Hello again, and happy 2021. Are we still learning math over here? Oh my, yes. I’ll tell you all about it, but first, a request… We’re burning through dry erase markers at a furious rate, and I’m almost out. Any that you’d care to donate would be most appreciated! Black markers show up best on […]
Greetings! It’s cold and mathy in our outdoor class area. This week, we discovered that plugging three electric patio heaters into the same corner of the building trips a circuit breaker. Everybody’s MAP testing this week, but when we’re done, we’re doing the following: Calculus II will learn how to find areas bounded by curves […]
Hello again! The weather’s nice and math is as fun as ever. I’m continuing in my quest to show kids the compelling aspects of it. Calculus II is neck deep in integral applications. Today, for example, we examined the finer points of using definite integrals to calculate the volume of regions that result from taking […]
Greetings! We’re still doing math, and still mostly (see below about alligators) happy, especially now that the weather is turning. Calculus II just emerged victorious from a unit on differential equations, which is no mean feat. Differential equations is the math they use to weed out shaky engineers in college. Calculus I has recently discovered […]
Hello, all. Life is good in math class! Calculus II just rediscovered u-substitution as a tool for finding antiderivatives, and today proved why integration by parts works! Calculus I is neck deep in derivatives. They’ve recently discovered the power rule, and are in the process of figuring out which compositions of functions are simple to […]
Hello, all. We’ve been busy as can be in room 510. Calculus II is reviewing and relearning various things about definite and indefinite integrals. They’re also wrestling with old AP exam problems at least one day a week, in preparation for the main event in the spring. Calculus I just finished their unit on continuity […]
Greetings! We’re just wrapping up our tenth day of home-based instruction, and I have to say that it’s going more smoothly than I predicted. I’m seeing good attendance, almost as much student engagement as we get in a real classroom, and in some cases much greater productivity. That said, I really miss teaching in person. […]
Almost done! This is the last week of instruction, and then it’s time for final exams and all the fun stuff that follows. Remember that I’m in this Google Meet… https://meet.google.com/biu-aatn-cwt … all morning every school day, just waiting for students to show up and ask me for help, or to show up and say […]
Nobody ever said anything about the missing haircuts when they sold us on this lockdown. Pretty soon I’m going to have to break out the clippers and shear myself, and I predict the results will be a look that is comfortable, but somewhat post-apocalyptic. The math continues! Algebra II just finished up a unit on […]