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Knowledge of Fractions Predicts Long-Term Math Success
http://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2012/june/
june15_mathsuccess.html
Fifth graders' understanding of fractions and long division
predicts high school students' knowledge of algebra and overall
math achievement. Researchers recently came to this conclusion
even after statistically controlling for parents' education and
income, and for the children's own age, gender, I.Q., reading
comprehension, working memory, and knowledge of whole number
addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
Watch video commentary by Robert Siegler, the Carnegie Mellon
University professor who led the research team, particularly
starting 1 minute, 45 seconds into the video.
Siegler offers a freely downloadable PDF of the Psychological
Science article, titled "Early predictors of high school
mathematics achievement":
http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~siegler/Siegler-etal-inpressPsySci.pdf
Siegler's research team examined two nationally representative
data sets that consisted of over four thousand children, thanks
to grant support from the U.S. Department of Education's
Institute of Education Sciences and from the National Science
Foundation's Developmental and Learning Science Group at the
Social, Behavioral, and Economic Directorate.
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Now taking place: math education conversation of the day
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"If anyone has their results [from the Algebra 2/Trigonometry
Regents Examinations], we were disappointed with ours and
wondering how other districts fared?"
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- psmoore, posted to the secondary (grades 9-12) discussion
group of the Association of Math Teachers of New York State
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http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=7840122
Alan Turing's Life and Legacy
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/galleries/turing
In celebration of Alan Turing's birthday 100 years ago
tomorrow, the Science Museum has just opened a special
exhibition dedicated to his life and legacy.
A British mathematician most widely known for his critical
involvement in the codebreaking at Bletchley Park during the
Second World War, Turing was also a philosopher and computing
pioneer whose ideas have helped shape the modern world,
including early computer programming and
artificial intelligence.
At the heart of the free exhibition in London is the Pilot ACE
computer, built to Turing's ground-breaking design.
Not going to be in London before the free show closes next
July? Online resources include a five minute-long video, a
biography, an interactive cryptography game, images and short
descriptions of the artifacts on display at the museum, and a
Facebook timeline:
http://www.facebook.com/AlanTuringCodebreaker
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Now taking place: math education conversation of the day
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"I would like to refresh my mathematical skills through
self-study, but have trouble finding books or courses which
contain the full proofs of the subjects. I have found many
excellent books on algebra, calculus, geometry and others, but
it is all applied, and no mathematical proofs whatsoever. And I
really want these proofs, because I want to fully grasp and
understand what I'm doing (which sounds obvious). Can you help
me find the courses or books I need?"
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- ahum, posted to the sci.math newsgroup
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http://mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=2388518
International Comparison of Low-Performing Students
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/reports/
2012-lps-mrs.asp#mathematics
Does the U.S. have higher proportions of low-performing
students than do our economic peers around the world?
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) used its
International Data Explorer to find, among other conclusions,
that the United States had three times the percentage of
low-performing 15-year-olds as it did low-performing
4th graders.
NCES based these conclusions on recent analysis of the Trends
in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
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