The Teacher Toolbox

My new math game is ideal for teaching numeration, subtraction, addition and estimation strategies. It offers heaps of opportunity for ‘teachable moments’ but its power comes from discussing the mental strategies which are most effiecient for arriving at correct answers.

Feel free to download it, print it out and hand it around staff working on these concepts.

cheers

Adrian

PS Thanks Cath for the ‘hairy man’ – all the kids I played the game with wanted this board

Every time I invite students to get out a calculator & double numbers until they either become so large they show an ‘E’ on the display or move to scientific notation I’m amazed at the banter/buzz that is produced.

Students love BIG numbers and for me this activity has always produced an excellent opportunity to seize the teachable moment presented. ie you can extend the your students beyond the constraints of syllabus and direct them towards the parts of our existence that inspire ‘awe & wonder’ & raise truly interesting questions.

Look, I know that HUGE numbers are outside the possible conceptual understanding of children, but hey… these numbers are so fantastically large I would say that most people cannot truly comprehend their enormity. But why do we shelter children from them? My new place ‘value charts on steroids’ webpage is more about attitude development than complete understanding.

As an aside… my son 9 y/o son has been asking soooooooooo many questions about BIG numbers while I have been putting these resources together. Surely the question raising in itself has to make the place value chart downloads worthwhile. lol

So, feel free to download, print, laminate, display in your windows or at eye level in your class, discuss and explore my new large number place value charts. Who knows, you might even switch a couple of kids onto the Math of the HUGE with the research tasks and bits of trivia I have included.

cheers

Adrian