WELCOME TO FLEX FOUNDATIONS & PRINCIPLES OF MATH 10
with Heather Coey
Philosophy:
In Math 10 we continue to explore aspects of mathematical topics in areas such as Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry & Probability and build upon what you learned in Math 9... but really, in every math course, you are learning some great transferable skills that can help you anywhere! Engaging in learning mathematics helps your brain develop great problem solving ability and when you persevere at something you find challenging you grow in a whole lot of ways as a person. Math teachers are often asked, "Why do we have to learn this?" or "When am I ever going to use this?'. Those are very good questions! First of all, at this point in your lives, you do not actually know what career(s) you might end up having and therefore, how directly you will need to use your math beyond daily needs. And for the record, knowing math for daily needs is very helpful as pointed out in this excerpt:
"When you buy a car, follow a recipe, or decorate your home, you're using math principles. People have been using these same principles for thousands of years, across countries and continents. Whether you're sailing a boat off the coast of Japan or building a house in Peru, you're using math to get things done. How can math be so universal? First, human beings didn't invent math concepts; we discovered them. Also, the language of math is numbers, not English or German or Russian. If we are well versed in this language of numbers, it can help us make important decisions and perform everyday tasks. Math can help us to shop wisely, buy the right insurance, remodel a home within a budget, understand population growth, or even bet on the horse with the best chance of winning the race."
In Math 10 we continue to explore aspects of mathematical topics in areas such as Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry & Probability and build upon what you learned in Math 9... but really, in every math course, you are learning some great transferable skills that can help you anywhere! Engaging in learning mathematics helps your brain develop great problem solving ability and when you persevere at something you find challenging you grow in a whole lot of ways as a person. Math teachers are often asked, "Why do we have to learn this?" or "When am I ever going to use this?'. Those are very good questions! First of all, at this point in your lives, you do not actually know what career(s) you might end up having and therefore, how directly you will need to use your math beyond daily needs. And for the record, knowing math for daily needs is very helpful as pointed out in this excerpt:
"When you buy a car, follow a recipe, or decorate your home, you're using math principles. People have been using these same principles for thousands of years, across countries and continents. Whether you're sailing a boat off the coast of Japan or building a house in Peru, you're using math to get things done. How can math be so universal? First, human beings didn't invent math concepts; we discovered them. Also, the language of math is numbers, not English or German or Russian. If we are well versed in this language of numbers, it can help us make important decisions and perform everyday tasks. Math can help us to shop wisely, buy the right insurance, remodel a home within a budget, understand population growth, or even bet on the horse with the best chance of winning the race."
So, I think I can convince you of those obvious practical applications quite easily. And, if you were going on into some of these seriously cool careers (links below) that require math I think I could convince you of your need to learn math more deeply and engage in a more challenging quest for mathematical skill and knowledge.
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After watching the following documentary about Mathematics I think you would also agree that it is pretty cool...
But, the hardest sell is, why to engage in the more challenging math beyond basic obvious daily application for those of you who do not know if you are going on into seriously cool math connected careers ;-)
Well... Math makes you smarter... and who doesn't want to be smarter?!
Heather Shanks, in an article called, Discovering the Hidden Value of Math, brings up these points:
"1. In The Equation for Excellence: How to Make Your Child Excel in Math, Arvin Vohra reveals a simple, yet powerful, concept that most people overlook. In a nutshell, he points out that you don’t do math because you are smart; you do math because it makes you smarter.
2. Math is about making connections and seeing patterns. The concrete and abstract thinking required by math builds the brain’s muscles, which in turn prepares you for other academic pursuits. The study of math is actually a springboard to increasing overall intelligence!
3. We all know that Leonardo da Vinci was a gifted artist. What most people don’t realize is that he was also a brilliant mathematician. Da Vinci used the concept of “connessione,” or connectedness, to create notebooks filled with ideas, formulas, and theories that were very advanced for his time. The secret recipe to math appreciation involves the internal motivation to increase intelligence rather than the external motivation of using it someday.
How does math do this?
Math trains the brain to see connections and builds the neural pathways that make the brain stronger for all other things. These pathways serve as building blocks for myriad interests and subjects by:
• Creating the basis for systemic thinking.
• Developing the ability to analyze and solve problems.
• Stretching the mind to work on unfamiliar tasks with confidence.
• Developing the sequencing skills critical to arriving at accurate results or logical conclusions.
• Promoting caution and care in thinking by deciphering complex math problems to arrive at an accurate answer.
• Learning through the trial and error to integrate different principles to arrive at a logical conclusion.
These are cognitive resources that you can draw on right away, regardless of future career plans.
What are the tools for developing those cognitive resources?
The real fun in math comes from mastery, but mastery cannot happen without first mastering the fundamentals, or the facts of math. Why? Your brain has two basic memory types: working and long-term. Your working memory has approximately seven active “slots” available for solving problems, depending on the complexity of the information involved. Working memory slots are critical to higher-order processes, such as multi-step algebra problems. If you have been diligent with fundamentals, the brain’s working memory slots are free for analysis, because the fundamentals are safely tucked into long-term memory. If basic math facts haven’t been committed to long-term memory, the mind is occupied with formulas rather than analysis."
Well... Math makes you smarter... and who doesn't want to be smarter?!
Heather Shanks, in an article called, Discovering the Hidden Value of Math, brings up these points:
"1. In The Equation for Excellence: How to Make Your Child Excel in Math, Arvin Vohra reveals a simple, yet powerful, concept that most people overlook. In a nutshell, he points out that you don’t do math because you are smart; you do math because it makes you smarter.
2. Math is about making connections and seeing patterns. The concrete and abstract thinking required by math builds the brain’s muscles, which in turn prepares you for other academic pursuits. The study of math is actually a springboard to increasing overall intelligence!
3. We all know that Leonardo da Vinci was a gifted artist. What most people don’t realize is that he was also a brilliant mathematician. Da Vinci used the concept of “connessione,” or connectedness, to create notebooks filled with ideas, formulas, and theories that were very advanced for his time. The secret recipe to math appreciation involves the internal motivation to increase intelligence rather than the external motivation of using it someday.
How does math do this?
Math trains the brain to see connections and builds the neural pathways that make the brain stronger for all other things. These pathways serve as building blocks for myriad interests and subjects by:
• Creating the basis for systemic thinking.
• Developing the ability to analyze and solve problems.
• Stretching the mind to work on unfamiliar tasks with confidence.
• Developing the sequencing skills critical to arriving at accurate results or logical conclusions.
• Promoting caution and care in thinking by deciphering complex math problems to arrive at an accurate answer.
• Learning through the trial and error to integrate different principles to arrive at a logical conclusion.
These are cognitive resources that you can draw on right away, regardless of future career plans.
What are the tools for developing those cognitive resources?
The real fun in math comes from mastery, but mastery cannot happen without first mastering the fundamentals, or the facts of math. Why? Your brain has two basic memory types: working and long-term. Your working memory has approximately seven active “slots” available for solving problems, depending on the complexity of the information involved. Working memory slots are critical to higher-order processes, such as multi-step algebra problems. If you have been diligent with fundamentals, the brain’s working memory slots are free for analysis, because the fundamentals are safely tucked into long-term memory. If basic math facts haven’t been committed to long-term memory, the mind is occupied with formulas rather than analysis."
So, hopefully I now have you convinced and excited to engage in the topics of Math 10!
Course Organization
1. Teacher led lessons on basic concepts to cover the curriculum (each lesson has a corresponding video lesson for extra support) with practice work on math skills organized into units.
2. Practice assignments (answers included) to be completed and recorded so that you can learn from any mistakes or misunderstandings-- this is the learning process.
3. Weekly "Quizzes" from practice assignments as a spot check
4. Unit Tests to evaluate overall learning of concepts. Tests may be redone after thorough review. T
5. Three "project units" on Financial Literacy, Probability Carnival & Problem Solving Escape Box
6. Math FUN puzzles & games
Assessment
As this is a math course, assigned work will be given a numerical score which will be averaged to give you a percent. However, because you are a thinking individual, you may at each reporting period negotiate a different percent grade based on presented evidence of learning and any improvements made.
Course Organization
1. Teacher led lessons on basic concepts to cover the curriculum (each lesson has a corresponding video lesson for extra support) with practice work on math skills organized into units.
2. Practice assignments (answers included) to be completed and recorded so that you can learn from any mistakes or misunderstandings-- this is the learning process.
3. Weekly "Quizzes" from practice assignments as a spot check
4. Unit Tests to evaluate overall learning of concepts. Tests may be redone after thorough review. T
5. Three "project units" on Financial Literacy, Probability Carnival & Problem Solving Escape Box
6. Math FUN puzzles & games
Assessment
As this is a math course, assigned work will be given a numerical score which will be averaged to give you a percent. However, because you are a thinking individual, you may at each reporting period negotiate a different percent grade based on presented evidence of learning and any improvements made.