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I keep getting odd questions from the Question facility in Interactive Mathematics. This question has no return name or email address, so how can I follow it up? How am I supposed to answer it? Give me a break… how to use various mathematical sign If students are not educated in a context of question [...]

Bonneh’s Illusion gives a fascinating insight into the way our brains work. It turns out that our left and right brains switch for control of our consciousness. Where did this realisation this come from? The independent eyes of the sandlance fish move one at a time – indicating that the left brain is in control [...]

A quote from the weekly newsletter of my daughter’s school (year 7 is equivalent to grade 7 – around 13 years of age): Year 7 have spent a considerable time looking at their approach to learning and assessing their natural preferences. All are in the process of writing their learning profile and this will be [...]

I subscribe to Japanese prime minister Koizumi’s weekly email magazine “Lion Heart — Message from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi”. It is usually an interesting read. This week it is on the redeployment of Japanese Self Defence Force troops from Iraq, and on his pink shirt – among other things. You can sign up for the [...]

An opinion piece by Ruth Peters in USA Today, “Summer reading lists are OK, but math is where kids lag” [no longer available, but cited in Math in the Media], bemoans the poor level of math skills in the US. She mentions that many students get a reading list for the summer holidays (how many [...]

The Accra Daily Mail newspaper (in Ghana) has an interesting and impassioned article from a mathematics educator who would like to see an improvement in the state of mathematics and science education. In “Improving Math and Science in Our School” [no longer available], Okyere Bonna reminds her readers that Ghana came 44th out of the [...]

Extraordinary concept, this black toilet paper from Renova. Yep, I would use it once for the novelty. However, I would probably feel the need for subsequent cleanliness quality control. But I was pondering the other day… why is (white) toilet paper bleached? Does it really matter if it is greyish (which I imagine would be [...]

I often wake at odd hours – especially if I am really busy at work, or something bad happens. This morning I woke in the midst of a bad dream at 4:44 am. For many Asian cultures, 4 is not a good number, since it is reminiscent of death and is regarded as unlucky. In [...]

I like the Associated Press article from Contra Costa Times Vocational education back in vogue [link no longer available]. School is too academic for the vast majority of students. Learning should come from doing and exploring – and thinking about what happened and why it happened. For a long time now, education has been too [...]

Dallas Morning News education writer Holly Hacker in a recent article National panel pursues formula for excellence in teaching math [link no longer available] describes yet another attempt by the Americans to improve mathematics standards. This time it is a panel of experts appointed by George Dubya and led by Larry Faulkner. Two extremes of [...]