As I was preparing a workshop for the regional NCTM conference in Indianapolis on how to use my math comic books, I discovered an error. We reassure our students, “Making a mistake means we are learning,” and yet, I struggle with internalizing such a positive outlook when my stomach churns and my imposter syndrome flares. Imagine my horror when I opened the graphic novel and realized an error snuck its way into a drawing! The math was wrong.
A teacher who loves the comic book series, The Mysterious I.D. Vide and Newton’s Nemesis, recently asked me “How would should I use it?” I wrote the series as a fun way to launch great classroom conversations about the big ideas that are foundational to understanding fraction multiplication and division. So, the question is, “What are those big ideas?”
If you cook, you use fractions. So why not use cooking to teach fractions? During the holidays my favorite recipes feed a small army, and when I’m cutting them in half, it always reminds me that cooking in an American kitchen uses plenty of fractions. That’s why I couldn’t resist adding a recipe to the […]
Today, I uploaded a new video on YouTube that condenses all the research behind my math mystery comic book series, Newton’s Nemesis. It’s fast paced and 7-minutes long. Every time I need to learn something (like my recent adventure changing a burnt out headlight in my car), I search for a video on YouTube. That […]
One of the most common reasons children struggle when learning fraction division is because they haven’t fully developed their understanding of division with whole numbers. Children need to understand different interpretations of division and have the opportunity to make connections between whole number division and fraction division. I created Theo’s younger sister Leah to help […]
