Category: Uncategorized
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FOIL is for BAKED CHICKEN
Here is why I believe that the FOIL method for multiplying two binomial expressions should NOT be used: The underlying premise of the FOIL method is that students must first be able to identify a binomial. However, most instructors do not seem to stress enough that the FOIL method can only be used to multiply…
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PEMDAS is NOT a Word
Here is why I believe that the PEMDAS method for remembering the order of operations should NOT be used: 1. PEMDAS is not a word. In general, I believe that for mnemonic devices to have the greatest impact, they should be easy to remember words. PEMDAS is not easy to remember and PEMDAS is not…
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Upcoming Conferences in Michigan
One of my biggest pet peeves is when I hear instructors complaining about the lack of professional development activities. There are plenty of conferences to attend, wherever you live (I happen to live in Michigan). I honestly believe that one of the keys to a successful teaching career is attending conferences, networking, and building a…
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New Games, Activities, and Projects
In this post, I want to talk about a few of the projects that I have been working on over the break to use with my students in the upcoming Winter 2012 Semester. 1. Electrifying Truth Table – This is an activity that a friend of mine got from Pete Wildman during the 2011 AMATYC…
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Taking the Fun Out of Enjoyment
Last weekend I cleaned out my apartment over a period of three days. I was even called a hoarder on Twitter. Anyway, three days and multiple bags of trash certainly give a person a lot of time to think and reflect. The majority of what I was throwing away was papers from when I used…
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First Day Policies and Activities
Below is a list of rules that I plan to give to my students on the first day of class to try to prevent some of the behaviors that bothered me last semester from occurring again during the upcoming semester. If the tactics in the handout seem a little extreme, good, I mean them to…
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Review of ‘GridPaper’ iPad App
GridPaper is an iPad App that recognizes handwritten mathematical symbols. You can use this App to perform operations and to solve equations. During the Fall 2011 semester, I evaluated GridPaper to see if I would like to use it with my students. All of my students who saw me using this App really thought that…
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Reflections of Former Part-time Instructor
Last semester (Fall 2011) was my first semester teaching full-time. As such, I have learned a lot of lessons about what bothers me and what does not bother me. However, the biggest thing I noticed is that when certain behaviors bother me now, I actually want to do something to prevent them from happening again…
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Resources to Teach Complex Numbers
This weekend after my presentation at the DACTM Fall Conference, someone asked me for a game about Complex Numbers. This was intriguing to me since I’m going to be teaching Complex Numbers in my Algebra classes in about two weeks. After a quick search of the Internet, here are a few of the resources that…
Jon Oaks 