Do You Speak Math?

Black History Month Week 4 (a month late)

2010-03-12T12:48:00.001-08:00

Black History Month is over but I needed to get in one last post, although late. If you remember as a child there were cartoons about this mystical and rich place with the funny name called Timbuktu. Well it's a real place. It was for centuries the center of learning for the African Muslim empire. Europe had Athens, Africa had Timbuktu. It is well worth the read to study the different universities and academia that were there. It is located in Mali on the Niger river, currently inhabited by Songhay, Tuareg, Fulani, and Mande people. It had one of the first universities in the world and a written tradition for Africa. Manuscripts have been found that contain writings on astronomy, music, botany, law, sciences, and history. All of this on what Europeans once called the dark continent. African Americans come from a rich, ancient history. We should acknowledge that we weren't just made for sports and entertainment. We should embrace our diversity.

Black History Month Week 2

2010-02-05T11:47:00.002-08:00

Dr. Mark Dean should be an inspiration to all African American children who love computers. He could transform the enthusiasm from online games to creating apps that could be used world-wide. This was done by a Spelman student currently on the Spelman Robotics team. Last year, the co-capitan, Jonecia Keels, created an iPhone app, iDex, for gamers of the Pokemon game franchise. The app gets downloaded about 1,500 times a day and she probably makes money off of it.

Dr. Dean graduated later in life with a PhD from Stanford. He is the first African American fellow of IBM; he is one of 50 that are elected by the company. He has also been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for creating a system that allows PCs to be used by everyone in their home. Don't forget to tell you children about Dr. Dean, a modern day history maker.

Black History Month Week 3

2010-02-05T11:47:00.001-08:00

Dr. Etta Z. Falconer (1933-2002) was a Callaway Professor of Mathematics at Spelman College until her retirement in May 2002. She earned her PhD from Emory University with a dissertation on “Quasigroups Invariant Under Isotopy,” directed by Trevor Evans. Dr. Falconer served Spelman with distinction for 37 years, contributing vision, leadership, and tireless energy. She initiated and led numerous projects which have increased the participation of women, African Americans and other under-represented groups in mathematics, science and engineering, and continue to have far-reaching impact today. Programs on campus which have benefited greatly from her efforts include the Dual Degree Engineering Program, the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Scholars Program, and the Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) Program. She was a founding member of the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM).

Throughout her career, Dr. Falconer demonstrated an unwavering commitment to diversity in the sciences and the mathematical sciences. In response to receiving the 5th Annual Louise Hay Award from the Association of Women in Mathematics, Dr. Falconer said, “I have devoted my entire life to increasing the number of highly qualified African Americans in mathematics and mathematics-related careers. High expectations, the building of self-confidence, and the creation of a nurturing environment have been essential components for the success of these students.”

Black History Month Week 1

2010-02-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

In honor of black history month I will feature African American scientists, engineers, and mathematicians and their accomplishments. I will try to make entries more frequent than weekly because there are so many accomplished folks.

I have recently read about Shirley Ann Jackson, the first woman and African American to graduate with a PhD in physics. She accomplished this in 1973 from MIT. She is currently the 18th president of Rennselaer Institute of Technology. She continues to advocate for the increase in the number of women and minorities in the sciences (she took accelerated math and science classes in high school).

Challenges

2009-12-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned for new posts in the new year. I have joined twitter but I need to update my account. Sometimes I feel like the more we try to simplify life, the more complicated it becomes.*Sigh*

This idea would be perfect on twitter - We need to start challenging the children earlier to solve problems. I am going to try to give my daughter who is in grade school the chance to solve a problem that takes longer than a day to figure out. When she experiences the joy of figuring it out she will know that any high school question should be a cinch.

Creating a Creative Child Part 2

2009-10-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

I got this from a newsletter I receive from Quality Care for Children.

Foster Your Child’s Creativity!

Children are naturally creative. You can help them maintain and expand this creativity into adulthood.

There is a strong correlation between stress and creativity. The more stressed you or your child are the more difficult it is for you to solve problems. When you are relaxed, you can see creative solutions to problems you are facing.

Creativity improves your child’s self-esteem, motivation and achievement. When you encourage your child to think creatively and independently, your child is likely to become interested in discovering things open to new ideas eager to work with others to explore ideas willing to work beyond lesson time at school to pursue an idea or finish an activity As a result, their pace of learning, levels of achievement and self-esteem increase.

When you encourage creativity in your child, you are also helping your child become more resourceful. Resourceful children:

--have the ability to meet challenges in a variety of ways
--learn to trust their instincts and unique abilities
--acquire a positive attitude toward problem solving
--tap into the joys life has to offer

Children need responsive adults willing to nurture and stimulate their creativity. If you encourage your child to be creative, you bestow a gift money cannot buy.

What To Do to Encourage Creativity:

Encourage curiosity and seeking answers. Respond to your child's questions by saying, "I don't know. How could we find the answer?"

Don't stifle and numb creativity with too many manufactured toys. Resist buying your child every accessory marketed with the latest movie. Let your child stretch his or her imagination by finding dress and play props.

Value varying ideas and opinions. Encourage brainstorming by saying: "Well, that sure is one way of looking at it," or "What a GOOD idea, I've never thought of that before.”

Encourage exploration. Make specific, motivating comments, such as: "How interesting; you created a secret passage-way with the blocks."

Stimulate imaginative, independent thought by posing questions. In projects, avoid telling your child exactly what to do. For instance, when you are working together to make a bird feeder say, "I wonder what would hold the cracked corn and sunflower seeds?"

Resist perfectionism. Don't take over your child's project because you can do it better or faster. (Of course, you can!) Respect the learning process that takes place while a project is made.

Encourage humor. Humor helps your child take joy in his or her creative intelligence. Laugh together often.

Facilitate play; do not dictate it. Your child gets a big boost from your getting on the floor to play. During play follow your child's lead.

Play make-believe games. Pretend that you are a monkey. Or pretend to be machines like a lawn mower, popcorn popper or leaf blower!

Provide a safe place where your child can explore a variety of art materials and be messy. Offer recyclables such as paper and cardboard with crayons, chalk, markers, glue, stickers, finger-paint, clay etc.

Make homemade instruments and put on a concert. Be accepting of all compositions.

Make room for movement so your spirited child can show off grace and energy.

Change the endings of well-known stories. "What is another way The Three Little Pigs could end?"

Unfortunately, “creativity killers” are commonplace in our schools and homes.

Hovering over your child: Your child’s risk-taking and creativity will go underground and hide.

Evaluating every activity: Your child will ignore the satisfaction with his or her own accomplishments.

Rewarding every action: The excessive use of prizes deprives your child of the intrinsic pleasure of creative activity.

Competing: Putting your child in a win-lose situation, where only one person can come out on top discourages creativity.

Over-controlling: Constantly telling your child how to do things leaves your child feeling like originality is a mistake and any exploration a waste of time.
Restricting choice: Telling your child which activities to engage in limits curiosity and can diminish creative passion

Pressuring: Huge expectations for your child's performance can instill negative feelings for the subject or activity.

Make some time this week to explore a creative project with your child and just have fun!

For more information, see: 20 Ways to Encourage Children's Resourcefulness and Creativity by Karen Stephens and Creativity Killers: Discouraging Creativity in Children by Leslie Owen Wilson

Dreams Part I

2009-09-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have been remembering some of my childhood dreams. I just need to reminisce. When I was younger, Chinese and Korean children would go to Saturday school. Why can't African Americans have Saturday school too? What do you think?

Families are the First Teachers

2009-09-30T08:26:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading the chapter Families, the First Teachers of Claudia Zaslavsky's book "Fear of Math." The main point that I agree with very much is, do not let your children know you have any apprehension of math! Now maybe if you have a story about overcoming math fears that is great. Or you admit there is a lot you don't know but you want to learn it along with the child, okay too. But please, please, please don't say things like 'I never did well in math kid you're on your own.' If you can calculate fractions and percentages when you are at the store this is great. If you are good at art and drawing geometrical figures, great! How about doing simple math in your head, even better! Zaslavsky attributes her math know-how to working in her parents' clothing store. She loved to manage the store by herself. These types of things give children the confidence they need to succeed.

Side note: We went to see the movie, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" this past weekend. It is very different from the book and I have a spoiler here. So if you have not seen the movie you may not want to read this part. A young scientist whose town and father do not understand him tries to create inventions. One invention turns water into food, hence the movie title. The machine, that is placed in the sky, goes haywire. The scientist saves the 'killcode' to a flashdrive and flies up to save the world. But he loses the flashdrive. He calls his father and asks his dad to go to his lab that his dad has never entered, get on his computer, and email the code to his cell phone. Of course his dad is dumbfounded. How many of us would be dumbfounded or know someone who would be? Of course the world would not be about to end if we didn't do anything.

Magic Squares for Kids

2009-09-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with magic squares. I wish I had done more of these as a child. I worked with my 6 year old daughter on an example problem from Claudia Zaslavsky's book 'Math Games & Activities from Around the World.' This problem involves two imaginary young boys in West Africa. One boy, Ahmed, is challenged by another boy to play. His game board is a square divided up into nine boxes. He has 45 pieces to play. He can place 1-9 pieces in each box but can not play a number more than once. Each row and column must add up to 15.

Have your child finish it.

Sudoku for Kids

2009-08-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

My 6-year old daughter can do a Sudoku puzzle! I was so proud. Okay, it was one with shapes and not numbers. Okay, it was only a 4x4. But she did it!

Anyway while she was working on it she asked if I was just preparing her for something they would learn in school. But this is actually more than school. I told her it is a brain exercise. Just like we must exercise to keep our body in shape, we also must exercise to keep our brains in shape. Toddlers will be working out their brains with floor puzzles. School-aged children can start working on easy Sudoku puzzles and crossword puzzles, even riddles. Just do an internet search for 'sudoku for kids' and you will find some for all levels. Puzzle on!

Is Your Child Ready?

2009-08-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article that contained the usually statistics on African American children. On average AA children are taught differently than Caucasion, they also score lower on tests. The language used at home may not necessarily be words that you may see on the SAT, etc., etc.

One way that we really can prepare our children is to make sure our children are computer savvy. Teachers and Parents: You may not be comfortable with using the computer but your children will be and need to be. And it shouldn't just be for fun. The computer is a tool and it can be used or abused. Technology is morphing rapidly at a rate that most can not understand. Let's not be left behind yet again.

Younger Children - Should know how to use a mouse and type a few words in MS Word.
Mid-Age Children - Should know how to type at a steady speed and know a little bit of computer programming. The majority of their research should still come from books. They are still at a vulnerable age where they have no basis for the information they receive. If they receive false information they will not know how to verify it.
Older Children - Should be computer novices and even know how to fix computer problems(this will save them a lot of money in the future). They should also know how to research using the internet and know how to verify the information.

Remember, computers are very important in the math world. Keep it up and have fun!

Fear of Math

2009-06-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

"We are far from our goal of becoming a math literate society. Many students still say they are uninterested in math, even in high-performing Fairfax County. But encouraging all students to pursue math further is an important start.

Math is an equalizer. Good math skills will multiply your chances at a high paying job and a comfortable life. I say this from the vantage point of a newsroom that is rapidly downsizing, a newspaper industry that is upside down. Options are important. The highest demand jobs are often in engineering, information technology, and health care. All require advanced math skills."

The above comment was taken from the blog article X=Why by the Washington Post writer Michael Alison Chandler.

So why do we fear mathematics. Maybe I will find out as I read Claudia Zaslavsky book "Fear of Math: How to Get over It and Get on With Your Life."

Children, these days!

2009-05-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

I just read an NY Post article about teenagers and texting and I thought that it would mention the degradation of the English language due to texting but it did not. It was actually more about how texting can distort what a healthy relationship is and decrease our already shrunk attention span. I am still forming my views on how to control my children's access to technologies (it is our job to set the limits) but I think about how much this will help. Our concern as parents should be wether or not our multi-tasking society can actually solve problems. My friend saw this as a huge deficiency in her junior high math students. As I watch my 4 year old focus on solving a puzzle with laser intensity, I wonder if she will do the same thing when she is stuck on an algebra question? How can I equip her to maintain this skill throughout her life (especially if I have trouble with it sometimes)?

2009-05-21T05:20:00.000-07:00

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/x-equals-why/2009/05/is_math_fun_should_it_be.html
http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/11/why_does_engine.html

After reading these articles I am more confused. Can we do both, rote memorization and enhanced creativity? Are teachers prepared, parents prepared, US prepared for all this hard work? History of math education in the US has swayed back and forth like a pendulum. We have never fully done both at the same time. As I went through school we were steered away from rote memorization. So our generation has difficulty with mental math.

I think we should approach it like English class. Not everybody is a writer but everyone must learn how to write a decent essay. Likewise, not everyone is a mathematician but everyone must know how to solve any type of differential equation. There is no question about whether a child should memorize the multiplication tables. A child's math growth is stunted without rudimentary mental math. The war rages on. We will have many more casualties until the US decides the comprehensive direction that it needs to go in.

Found a Great Toy

2009-05-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

I found a great learning toy the last time I was at the Lakeshore Learning Store. I'm sure it can be found in most teacher's stores. Here is the link to what it looks like http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca|searchResults~~p|WF212~~.jsp. It is a mobile solar system on a stand. I think it is best for children ages five and older. The greatest thing I like about it is that the degrees are marked out on the circumference. Before your child even learns angles and degrees in school, he or she will be able to set up the planets according to the time of year! If money is an issue, split the cost with someone you know who has an older or younger child. That way once one of the children has grown out of it, it will be passed on to the next child. That's what I'm going to do!

Writer's Block

2009-05-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm ashamed to say that I have been suffering from a severe case of writer's block. Or maybe it is severe case of spring busyness. Maybe someone can help diagnose me.

Creating a Creative Child

2009-03-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

With my limited experience as a mother (5 years), and some good advice from Mr. Lee and others (I will mention my friend Mr. Lee a lot because he has really good ideas about pedagogy), I can say that creating a creative child is not difficult. It may be that first child temperament that makes parenting so easy or it may be simply that a curious child is a creative child. The difficulty is extending this creativity to the teen years. Some things I have done that are productive are:

1. Get them working with their hands. Problem solving is involved in an art project that has gone bad that you want to make right. Also building things such as woodwork and following directions. The question is that when something goes wrong, can the child work out how to fix it.
2. Answer questions. This one is hard for me especially after a long day. Any question a child has asked must be answered even if it is done at a later time. It is even better if you can't answer the question and you have to look it up. The child then gets comfortable with the resources that are needed to learn. They may not groan like I did whenever my mother said 'go look it up.'
3. Be a young child yourself. If I see something in nature that I wonder about, I say it out loud and try to find the answer.
4. Make these things seem like natural everyday occurrences.

Graphic Arts

2009-03-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Dutch artist MC Escher, featured on the wallpaper, is one of my favorite artists. I could get lost in many of his paintings, staring at the endless staircases trying to find the end! According to Wikipedia, Escher began incorporating math into his artwork around 1936. After traveling throughout the Mediterranean he wrote a paper about how to mathematically create artwork. His work with geometric shapes are playful yet mysterious (especially for me since my favorite subject was geometry) and yet he never did well in school. The wallpaper picture I have above is titled Relativity 1953.

But what does math have to do with patterns and art? With math we can create patterns and with patterns we can explore math. With a series of equations, a computer can create infinite patterns and designs. Or we can go to some North or West African towns and find patterns on the walls of the houses. Below are houses located in Northern Ghana.

Welcome

2009-03-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

This blog is targeting parents with young children who would like their children to be as proficient in math and science as they are in English and social studies. If you have children in elementary school and younger and are apprehensive about teaching them math, this is the place for you. If you can not figure out a place to start on their development, start here.

Things that you will not see on my page:

Math problems that you will see in school
Routine test questions
How to solve problems
Textbook problems
Worksheets

Things that you will see on my page:

Math in art
Math in music
Math in sports
Math in everyday life
Tips on how to expose children to everyday math (You will know they are learning, they will think it's just fun)
Quarterly newsletter for African American parents of young children.
Interesting math links and math trivia

If you see any banned items on the blog write me an angry comment!