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Using Concept Based Teaching To Make Doing Math Fun

article king — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:50:43 +0000

The Five Basic Concepts:

1. Mathematics is the study of numbers and all we can do with numbers is COUNT
2. The concept of SAME. The highest number we can count to (in base ten) is 9, the numbers tell you how many the places tell you what kind. Before we can count they must be SAME.
3. We form rectangles to facilitate counting.
4. O
Hero ZERO.
5. 1
No Fun Get Back To One. NFGBTO.

Math text books are always just variations on these five themes depending on subject matter. The trick (if there is one) is knowing how and when to apply them.

My students hear “hero zero, no fun get back to one” during problem solving and solving equations algebra constantly…and they realize very quickly just how easy it is when you apply these concepts. The reactions range from relief to joy to rage. Relief for some when they realize they aren’t stupid after all, joy for others who go from “F” to “A” so instantly that the teachers accuse them of cheating, rage by others who get mad when they realize all that fear, frustration and anxiety was for nothing.

Algebra as it turns out isn’t really that hard if you understand some basic concepts and can see what it is you are doing with the help of manipulatives. Even Algebra becomes child’s play: Once you understand the concepts doing the math is easy…and fun. At my website, Crewton Ramone’s House of Math students can actually see what they are doing because we do use base ten manipulatives to teach math concepts and along with detailed instructions and even some video parents, students and teachers alike can see what they are doing and it makes sense.

“Mathematics may be defined as the economy of counting. There is no problem in the whole of mathematics which cannot be solved by direct counting.” ~Ernst Mach

All math is is counting. Every math problem counts something. Believe me I’ve had this argument in seminars with professors and teachers across the USA. If you aren’t counting something you aren’t doing math. Period. So one of the most basic concepts I teach ANY student is to ask “what are we counting?” when confronted with a math problem.

“Although I am almost illiterate mathematically, I grasped very early in life that any one who can count to ten can count upward indefinitely if he is fool enough to do so.” ~Robertson Davies, “Of the Conservation of Youth,” The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks.

In the mathematics there is a concept known as economy of symbol. That is, we use the fewest symbols possible to express an idea making the mathematics a beautiful concise language.

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Teacher Strikes On The Cards

article king — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:33:05 +0000

After the government in England announced large budget cuts for this coming year, teaching unions and associations have suggested strikes are possible. Many are outraged at the move by the government and have threatened to strike for indefinite durations.

The drop in funding came after a record number of students decided to apply for higher education programs, far more than the goverment predicted. Rather than celebrate the increasing desire of students to stay on a school or college, Labour have announced that there will be a £200m shortfall in funding this year. This will likely put the future of as many as 50,000 young adults in jeopardy, lead to a decrease for school bursaries, and will mean that many will have to look for paid work instead. Given that we are in a time of very low employment levels, this point is something many in the sector are deeply concerned about.

The National Union of Teachers have spoken out and called the cuts “an absolute disgrace”. A ‘lost generation’ is what they think will be the result of this, simular to the situation with school leavers in the 1980’s. “This would not happen in independent or boarding schools and should not happen in the state system” they said. The cut came about as a miscalculated estimate on the percentage of young people who would choice to continue on to colleges, sixth forms or paid training schemes. Institutions have thus been given less money than they had expected to receive (estimated around 4%) and so will probably have to make up the deficit by cutting courses and even teaching jobs.The annual NUT conference in Cardiff saw the first suggestions of strike action when speakers voted to take a stand at the schools and colleges in question

The Schools Secretary, Ed Balls has admitted that schools do face a very real problem currently in terms of providing funding for those who wish to continue education. He claims that the cause for the rise in higher education program applications is down to the poor job market putting people off entering work. He suggests that teenagers are not wanting to enter work at the moment as there are few good job prospects on account of the recession

Girls Rule In The Classroom

article king — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:30:08 +0000

We, the male populace, had it coming, I guess. After centuries of keeping women down with often inequitable social mores and often ridiculous fashion demands, we had to expect that sooner or later there would be a backlash, that one day the “fairer sex” would come out swinging, eager to drive out those ages of subjugation. Well, newsflash for all you men out there and congratulations to all the women: that day has come.

Women are officially trouncing men in school. That’s right, the ivory towers once inhabited almost solely by guys have been penetrated, ravaged, and repossessed by females. According to figures, 60 percent of university students are now women. Females obtain 170,000 more bachelor degrees yearly than their male counterparts. The ratios of females to males at business and medical schools are progressively going up, and, at law schools, women now claim a majority. At the same time, growing numbers of boys from elementary to high school are struggling to meet the least requirements, leaving educators and administrators scratching their heads, wondering what happened.

Where did this development come from? A few theories exist. One suggests that girls, who have a propensity to move toward teamwork, alliance, multi-tasking, and sitting quietly, are better matched socially for the traditional school system. Men, on the other hand, who yearn for exploration, competition, and physical motion, have a tendency to be square pegs in round holes, so to speak, in academics. Other explanations indicate that the feminist movement, with its continual barrage of “girl power” messaging, and the comparative silence from the male side are responsible for this striking shift. For almost 40 years now, girls have had armies of supporters telling them they carry the torch for those who didn’t have the chances they did, that they must go out and prove that they can do it- for their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. Males, on the other hand, sitting high on the hog, have had very little to struggle for; encouragement usually involves athletics rather than school.

Two bastions of male dominance still remain, however: administration and salary. Males still vastly outnumber women in management jobs. Typical male salaries in similar positions uniformly outperform those of their female peers.

It may just be a matter of time before those ladies who now fill schools expand into the companies of the world. It may just be a matter of time before women come to take over business, politics, and life as we know it. It may be just a matter of time before guys find themselves wearing really unpleasant corsets and having to watch their figures. (Kiss your 32 oz. steaks and belching contests goodbye!)

All of Mom’s counsel about being polite to women totally makes sense now. Back then, it was about chivalry. In the future, it may be about survival.

About the author: Marcus Varner earned his Marketing MBA and a BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis from Brigham Young University. He specializes in writing about education issues, online education, online schools, workplace trends, and careers.

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Cheap College Textbooks

article king — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:15:21 +0000

There are many people and students in particular who find it hard to manage their money, especially when the new academic year begins. This is mostly due to the high price of textbooks that the college requires. The books are needed for use during the year or semester, and you need these books even to continue the studies. The price for them is rather high.
Students have to go through the procedure of buying. What you really need is the textbooks bought at low price. In fact, it is possible to get your textbooks 75% cheaper than the textbooks. It is really true, but you need to search for that.
Well, we need to tell you that it is possible. To get such textbooks you need to search the sites that offer textbooks both new and used. These sites, made it easier for college students to save their money and to get the books they need. Those sites were created by former students and they are specially aimed at students. To tell the truth, these companies are targeted at making the gap between students-sellers and students-buyers.
Selling their used textbooks students get a partial refund of the initial price that you paid for your textbooks. Once you do not need you textbooks why keeping them dusting on your shelves. By selling your textbooks you will ensure the return of your money or you will partially pay for your new textbooks. In addition, if you sell your textbooks to be used by other people, you may get used textbooks as well. This will make your textbooks for the next semester free. When you compare the benefit from this way of buying and selling, you will understand that it works really great.
There is one more hint we need to tell you about when you sell or buy used textbooks. When you sell something you need to make sure you get the best price for it. To get the best price you need to check from different online stores what prices they offer and what they charge for their services. If you are buying a used textbook, you also need to know whether you are paying the best price. You need to make sure that you are buying the book you really need or want. Sometimes the book may have different editions which will be quite different. Always check the ISBN before you buy anything.
Buying new textbooks is quite expensive; however, you may save money. Buying used textbooks online will help you to save up to 25% on your tuition fee. Selling your used textbooks you may not only help you save money, but also allow you to help other people.

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Cheap College Textbooks

article king — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:01:29 +0000

As soon the new semester will start, the necessity to purchase new textbooks is approaching. However, students may still save money buying textbooks. You can buy used textbooks online. There are a few things you need to know before you go to buy textbooks. Here is what you need to know before buying.
The first thing in your search for good discounts is the knowledge of ISBN. This is a special number that textbook publishers award any new edition. Editions differ, and if you purchase the wrong textbook, you may have problems with fulfillment of the assignments. Every edition has its ISBN that you need to know before buying the textbook.
Additionally you need to know what supplements go with the textbooks you require. Some textbooks may have CDs, DVDs or other supplements. Be sure to purchase the textbook with the right supplements. Check from the seller whether the supplements included, what conditions they are in. For instance, it would be good to have a DVD in an unwrapped state. In addition, some electronic devices may have special activation keys. If the electronic device was used by a previous the activation key might have been used and you as the new user might not have the possibility to use it.
What is more, you need to go to the campus bookstore to check the prices there. Sometimes the books you need are rare and can be bought only at your campus bookstore, or the price may be lower than that online. This is a rare case, yet sometimes the book you need is only there in your campus bookstore. Also check for bundled textbooks. Packages usually cost less than of you were buying used textbooks separately.
If you still wish to buy the books from online bookstores, you need to order them before the classes begin. You should understand that your professors will not pay attention to your problems of waiting for the shipments or reordering. The earlier you buy the textbooks, the better will be equipped for your studies.
Also consider buying used textbooks from other students. It is better to agree on the purchase beforehand. However, you need to check as to whether the textbook is the same one that your professor will require. Within the same college, different professors will require different textbooks or different editions of the same textbook.
And finally, if you are paying for your textbooks with the help of Financial Aid, you will be required to buy your textbooks only from the campus bookstore.
All in all, you may save money buying your textbooks online, though you need to check a lot of information before you place your order. Remember to have ISBN, and check any additional information to get the right kind of book.

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Prices Of College Textbooks

article king — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:46:38 +0000

Each year the students face the problem of expensive textbooks. The students have to spend a lot of money on their education. That’s why they try to find ways to spare some money. The faculty chairmen and government representatives are trying to find a solution in this crisis with college textbooks. But still there is no solution and the students try to save money in order to have money to pay for the next school year. The parties promise to stop the constantly rising prices for textbooks till the beginning of a new school year. Together with some actions of the government, the students also tried to make the actions of their own; they have made several campaigns and programs, which goal was to reduce the price for the textbooks which are required by curriculum. Students have blamed the publishers in that fact that they have made such situation when the prices went up and printing of the new editions of the textbooks, even when it is not required. Besides they accused the publishers that they monitor the prices for the used books, because of these new editions. However, all this actions didn’t lead to any results. The companies were ignored by the government. But the crisis helped students a bit – the prices were fixed and didn’t increase to that usual amount of percents.
But the publishers tried to purify their name and just blamed the faculties. According to their words, this is the professors who ask for new updated textbooks. But the faculties assure that they are not guilty. All of them are bringing just more problems to the existing one. Moreover, the chairman added that why should the professors require the new editions, if the program itself hadn’t changed for several dozens of years. By this means the faculty leaders rejected all the charges said by textbook publishers.
As you may see the parties are just accusing each other, to the best of our knowledge only few officials are actually doing something and trying to find any solutions to the high prices of college textbooks. In order to make the percentage of crises of the new textbook down, high educational institutions have provided a set of specific programs that should be quite efficient. Unfortunately, these are only temporary solutions to this college textbooks problem. The thing is that the universities try to start selling college textbooks which may be downloaded in PDF format. Electronic textbooks now take about 70 percent of existing textbooks. Several other universities have decided to focus currently on including textbook lending, exchanging, renting etc. I am sure that this is just a beginning and further everything will be solved both by publishers and college stuff.

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Cost Of College Texbooks

article king — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:30:04 +0000

I’m sure you won’t be surprised if I tell you that it is hard for average student to buy textbooks for your study. It is rather painful topic for each student and it is up-to-date every year. It would be useful for you to know that the prices are going constantly up for round 10 % a year. So, as far as the issue is concerned, each year for the students starts the period when they try to find different variants where to buy textbooks. So far as is known, among the most popular variants is some chip books or used ones. Most of the students buy such kind of books from the other students. As far as my experience may be taken into account, you have low chances to get quality used textbooks. To the best of our knowledge, the other students try buy new textbooks at bookstores in order to resell them later to the others. But in fact, if we are making a closer investigation of this issue, you will receive not more than 15 % of the price of the new book.

Actually, there are several tips to buy textbooks and save your money. First of all I would recommend you not to buy the textbooks at the bookstore. One of the cardinal things for you to know is that the prices there are enormous high. Instead you’d better buy in online bookstores specializing on college textbooks and with great discounts. Believe me, the prices may be lesser even up to 80 %. Besides, and what is more important, the books are new! So later at the end of semester you can resell the books and even get more profit. Furthermore you may compare prices in different stores and choose the better one. In addition, while searching, check ISBN number it must correspond the required textbook. It is obvious that when you take a closer look at this issue, the accuracy is very important by choosing. Before buying you need to consult with your professor. Find out how often you will need them as some professors do not use them at all, though university program requires them.

You may as well talk to the students who has passed these classes and ask which books you’ll really need. Consult as well if any version of the textbook will fit you, as there may be significant discrepancies between the editions. Old editions will cost much lesser.

To sum up, do not go to the first bookstore you’ll see, first check this book online. They have discounts that are very significant as the prices for textbooks are very high. So, don’t hesitate and you will definitely feel the advantages of such stores.

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How To Locate And Employ A Nanny

article king — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:04:48 +0000

How to locate and employ a Nanny

Today hiring a Nanny is becoming more and more popular, with the cost involved placing your child/ children into a nursery, hiring a Nanny can be more cost effective. There are many benefits to employing a Nanny, the main benefit is that your child can be left at home and feel safe in their natural and familiar surroundings. Although my children spent time at a private nursery, looking back my wife and I would have hired a Nanny. A qualified Nanny will not only look after your child they will also teach and develop your child’s learning.

Ways of sourcing a Nanny

With the Internet revolution, sourcing a Nanny on the web is fairly easy, using paper based advertising is no longer required. On the internet there are many places to find a Nanny, I would always recommend using the experience and skills of a Nanny recruitment agency. Using a Nanny Agency will take away all the stress and make the whole process less time consuming. A Nanny agency has many sources to find your Nanny. Providing the agency does their job accurately and understands your requirements, they will be able to supply you with a range of CVs that should match your Nanny specification. Additionally an agency will also check out qualifications and references of potential candidates. They also have expertise in drawing up employment contracts and advise you on dealing with tax and national insurance payments. With the new regulations surrounding Criminal Record Bureau checks, all adults supervising children must have an enhanced CRB. An agency will ensure that any Nanny they supply will have an up-to-date CRB and ideally have a certificate in First Aid. Please note that enhanced CRB’s can take 12 weeks to complete.

What makes a excellent Nanny Agency

When you google for a Nanny agency, for example googling the term “nannies london” will return over 470,000 pages. So knowing which agency to choose then becomes difficult. All agencies typically charge more or less the same fee to recruit a Nanny, however please watch out for rebate periods. You need to know what happens should you or your Nanny terminate the contract of employment. Are you permitted to a replacement or partial refund? Rebate periods vary from agency to agency, some offer 4 weeks and the odd few offer 4-6 months. Any professional Nanny agency will be aware and conform with the a standard Nanny code of practice, a good source to find an agency would be from a list provided by the Good Nanny Agency Guide. The agencies listed will all conform with the code of practice. The code of practice can be downloaded in a pdf document. The code of practice will also assist you in interviewing your Nanny.
I have been involved in the childcare sector for a while now, I hope this article gives some tips and advice in your quest in finding the right childcare.

Prices Of Modern Textbooks

article king — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:00:11 +0000

After every semester you have to stand in a long queue to sell you used textbooks that only half a year ago were worth a fortune. What you get is about 20 to 50 bucks and should feel happy because you may have got less. You make one of those who do not know that selling on campus is not your only option as nowadays the Internet offers you much more.
Let’s say you are a person who saves any textbook, to be on the safe side in grown up life as you think they will make your library. But in a couple of years you graduate and understand that the real business is far from what you have read in your textbooks, and what is more, some of them have nothing to do with practice, or simply outdated rubbish. You start understanding that you paid up to USD 200 for a pile of sheets. You start thinking of how to get rid of them to get space for new and better suited ones. And finally you come to a number of options: you may give your books to a secondhand store, donate to a church or some charitable organization. Yet, you will not get money for those options, but if you want to offer them to online used textbooks stores. IF you think that you need to do something to help others, this is a good chance. Thousands of students start looking for those books every semester. You will not only help one or two students if you donate, but because of the rotation of those books years and years again you will help dozens of people looking for some way to save money.
The prices of modern textbooks are really high. This is understandable: as the cost of natural recourses gets higher, the prices for print, paper and other things used for book production, increase, and additionally, the demand for these books is restricted by the number of students that go to colleges, the price for printed edition gets high as well. Yet, this does not save modern students from the hardship of today’s life. Some editions that dust in your library may be rare or unique, and people may benefit from the best they get.
All in all, do not keep your textbooks on your shelves. Professors offer textbooks that will teach the students the ABC of some science and at the same time students have to buy those books. Those books cost hundreds of dollars. Help people to find the answers you used to find for yourself when you studied. You can do some good for others and be noble. Sell your used textbooks to spare some space at your bookcase for new things.

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Online Textbooks

article king — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:00:00 +0000

There is no doubt that university and college textbooks are really expensive. Over the years prices tend to grow. At the beginning of the year or at the beginning of winter semester students are always busy looking for textbooks they have on the list. But as you may understand students always look for something that will be cheap as they are always short of money. Used textbooks has always been an option for those who count every penny. Unfortunately, for most of them it is really hard to get used quality of good quality. The percent of students who buy new books and then sell them back to the campus store is rather low. In addition, the return price is extremely low. However, there is still hope.
This is how you can buy good quality textbooks and save your money.
The first hint will tell you that you should not buy used textbooks from campus bookstore. The prices there are quite high. We advise you to buy used textbooks online. There are special sites that specifically focus on the used university or college textbooks. Some of those sites offer the price that is more than half the price of similar ones from campus bookstore. If you wish to buy new textbooks you can still do that online and then return to those and get some money for that. Online stores offer the service of comparing prices and sites that offer the books.
The second tip is that you can search the books only by ISBN or a unique code that is different in every edition. One hundred percent accuracy in your search may only be achieved if you have the correct code. Make sure you take it from your professor or from the students of the previous year.
Next, when you start to search for the books you need to start doing that before everybody else does. Ask your professors and lecturers to provide you with the syllabus and the list of required textbooks for the coming semester before it actually starts. In addition, ask your professors as to whether there are some books you may share with other students. This will allow you to save some money and share the expenses with your friend.
Ask around the campus to check if there are students who wish to sell or give their books for free. Yes, do not lose your chance to get the books all for free if there is any slight chance. In addition be deft to be the first one.
The final tip is as follows: ask your professor whether you can use any prior editions to the textbooks on the list. Some editions may differ much, yet others will be quite suitable for your classes. Usually previous or international editions are much lower in price than home printed editions. Thus, consider different options.

Education is worth money, but you can easily be frugal on some of the aspects of it - like on college textbooks, for instance. Those who need cheap college textbooks or cheap textbooks in general, please visit this website and find what you’ve been looking for at a fair price.