Is Your Classroom Entrenched in the Cold, Dark Days of Winter?

From:  Maria Surace, Program Manager

“One lesson I always used to excite my students was on Fibonacci's Sequence and the Golden Ratio. It can be molded to fit into any level math course at any time and it always interests and amazes students to see the connections they have to each other and to the broader world, as well as the patterns in nature. You can focus on the sequence in the later courses or the ratio in beginner courses. Either way, their implications on the world and life are remarkable.

If the class was really good, I would include the movie Donald Duck in MathMagic Land. It fascinates me how even seniors in high school still love watching Disney!”

From:  Audra Crist, Instructional Technology Program Manager

“My Triangles & Trigonometry unit usually fell during this time of the year.  In it, I included a WebQuest project that I created while in college.  I used the student feedback to improve the activity while I was teaching.  It is now linked to our NJCTL Progressive Mathematics Initiative^® (PMI^®) geometry curriculum in the appropriate unit.  

I would also try to incorporate different hands-on lab activities or enrichment problems that got my students up and moving around the classroom.”