Education: The Examined Life, Age 8 - NYTimes.com

Via by Eóin Cunningham
 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/education/edlife/18philosophy-t.html

"A few times each month, second graders at a charter school in Springfield, Mass., take time from math and reading to engage in philosophical debate. There is no mention of Hegel or Descartes, no study of syllogism or solipsism. Instead, Prof. Thomas E. Wartenberg and his undergraduate students from nearby Mount Holyoke College use classic children’s books to raise philosophical questions, which the young students then dissect with the vigor of the ancient Greeks."Read More

STEM Advisory Seminar #3: Math Examples

Advisors presented STEM overview and current methodology, and explored both the integration of and the underlying processes linking content areas for both the Sesame Street and The Electric Company target audiences.

Sesame Worskhop will be focusing on STEM over a 2 year period, targeting all platforms including TV, Online, Publishing, Products etc.

Sara Sweetman, M.Ed.        Science Inquiry Specialist, University of Rhode Island
Preeti Gupta, Ph.D.           Senior Vice President for Education and Family Programs, New York Hall of Science   
Sybilla Beckmann, Ph.D.      Professor of Mathematics, University of Georgia

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3. Math Examples
Sybilla Beckmann, Professor of Mathematics, University of Georgia.

When thinking of math in terms of STEM, one way can describe math as the LANGUAGE of science and technology.

MATH PROCESS
1. Understand what the problem is --> what do we want to figure out?
2. Mathematize the situation --> bring out the math!
3. Solve the problem --> Explain the solution.
4. Look back and make connections to other situations.

UNITIZINGUnitizing makes math owrk. Creating a unit out of something, that makes a component out of something bigger.

** we could make a nice game out of this.

MATHEMATIZINGMathematical aspects:
    how many?
    how many more?
    how many in all?
    what kind of shape is this?

Formulate the situation in a mathematical way.
    eg.  small circles stand for actual things
           geometric shapes to model real-world objects.

COUNTING VS HOW MANYIt can be a difficult concept for pre-k kids to understand the concept of counting vs 'how many all together'.  Sybilla gave an example activity that showed how this can help:

More bugs or Beds?

Grouping by tens

Understanding teen numbers as tens and some ones

SHOW STRUCTURE BEHIND PROBLEMS
Showing physical examples of multiplication