5 Maths Gems #10

Have yous ever wondered where the give-and-take mathematics comes from? Me neither. But this is genuinely quite interesting:

Latin mathematica was a plural noun, which is why mathematics has an -s at the goal fifty-fifty though nosotros utilization it equally a singular noun. Latin had taken the give-and-take from Greek mathematikos, which inwards plough was based on mathesis. That word, which was also borrowed into English linguistic communication but is at nowadays archaic, meant "mental discipline" or "learning", particularly mathematical learning. The Indo-European root is mendh- "to learn." Plato believed no 1 could survive considered educated without learning mathematics. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 polymath is a someone who has learned many things, non only mathematics (source: Math Forum).

So my beau polymaths, here's my weekly maths gems. Creative maths teaching ideas, inspired past times the bully minds of Twitter.

1. Etymology

On Tuesday developing maths vocabulary before but at nowadays I possess got a novel thought to share.

There's bully value inwards talking to students most the etymology (origin) of mathematical words equally they arise. It helps students brand connections together with builds on their agreement of mathematics. Our role equally teachers is to enrich our students' lives alongside knowledge, together with noesis of etymology is both interesting together with important. This fantastic article (a must read!) says "Etymology provides a security internet of de-mystification. When all the words yous involve heed are novel together with confusing, or when those around yous set sometime words to foreign purposes, a grounding inwards etymology may help".

Thanks to @CParkinson535 for telling me most etymonline.com. I've taken the next excerpts from this website, only to give yous an thought of the sort of affair yous could part alongside your students:

• hexagon (n.) 1560s, from Latin hexagonum, from Greek hexagonon, from hex "six" + gonia "angle" (see knee).
• locus (n.) (plural loci), 1715, "locality," from Latin locus "a place, spot, position," from Old Latin stlocus, literally "where something is placed," Mathematical feel past times 1750.
• vector (n.) "quantity having magnitude together with direction," 1846; before "line joining a fixed dot together with a variable point," 1704, from Latin vector "one who carries or conveys, carrier" (also "one who rides"), agent substantive from past times participle stalk of vehere "carry, convey" (see vehicle). 
• binomial 1550s (n.); 1560s (adj.), from Late Latin binomius "having ii personal names," a hybrid from bi- (see bi-) + nomius, from nomen. Taken upward 16c. inwards the algebraic feel "consisting of ii terms."

Thanks also to @the_chalkface for sharing the listing of words below, most of which I'd never heard of. Although nosotros should e'er endeavour to utilization accurate mathematical vocabulary when we're teaching, some of these words may survive a footstep equally good far!

2. Plickers

I've never paid much attending to interactive voting systems before because my schoolhouse doesn't ain the necessary devices. The thought is that students simultaneously respond to a multiple alternative query or sentiment poll using a wireless system. The instructor tin terminate get together together with analyse their responses instantly.

I can't give my ain sentiment on their effectiveness equally a teaching tool, but benefits are listed here as: improved attentiveness, increased noesis retention; poll anonymously (unlike a demonstrate of hands); runway private responses; display polling results immediately; practice an interactive together with fun learning environment; confirm audience agreement of fundamental points immediately; get together information for reporting together with analysis. So they are similar to mini-whiteboards for formative assessment, but they possess got some clear advantages. The primary disadvantage is the buy together with maintenance cost. 

posts most Plickers lately together with am keen to assay it out. Plickers is a free app for your telephone or tablet. Print together with distribute voting cards and enquire students to concord upward their menu inwards the right orientation to betoken their answer. Scan the room alongside your telephone to collect the data. You tin terminate charge upward questions together with students' names on the user-friendly Plickers website. 

I've read some bully ideas to brand this locomote good inwards maths. One is to permanently stick the cards to the dorsum of students' books (from blog post. It plant similar this: practice a true/false board inwards your classroom together with stick a disputation on it that represents a mutual misconception. Underneath the query are ii modest whiteboards - 1 for students to write their refer if they retrieve the disputation is true, the other for students who retrieve the disputation is false. What I similar most this thought is that students tin terminate easily switch their respond from 1 board to the other if they larn something that changes their mind. At the goal of the calendar week the respond is revealed together with discussed. Helpfully, Amy's postal service provides some representative statements to acquire yous started.