Research summary continues - slides 37 to 43



Slides 37 to 41:
Old stories about math need to change.
Frequently math is seen as hard, boring, and never needed after high school.
It still causes anxiety in parents and some teachers which is then imparted on children / students. In the media math is presented as a stumbling block for all kinds of people. Only rarely are there programs, like Numb3rs, that show math in a positive way. Yet, students’ attitudes can change. Students not inclined toward math usually also suffer from math anxiety, while advanced learners find math too easy and repetitive.  Providing enrichment to support advanced learners would enhance math learning experiences for all. 
Accordingly, accomplished students could change the public feeling about math. Kids might start waking up early not only for hockey but also for math clubs.
When the public perception of math changes, the media will cover math related research and discoveries more often, e.g. one about 'number sense' that is universal to all animals not only humans.

Slides 42 and 43
Some Ideas for math lessons can be found in the following research journals:
Margo Kondratieva (2011) suggests interconnected problems. These are math problems similar to math problems with multiple solutions, used by Leikin (2009a), but this time the problems are used with a different pedagogical emphasis. Kondratieva’s idea is not to solve a problem in many different ways at once. Instead, one problem is used throughout a learner’s development over a long period of time, from primary grades right up to highschool grades. 
Angela M. Smart (2011) suggests cryptology and modular arithmetic, symmetry and the art of Escher, and Roman numeral arithmetic. Smart also suggests using ideas and resources designed for gifted students.
Also, my “Everybody Loves Math” blog houses enriched Math Magic lessons and other resources. http://beyondrequired.blogspot.ca/

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