DreamBox Learning®» Math learning tips http://www.dreambox.com DreamBox Learning, a web-based math learning company Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:01:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Tuesday Teacher Tips: Multiplication Posters http://www.dreambox.com/blog/multiplication-posters http://www.dreambox.com/blog/multiplication-posters#comments Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:04:01 +0000 Lisa W http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=7625 Welcome to the Tuesday Teacher Tips series! Each week we’ll highlight teaching and learning resources, ideas to use in the classroom, as well as things to ponder as you go about your teaching day. Recently my class made interactive posters, covering the school walls with multiplication facts. My students love seeing other kids in school—fellow third graders, first graders, or even the sixth graders—trying to solve the multiplication problems and then checking their answers.  Materials needed:
  • Construction paper, 9 x 12
  • Index cards
  • Tape
  • Markers
How to: 1.  Assign each student a multiplication problem. 2.  On their construction paper, students should:
  • Write the multiplication problem two different ways (4 x 3, 3 x 4).
  • Write the corresponding repeated addition problems (4 + 4 + 4, 3 + 3 + 3 +3).
  • Draw a picture to go with the problem (an array or groups of objects).
  • Write the answer.
  • Tape the index card over the answer, just at the top so students can check the answer underneath.
3.  When students finished, I assigned them a new multiplication problem.  4.  Tape the posters around the school—near the drinking fountains, at the bathrooms, and in the lunch room—anywhere that lots of students will see them and try them out. What are some other ideas to get students thinking about math—even when they are in the hall waiting to get a drink?  Email us and let us know.  We’d love to hear what you do in your school!]]> http://www.dreambox.com/blog/multiplication-posters/feed 0 Supporting Math Learning: The Six DO's for Families and Teachers http://www.dreambox.com/blog/the-six-dos http://www.dreambox.com/blog/the-six-dos#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:10:19 +0000 Tracy H http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=7108 NCTM’s President’s Message, focuses on how to help your child or student with math. This instantly reminded me of doing homework after school, struggling with a math problem, and asking my mother for help. When she heard the problem she apologized–she couldn’t remember how to do the math I was working on. NCTM’s President, J. Michael Shaughnessy, offers some great advice to parents and teachers on how to support their children and students when they’re in need of math help. He encourages parents and teachers to “(1) Remember, mathematics is important, and we can all do it. (2) Work together as a team with your child—don’t show how to do it. (3) Investigate the NCTM resources that can provide assistance when helping your children with their math work.” Shaughnessy has provided a list of six DO’s for families and their math students to encourage math learning at school and at home:
  1. Be positive
  2. Link mathematics with daily life
  3. Make mathematics fun
  4. Learn about mathematics-related careers
  5. Have high expectations for your students
  6. Support homework—don’t do it!
We have a number of resources already on our site to get you started on your ‘do’ list. Starting with this very blog! Thanksgiving dinner math activities gives children real life opportunities to use math and these 7 cool jobs that require math learning may inspire your children to a future career. Share with us how you support your children or students! How do you make math engaging? Are your children interested in a career using math? Leave us a comment and let us know!]]> http://www.dreambox.com/blog/the-six-dos/feed 0 Math Soft Spots in Child's Understanding http://www.dreambox.com/blog/math-soft-spots http://www.dreambox.com/blog/math-soft-spots#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:21:02 +0000 Sherry B http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=6160

Counting items more than once or two at once

Young children sometimes fail to make a one-to-one correspondence between number names and objects, and sometimes count two objects for a two-syllable number name such as "sev-en."

Counting one past the actual number of items

Young children often have difficulty tagging items (touching and saying a number name) and partitioning (moving aside counted items) simultaneously. This often leads to saying one extra number name.

Being misled by perceptual clues

Six items spread out may appear to be more than 7 items close together.

Confusing cardinal and ordinal numbers when counting

"Give me 6 please" may result in handing over the sixth item.

Reading a written number doesn't ensure an understanding of the number as a quantity

Some students develop an early association with the number name and the written form, being able to say "thirty-six" when looking at "36," without necessarily thinking of a quantity of 36.

Thinking of a number as a group of symbols side by side rather than as an entity

132 may be literally thought of as a 1-3-2, rather than a specific quantity, one hundred thirty-two. 132 may be confused with 123. What soft spots would you add to this list? As Director of Education Programs at DreamBox, I'll post regularly about teaching young children mathematics. We can share ideas, questions, and challenges through our blog postings. I look forward to hearing from you!]]> http://www.dreambox.com/blog/math-soft-spots/feed 0 Math Learning Tips for Learning Basic Facts http://www.dreambox.com/blog/math-learning-tips-for-learning-basic-facts http://www.dreambox.com/blog/math-learning-tips-for-learning-basic-facts#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:04:21 +0000 Mickelle http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=4494
  • Learning about addends of 1, 2 or 3: counting on may be fastest and most efficient.
  • Learning about addends of 9: think of 9 as 10 -1. If the fact is 9+6, then add 10+6 and subtract 1.
  • Learning about addends of 8: think of 8 as 10-2.
  • Learning about addends of 5, 6 or 7: look at the other addend and consider how much is needed to get to the landmark number ten. For example, 7+4. Think of 4 as 3+1. 7+3=10; add 1 more to equal 11.
  • Learning about doubles:Most kids memorize these without realizing it! So when you ask them 7+7 they will immediately know 14.
  • Learning about doubles plus one or doubles minus one: if two addends are one or two apart, double the smaller number and add one or two more. For example, 6+7 is the same as 6+6+1. Does your child see how this fact is similar to a doubles fact?
    • Click here for more parent tips for kindergartners Click here for more parent tips for 1st graders Click here for more parent tips for 2nd graders]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/math-learning-tips-for-learning-basic-facts/feed 0     Here's to 100 Blog Posts! Vote for DreamBox in the Seattle 2.0 Awards http://www.dreambox.com/blog/heres-to-100-blog-posts-vote-for-dreambox-in-the-seattle-20-awards http://www.dreambox.com/blog/heres-to-100-blog-posts-vote-for-dreambox-in-the-seattle-20-awards#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:14:29 +0000 Tracy http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=1969 DreamBox+Learning+and+Seattle+2.0+Awards We're proud to announce this is our 100th blog post. Let's hear it for us! DreamBox Learning started with ... dreams. We envisioned a world where every student enjoys an individually-tailored, world class learning experience. Then created an online math learning game that's both highly effective at teaching math, and it's fun. We strive to reach kids, enrich minds, and inspire a life-long love of mathematics. It has been a wonderful coaster ride as a Seattle startup and we couldn't be more proud of our achievements.

    Get the Word Out and Vote For DreamBox Online Math Learning Games

    As we reach our 100th blog post, we're asking fans to help us reach another milestone. Please vote for DreamBox in the "Best of Seattle Startups" category in the Seattle 2.0 awards. Why should you take a minute to vote for DreamBox? Here's the best reason: the criteria for this award is "...make a difference on the lives of the people involved..." And no other company in this category is as likely to make such a positive difference in the lives of so many children. We're honored just to be nominated as one of Seattle's best startups.  Please vote and pass it along. A vote for DreamBox is a vote for dreams and equations!]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/heres-to-100-blog-posts-vote-for-dreambox-in-the-seattle-20-awards/feed 0     Classical Music, Intelligence, and Math Learning http://www.dreambox.com/blog/music-intelligence-math http://www.dreambox.com/blog/music-intelligence-math#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:15:54 +0000 Tami http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=312 Science Daily's pro take and the Skeptic's Dictionary's con.) Official studies aside, I personally believe the connection with music is not only to intelligence, but also to math. Especially for those who play(ed) instruments.]]> Science Daily's pro take and the Skeptic's Dictionary's con.) Official studies aside, I personally believe the connection with music is not only to intelligence, but also to math. Especially for those who play(ed) instruments. OK, so I don’t know if Madonna aced the math portion of her SATs, if Ozzy Osbourne can do long division in his head, or if Itzhak Perlman is a wiz at calculus. However, in my career, I have been privileged to work with some extraordinary people. And when the topic of music comes up, I often hear that these people not only listened to classical music, they played it. In fact, during my most recent conversation on this topic, I learned that one of the DreamBox programmers whom I admire played in a professional symphony at 16!

    The Connection Between Music and Math Learning

    There are some direct connections between playing music and doing math. Especially when reading musical notation. For example, the math involved in understanding the duration of each note (ex: a full note is played twice as long as a half note which is played twice as long as a quarter note, etc.). And understanding the fractional time signature in musical notation, where the top number is how many beats are in a measure and the bottom number is the type of note that gets one beat (Ex: 6/8 means there are 6 beats in a measure and an eighth note gets one beat). Yeah, maybe I didn’t understand all the nuances of time signatures when I started violin in 3rd grade. But eventually I learned all that.
    Boy using violin for music learning skills
    There are also less obvious connections between music and math. Like learning that certain chords sound good together, or sound happy or sad. And learning to memorize how to play a song by remembering the written notes, specific physical movements to make with the instrument or body, and/or the actual musical progression. No matter what the connection is between music and math, I loved playing music while I was growing up. And even though I hated to practice my violin and I still sounded like Frankenstein after playing for years, I appreciate all that music gave to me. I believe that I got a strong foundation which made mathematical and scientific concepts easier to grasp. I got an appreciation for various cultural arts and the skills needed to be good at them. I got the ability to listen to a song and say, “Hey, I played that!” And I got lifelong friends (and co-workers) who share an appreciation for the connection between music and math. That reminds me, one time, at band camp... Arrowbear Music Camp was the place that kept me playing and practicing year after year. But I'll save that for another post!]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/music-intelligence-math/feed 0     Math Learning Through Experience http://www.dreambox.com/blog/math-learning-through-experience http://www.dreambox.com/blog/math-learning-through-experience#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:30:47 +0000 Sue http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=214 Learning Math Outside Class Helps Students Understand It ) I think it’s a cool idea. As more states and more districts respond to the crisis in math education and increase their focus on effective math learning, I’m sure we’ll be reading about many more cool ideas like this real-world example.

    Get At Home Math Learning Activities

    It's an idea we believe in -- we incorporate the learn-by-doing principle into our math lesson games, and we use parent communications to suggest activities families can do at home: DreamBox Learning's Parent Newsletter, for example, always includes tips. And when we email parents about an academic milestone their student has achieved in DreamBox, we include ideas for at-home activities that provide hands-on experience with those math concepts. I'm always looking to hear good ideas on games and activities that parents can use to promote math learning through experience - I would love to hear yours!]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/math-learning-through-experience/feed 0