How many People do you hear say

“I Can’t do English”

Yet, many of those same say

“I Can’t do Math”

Not just students

But Teachers

RemarkablyI hear English teachers

Say“I’m an English Teacher,

I don’t do math”

I never Say

“I’m a math teacher, I don’t do English”

English is Hard, Math is Easy

Math rule Exceptions• None

The rules for math always apply no matter the situation.

English Rule Exceptions• I before e, except after c• ea makes e sound, or maybe not. • Put ing at end of word, but

sometimes double the consonant.

• Here is the most important English rule: Almost every rule is only about 90% valid!

READ

• Is this word RED • Or is it REED

Why our Students struggle at Math• The average American math student does

not see a “REAL” math teacher until the 6th grade.

• Math lessons are process oriented• Too many math concepts taught in short

periods• Teachers reinforce the Idea that math is

somehow harder to understand than other subjects

• History of math is not taught• Math as a universal language is ignored• Students are not taught to “think”

logically• We hand them a calculator to do simple

math• School House Rock no longer plays

between Saturday morning cartoons.

OK, Maybe the School House Rock one is stretching it a bit.

Make Math Easy not Hard

• This is how we Teach one digit by three digit Mulitplication. ₂ ₄436 We start right to x 8 to left and carry

3 4 8 8

• This is how we should Teach

Use Distributive Property

400 3200436 30 240

x8 6 483488

Place ValuePlace ValuePlace Value

We Group our numbers in Tens.WHY?

Normally we express numbers in base 10, because we were born with Ten fingers,

but we could express numbers in any positive integer >1

Other Popular Bases areBinary (Base 2)

Uses only 0 and 1Octal (Base 8)

Uses 0, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

Our money uses Base 10 and Base 5 groupings

Teaching Students about Place Value is the most important thing we can do.

Dollars, Quarters, Nickels, dimes, and Pennies

Some of these coins are grouped in tens, others in fives. Tell me which ones?

Converting Base Numbers

46 Base 10 converted to Base 5 is 141Example46 base 10 is 141 Base 5 is4 tens = 40 1 twenty-five = 256 ones = 6 4 fives = 20 46 1 one = 1

46

Both numbers have the same value, but are written differently

Make Ten add the Rest

8 6 14

Take 2 away from six to make the 8 ten, the add the 4 so it equals 10+4 or 14

Same can be done for 100. Make Hundred then add the rest

Finding humor in math can make it more interesting

“Mathematics is like checkers in being suitable for the young, not too difficult, amusing, and

without peril to the state.” -- Plato