Fun with mathematics

I have fun with mathematics. I get a sense of satisfaction when I am engrossed in math. The thinking that I referred to in my previous post truly gives me joy. Aside from my family and keeping up a household, I spend some of my free time watching math videos and searching for cool math things on the internet. When I tell students this they really question my sanity. I hear things like, "wow Mr. Snaith, not only are you losing your hair you are losing your mind".

In reality, some of my students in my class throughout the years have actually followed in my footsteps. There has been a handful of times in my teaching career when students have come to me and said, "Mr. Snaith, I found this really cool video on '????' on the internet, you should check it out". In addition to "thinking" about math, watching others truly get excited about math topics also gives me joy.

SO... math is fun!
http://www.wimp.com/fibonaccisequence

Thinking

The word, THINK, is really quite an extraordinary word. In my classroom, whether it be Algebra, Geometry, or  a third credit math course, "thinking" is one of the first "math" concepts I teach to my students. I stress to the students that thinking is a skill. In order to master the skill a person needs to practice. In our classroom, we practice "thinking". There are two situations where I see "thinking" taking place. The 1st, during classroom discussion. Discussion, in general invokes "thinking".  I explain to the students that discussion is very valuable and through discussion many great ideas are formed. In addition, an insignificant answer (are there any insignificant answers????) may spark provocative thought. A 2nd situation when "thinking" is beneficial is during quiet time. For my classroom, I have stressed that quiet time can be truly amazing. I explain that quiet time allows a learner to reflect on the class period.
Anyway, I want to thank you for reading my first blogpost.