge that more than prepares them for success in formal algebra. Notes that accompany the visual presentation fill in some of the details about how what we know from brain science and children’s extraordinary ability to learn language has influenced the way we teach children mathematics, and why we know that all children are vastly more capable at mathematics than has usually been supposed. Powerpoint presentation (large file - 12Mb), PDF version (700 Kb) More detail and background can be found on http://thinkmath.edc.org.
NCSM Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 18-21, 2007
Think Math! Using (and Building) Mathematical Curiosity and the Spirit of Puzzlement to Develop Algebraic Ideas and Computation Skill - E. Paul Goldenberg, March 20, 2007 - You'll learn puzzles, games, and attention-riveting teaching strategies that build algebraic understanding while helping children develop computational fluency. This session showed how bringing out the algebra deepens number and problem-solving skill. (Powerpoint Show- What could mathematics be like?, PDF, Powerpoint presentation in QuickTime movie format-You must have Apple Quicktime on your computer to view this movie. Click here to download Apple Quicktime)
NCTM Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 21-24, 2007
Shape Safari: Engaging and Useful Contexts for Learning 3-D Geometry! - E. Paul Goldenberg, March 22, 2007 - When kids need to communicate and have something to talk about, they’re superb language learners. Tests require oodles of vocabulary, but we want thinking. Here are some puzzles, games, and other activities that get kids talking—and thinking—in three dimensions. (Powerpoint Show- Shape Safari, PDF, Powerpoint presentation in QuickTime movie format - You must have Apple Quicktime on your computer to view this movie. Click here to download Apple Quicktime)
Counting on Curiosity - Deborah E. Rosenfeld, March 23, 2007 - What makes students curious? How does their curiosity drive learning and understanding? This session will explore the connection between curiosity and students' achievement and present concrete ways of capturing and maintaining the curiosity of all students. Examples of stories, puzzles, and other surprising activities for use in the classroom will be offered. (Powerpoint Show- Counting on Curiosity, PDF, Powerpoint presentation in QuickTime movie format- You must have Apple Quicktime on your computer to view this movie. Click here to download Apple Quicktime)
Old Computations, New Representations - Nina Shteingold, March 23, 2007 - How can we ensure that our students develop computational fluency while also building conceptual understanding? This presentation describes how simple, effective visual models can be used to represent basic mathematical processes in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. (Powerpoint Show- New Representations, PDF, Powerpoint presentation in QuickTime movie format- You must have Apple Quicktime on your computer to view this movie. Click here to download Apple Quicktime)
ATMIM Spring Conference in Marlboro, Ma, April 5, 2007
The Power of Games: Skills, Concepts, and Problem Solving - Eric E. Karnowski, April 5, 2007 - Games are not only a fun and engaging source of skill practice, but they are also a source for building and deepening conceptual understanding. This workshop presents several examples from the new Think Math! curriculum, along with the principles used to create them — and a chance to play! (PDF)
Vail Symposium, Vail, CO, June 23, 2006
Mathematics (for all) for Tomorrow: How to Start a Job We Cannot Finish - E. Paul Goldenberg, June 23, 2006 - This presentation included two PowerPoint files. The first—Why Math?—was created to honor Janet Whitla, at her retirement as president of EDC. The second—Vail Harcourt—evolved from a presentation of the algebra strand in Think Math! They were combined, and significantly revised and extended to fit a major theme in the Symposium: developing curiosity. Extensive notes accompany each slide, to present part of the talk that surrounded the slides. (Powerpoint - Why Math?, Powerpoint - Vail Harcourt)
NCTM Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO, April 26-29, 2006
Practice with a Purpose: How Do I Teach the Basics without Boredom? - Eric E. Karnowski, April 27, 2006 - Mastery in basics skills requires practice, but repetitive drill puts students' brains to sleep. Using deeper mathematical ideas, such as connections between arithmetic and algebra, you can bring practice into the classroom while giving students something new to think about. (Handout Packet PDF)
Skills or Understanding? Why Not Both? - Paisley Rossetti, April 28, 2006 - Come explore methods, puzzles, and representations that help students practice number facts and skills while also acquiring the conceptual underpinnings. These activities integrate easily into any core program or type of classroom. (Powerpoint, Handout Packet PDF)
Stop Pulling Teeth: How to Extract Students' Mathematical Thinking - Deborah Rosenfeld and Suenita Lawrence, April 29, 2006 - With not enough time to teach the basics, when do teachers fit in assessment? This presentation offers suggestions for incorporating informal and individualized assessment into everyday mathematical learning. (Powerpoint, Handout Packet PDF)
ATMIM Spring Conference, Marlborough, MA, March 16, 2006
Stop Pulling Teeth: How to Extract Students' Mathematical Thinking - Deborah Rosenfeld and Suenita Lawrence - With not enough time to teach the basics, when do teachers fit in assessment? This presentation offers suggestions for incorporating informal and individualized assessment into everyday mathematical learning. (Powerpoint, Handout Packet PDF)
ATMIM Winter Conference, Boston, MA, January 12, 2006
Geometry Field Trip: From 2D to 3D - Paisley Rossetti and Deborah Rosenfeld - Come along on a journey of transformation from 2D nets to 3D shapes. Uncover surprises about the relationships between vertices and faces in different categories of polyhedrons. (Handout Packet PDF)
NCTM Eastern Regional Conference, Hartford, CT, October 6-8, 2005
Facts and Concepts: Where's the Connnection? - Paisley Rossetti - Come and explore methods and puzzles that help students of all ages practice number facts while acquiring the conceptual underpinnings. The activities are easily integrated into any core program.
NCTM Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, April 6-9, 2005
Assess for Success - Paisley Rossetti, April 7, 2005 - Success in learning meaningful mathematics is associated with assessment as an integral part of classroom instruction. See the benefit of using students' recordings, rubrics and questioning techniques that encourage students to reason, connect, justify, and communicate while solving problems. (PDF, Powerpoint)
Bringing out the Algebra in Elementary School Mathematics - E. Paul Goldenberg (PDF, Powerpoint)
NCSM Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, April 4-5, 2005
Helping Teachers See an Algebraic Story Line in Elementary School Math, and Learn the Algebraic Ideas as They Teach Them to their Children - E. Paul Goldenberg, Mark Driscoll, and Steve Benson, April 4, 2005 - Number "tricks" that make children feel brilliant can teach them their facts and the basic patterns they'll relearn in algebra. Algebra's roots lie in elementary arithmetic; this session will show how some algebraic opportunities in K-5 mathematics, and how bringing out the algebra, helps teachers help children with both skills and understanding. (PDF, Powerpoint)
Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education, January 2005
Alphabet Number Soup: Mmmm, Mmmm, Good: Integrating Math and Language Arts Using Headline Stories - Sabita Chopra - "Tell a story with number 4 in it."” In responding, a child develops number sense and language skills. This session offers ideas for infusing language into math lessons. (Handout Packet PDF)
ATMNE Annual Conference, October 2004
Practice with a Purpose: Basics without Boredom! - Eric Karnowski - Mastery requires practice, but repetitive drill puts brains to sleep. Connections between arithmetic and algebraic ideas give students practice and something new to think about at the same time. (Handout Packet PDF)
Number Sense to Algorithms: Where's the Connection? - Paisley Rosetti - Come explore methods and manipulatives that help students of all ages connect number sense to algorithms. (Handout Packet PDF)
Modeling Multiplication for Young Children - Sarah Cremer - Simple models can lay the foundation for the development of a multiplication algorithm in young children. Explore how several representations build toward understanding and mastery of this skill. (Handout Packet PDF)
NCTM Eastern Regional Conference, Baltimore, MD, October 2004
Arithmetic Skill, Excitement, and the Start of Algebra in Elementary School - E. Paul Goldenberg - Algebraic games and puzzles, and number tricks that make children feel brilliant can teach them their facts and the ideas and patterns they'll relearn in algebra. Algebra's roots lie in elementary arithmetic; this session will show how bringing out the algebra helps young children with both skills and understanding. Includes practical classroom activities. (Powerpoint, PDF)
Assessing for Success - Paisley Rossetti - Research has shown that success in learning meaningful mathematics is associated with assessment as an integral part of the classroom instruction. See the benefit of student recordings and questioning techniques that encourage students to reason, connect, justify and communicate while solving problems. (PDF)
Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching, San Antonio, TX, July 2004
Real Algebra in Grades 1-5, Fun and Good Arithmetic Practice - Eric Karnowski (Handout Packet PDF)
Alphabet Number Soup: Mmmm, Mmmm, Good: Integrating Math and Language Arts Using Headline Stories - Sabita Chopra and Stacy Grossman - "Tell a story with number 4 in it."” In responding, a child develops number sense and language skills. This session offers ideas for infusing language into math lessons. (PDF)
NCTM Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, April 21-24, 2004
Real Algebra in Fourth Grade? Second Grade? Easy, Fun and Good Arithmetic: Developing Algebraic Ideas While Learning Arithmetic - E. Paul Goldenberg - Number tricks that make children feel brilliant can teach them their facts and the basic patterns they'll relearn in algebra. Algebra's roots lie in elementary arithmetic; this session will show how bringing out the algebra helps young children with both skills and understanding. Includes practical classroom activities. (Presentation updated for the NCTM Eastern Regional Conference and Exposition, October 2004) (Powerpoint, PDF)
Making Time for Problem Solving and Also Building Basic Skills - Jean Benson and Nina Shteingold - Classroom-tested strategies for developing students' problem-solving and reasoning skills. These strategies don't take time away from building basic skills, but work to reinforce them. Examples and handouts will be from the areas of arithmetic, algebra, statistics, and geometry for grades K-5. (PDF)
NCSM Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, April 7-9, 2003
Using Classroom Practice for Teachers' Professional Learning: Teachers Learning by Doing - E. Paul Goldenberg and Andrea Humez, April 9, 2003 (PowerPoint, PDF)
Algebra, Sweetly or Developing Algebraic Ideas While Learning Arithmetic - E. Paul Goldenberg and Andrea Humez, April 11, 2003 (This presentation has been updated to the 2004 Real Algebra in Fourth Grade? Second Grade? Easy, Fun and Good Arithmetic or Developing Algebraic Ideas While Learning Arithmetic which is above.)
NCSM Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, April 19-21, 2002
Classical Mathematics for the Modern Classroom: A Comprehensive K-5 Elementary Curriculum - Nina Arshavsky (PowerPoint, PDF)
Papers written by the Think Math! Team
Headline Stories: A Developmental Approach to Word Problems (PDF)
An excerpt from the teacher's materials that describes a unique feature of Think Math! that prepares children to be creative problem solvers and good deductive thinkers.
Building Standard Algorithms: From Buttons to Algebra (PDF)
An excerpt from the teacher's materials that describes how Think Math! uses children's own natural ideas about sorting objects as a foundation for the standard algorithms of addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
Mathematical Habits of Mind
for Young Children (PDF)
E. Paul Goldenberg and Nina Shteingold, Education Development Center, Inc.
Nannette Feurzeig, Lexington, MA, 2003
Elementary school teachers are in the unique and difficult position of managing just about everything, and often try to integrate their activities, finding ways to draw math lessons from literature, science, art, or lunch-money collection, finding ways to draw language lessons from science or math contexts, and so on. "Wouldn't it be nice," goes the theory, "if what we do at reading time, or in the morning calendar activity, or in our study of the chicks helps the children use and practice what they are learning in math? And wouldn't it be nice if the math lessons gave the children new and useful vocabulary, and practice with their reading and writing?"
What is a Standards-Based Mathematics
Curriculum? (html)
Lynn T. Goldsmith and June Mark, Education Development Center, Inc.
Educational Leadership, November 1999
Within mathematics education, talk about "the NCTM Standards" is everywhere. But because different people focus on different aspects of the Standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and may interpret them differently as well, what they mean by "the Standards" is not always clear. This article discusses the distinctive characteristics of a standards-based curriculum.