Tag Archives: philosophical

Witnessing the woes of math homework

Posted on January 19, 2018 by aofradkin

Every week, I spend several hours in the waiting area of a large gym where my kids take gymnastics lessons.  The room has several large tables where parents and siblings can do their work while waiting for their gymnasts. Many … Continue reading →

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The mathematical boundary between a joke and a lie

Posted on January 15, 2018 by aofradkin

Like all siblings, my children occasionally quarrel. I generally try not to get involved unless it gets loud or one of them complains to me. Sometimes, however, I hear something that amuses me and I tune in or even join … Continue reading →

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Discussing the meaning of “almost” with an 8 year old

Posted on June 2, 2017 by aofradkin

I had previously mentioned that my children are very picky and slow eaters.  This creates much frustration for me, but at the same time has been on multiple occasions inspiration for interesting math conversations. Yesterday, Katie was eating a cutlet … Continue reading →

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From math-hater to mathematician and computer scientist: The story of Allison Bishop

Posted on June 1, 2017 by aofradkin

This is the story of an unlikely mathematician. It is the story of my friend and Funville Adventures coauthor Allison Bishop, who always imagined she’d write a book someday, but would not have guessed it would be about math. Allison … Continue reading →

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Math enrichment – what is the value?

Posted on April 4, 2017 by aofradkin

Another guest post by Yulia Shpilman on why we teach enrichment math and what it means to us. When you look for additional math classes for your child, what do you look for?  We (and by we I mean Golden … Continue reading →

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The Piaget Phenomenon

Posted on March 12, 2017 by aofradkin

I am very excited to let you know that I am now collaborating with the amazing Jane Kats and that translations of her insightful and inspirational posts will now regularly appear on my blog under the tag “Jane Kats”.  Among … Continue reading →

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Why learn poetry by heart?

Posted on November 2, 2016 by aofradkin

[This is a guest post by Yulia Shpilman.  It is not about math, and therefore a bit unusual for this blog.  However, I feel that many of the reasons and advice that she gives for learning poetry apply to learning … Continue reading →

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Math should be felt with your hands: Interview with Jane Kats

Posted on October 29, 2016 by aofradkin

If you ask me whose philosophies on elementary school teaching have influenced me the most, I will answer without pause: Jane Kats.  Jane is a math educator, the author of numerous books and workbooks for educators, parents and children, and a general … Continue reading →

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Who’s the Oldest: Conversation with Kindergartners

Posted on September 16, 2016 by aofradkin

Yesterday, I overheard a wonderful conversation between our Kindergarten teacher and the Kindergartners.  The kids needed to line up to exit the classroom and the teacher told them to line up by age, oldest to youngest.  Immediately, one of the … Continue reading →

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Keeping Kids’ Curiosities Alive: Conversation with James Tanton

Posted on September 6, 2016 by aofradkin

What associations do words like “meaningful, joyful, relevant, human, with thinking” invoke in your mind? Of all the possibilities, I bet one of the least likely associations is “mathematics”.  And yet, if you ask James Tanton, the Mathematician-at-Large for the … Continue reading →

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