November 4, 2018
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Comments Off on Maths in Music
When I learnt that we were going to be doing an input on Maths and Music, I was confused, to me these two subjects have nothing in common with each other. I was fascinated to see what we were going to be focusing on. I love music but have never had any luck with playing […] Continue reading
November 4, 2018
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Comments Off on Is maths beautiful?
Maths makes our portraits beautiful. Recently, we had an input surrounding maths and art. This is something I really enjoyed, after this input I began to think about how much mathematics is actually involved in life, even art. So, how does maths make us beautiful? To explain, I think I should firstly show you some … Continue reading Is maths beautiful? → Continue reading
November 3, 2018
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Comments Off on “I’ve gotten this far… I may as well finish it”
With the amount of times it has happened already, I should not really be surprised that the next area covered in Discovering Mathematics is another one that not only astounds me, but applies to me directly – and yet, my jaw is once again left near-enough dropped as I began to uncover Counter Intuitive Mathematics. […] Continue reading
November 3, 2018
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Comments Off on my sixth year personal essay
Following an input on attribution theory i was reminded of my personal essay that I wrote for my advanced higher English portfolio. The essay was completely my own and i did not allow for any of my teachers to see it until the day before it was meant to be turned in. I wanted it […] Continue reading
November 2, 2018
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Comments Off on The Beauty of Mathematics
CAN MATHEMATICS BE BEAUTIFUL? If you take a look inside a child’s math jotter you will most likely find some numbers written on parallel lines to form equations and answers. But, is it possible to use math to form or create something which is not numbers based? Can we create something more exciting and creative […] Continue reading
October 31, 2018
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Comments Off on Visit to Flexible Childcare Services
On Monday my group visited the Flexible Childcare services in Dundee. This organisation runs a day-care centre for children ranging from babies to sixteen year olds. However there is no set price per child, the cost of the child care depends on the parents income. Therefore this makes this organisation unique from others as it […] Continue reading
October 30, 2018
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Comments Off on Weight a second… Mathematics can improve fitness?
With only 60 days left until Christmas, before we know it we will be sitting down to think about our new year resolutions. This year I had the stereotypical goal of joining the gym and sticking at it for longer than most of us tend to do. To this day I still attend the gym […] Continue reading
October 29, 2018
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Comments Off on Is maths creative?
Prior to the discovering maths elective, I would never have associated maths with the term ‘creative’. When thinking about this concept myself, I found it was only right to see if those around me shared my original thoughts, that maths is not creative. When surveying 10 of my friends and family, who have not taken […] Continue reading
October 29, 2018
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Comments Off on Face, Maths and Evolution. How does it all mix?
Would you believe me if I said that mathematics can judge your facial proportion? Well unfortunately it can in a very accurate and understandable way. In our most recent input for our Discovering Mathematics module we unearthed how to draw a face accurately. For myself I have always had a creative ambition and enthusiasm, but …
Continue reading “Face, Maths and Evolution. How does it all mix?”
October 29, 2018
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Comments Off on Can we touch the moon?
Education is one of the first places that allow children to build a realistic foundation of knowledge. It wasn’t until my first school placement that I began to understand the importance of putting fact into visual representation that all children understand. Therefore, if this is inaccurate it will result in a generation (or even generations) …
October 29, 2018
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Comments Off on Luck? I Don’t Think So
Chance or luck? Which one is involved when guessing what side of a coin will land on or gambling at the roulette table? Turns out there is more maths involved than you would think. Probability is an aspect of maths that is used within our daily lives and influences the decisions we make. It also […] Continue reading
October 29, 2018
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Comments Off on Something or Nothing?
What is zero? A number or nothing at all? Before the lecture about place value, I had never considered the significance of zero or how anything interesting can be gleaned from it. Essentially, it was another number that was just there along with its friends 1,2,3 and so on. Though after some research, it becomes […] Continue reading
October 28, 2018
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Comments Off on Should you Stick or Switch?
When taking a multiple-choice test, it often seems one answer is correct initially, however, on further reflection you think a different answer is correct. In this situation, is it better to switch or stick with your first answer? Most people believe you should avoid changing your answer, but research has shown that most answers are […] Continue reading
October 27, 2018
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Comments Off on Stick or Twist
Gambling – the activity or practice of playing at a game of chance for money (Dictionary.com). But are we really playing by chance? Let’s find out. First let’s discover what chance is; Chance is the possibility of something happening (oxford dictionary). It can also be described more mathematically as probability.Say you have a coin. It […] Continue reading
October 26, 2018
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Comments Off on Thinking Fast & Thinking Slow
According to Kahneman (2011), our thought process is determined by two different systems – impulsive/automatic and thoughtful/deliberate – also considered as system 1 and system 2. He makes apparent that for the majority of the time we should be using our system 2, however, this is not what happens. In fact, the reason we don’t […] Continue reading
October 26, 2018
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Comments Off on Comment on The Little Change in the World by Patricia Thomson
A well-written piece Courtney. It’s clear that you are passionate about this topic. There are books on teaching Social Justice issues to pupils, and I think that as a teacher issues such as racism are important to discuss (opinions on such issues being formed at a very young age).
You might be interested in watching this video clip (which I find very depressing, so be warned) of a social experiment about dolls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkpUyB2xgTM Continue reading
October 26, 2018
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Comments Off on So what is meant by Counter Intuitive Mathematics?
Why do losses attract more attention that gains? Why do our brains stick with the original answer in a multiple-choice test? These are questions that were picking through my brain when we spoke about Counter Intuitive Maths. Such as the two ways our brains function answers such as System 1 and 2 which I will … Continue reading So what is meant by Counter Intuitive Mathematics? → Continue reading
October 25, 2018
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Comments Off on Is Curriculum for Excellence a ‘Sunk Cost Fallacy’?
For the past 8 years, Scotland has functioned on Curriculum for Excellence as a means for educating children. A curriculum that was created with a lot of hard work from government officials over a long period of time. However, many people would argue that the way the curriculum was formed has many flaws. One argument […] Continue reading
October 25, 2018
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Comments Off on Space is big, really REALLY big
One of the ways that teachers across Scotland are trying to encourage positive affective domains within children in their maths is by making it more relevant. By applying mathematical concepts to everyday real life concepts, we can encourage children to appreciate the application of maths in society. For example, as teachers we cover a range […] Continue reading
October 23, 2018
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Comments Off on The Math Brain Myth
Maths was always a favourite subject of mine at school, however I suffered from maths anxiety. I only ever begun feeling anxious towards maths when i studied both national 5 and higher mathematics. I used to think that there was only one set way of doing each type of question and the only way i […] Continue reading
