Posts Tagged ‘mathematics’
Contrived versus genuine mathematical problems
Posted by: Gary Ernest Davis on: April 15, 2011
It might come as a surprise to some people, but kids are not stupid. So what’s a little kid to make of the following question: “Bobby has a dog with 8 spots. Jennifer has a dog with 3 fewer spots than Bobby’s dog. How many spots does Jennifer’s dog have?” What’s a kid to think? […]
What math teachers should know about memory
Posted by: Gary Ernest Davis on: April 11, 2011
How often do mathematics teachers say about students: “If only they would memorize the information”? In my experience, a lot, and with considerable anguish. What this concern shows, in my experience, is a lack of understanding of human memory systems – an aspect of brain functioning that is critical to education. Rote memorization This is […]
Tags: mathematics, memory
