As they approach and move through adolescence, math needs to serve children’s purposes. Whether it’s standing up for rights—their own or others’—or ensuring they’ve been properly paid for a chore, talking math with older kids means it needs to serve their needs.
I have been thinking about patterns for a long time, occasionally making progress in understanding how children learn to identify and think about patterns. Overall, it is slow going. There isn’t nearly as much of a research base on learning patterns as there is for...
![Selfie. From left to right: Me, the 16 year-old, and [locally famous Radio Gal] on a sunny summer evening.](https://talkingmathwithkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/probability-radio-gal-1024x768.jpg)
I am currently writing the teacher guide for my next book, How Did You Count? (See a couple of teaser photos at the end of this post!) A section of a chapter of that teacher guide has the heading Seek to Understand and to Be Understood. Those who know my teaching...
Getting ready for the new year, I decided to look back at the history of my newsletter (which comes out about 8 times per year; you can browse the archives and subscribe at this link.) I found this post from almost three years ago, and it feels very true to thing...
One of my favorite parts of Math On-A-Stick is that it creates opportunities for positive conversations about math with adults. Ask any math teacher, and they’ll confirm that when meeting a new person and revealing the work that they do, there is a high...
Each solid fits in at least one cutout, and each cutout fits at least one solid. Which is which and how do they fit?
When children hit adolescence, the conversations need to be more about them and their interests. Here’s what that looks like.
A birthday present turns into a quick discussion of fraction division.
What do you say when your child says they don’t like math?