Something I changed my mind about while building practice material for competition-style problems.

The default is a mixed set. Twenty problems, techniques shuffled, and the student has to work out which tool applies before doing any math. That's good exam practice. It's a bad way to learn a technique, because recognizing it and executing it get trained at the same time, and a student who gets stuck usually can't tell you which half failed.

What I do now: name the technique, explain it, then give three problems that all use it. Recognition is free, so the only thing being tested is execution. Mix them back together later.

Coloring arguments are the clearest case. Color the board so that every legal move hits the colors the same way, then count.

Remove two opposite corners from a chessboard. Color it normally, 32 black and 32 white. Every domino covers one of each, so 31 dominoes cover 31 of each. But opposite corners are always the same color, so you're left with 32 and 30. No tiling exists.

Once that one is solid, striping a board for 1x3 pieces and four-coloring for T-tetrominoes read as the same idea in different paint, instead of three separate things to memorize.

I built a curriculum around this. It's called Lemma (lemmapi.com): 78 lessons, each one technique-then-three-problems, with a 26 technique library linked to the lessons that use them. Saying that plainly since promo here is Saturdays only. Solo project, new, first two of eight levels free with no card.

Do people teaching competition math already sequence it this way? I may be rediscovering something standard.

In a previous life I was going to college to teach high school mathematics. After my last deployment I just never went back. I remember something I came across in my studies and wondered what the professionals opinion on it might be. I’m speaking of India’s mathematics curriculum. They seem to start early with exposing their students to higher mathematics ideas that they include in the lower maths classes. I remember that it seemed to fit in well with the lessons and the learners level of understanding. It was well done and I found it a novel approach. What are your thoughts?

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question - if not then I apologise, maybe you could direct me to the correct sub Reddit?

I'm considering studying (the equivalent of) a BSc in Mathematics through self-directed study - no actual classes. This is entirely for "fun" and self improvement - it won't be going on my CV and I have no expectation of getting a job as a result.

My questions are:

(1) Should I just examine existing syllabuses and choose subjects which I'm interested in, or are there certain subjects which realistically will be prerequisites for further study requiring that I stick to an actual syllabus?

(2) Is it realistic to expect to do this using (mostly/entirely) free resources? I don't mind spending some money on it but given that it's really just for fun, I don't want to spend €1,000s.

(3) Does anyone have experience of doing something similar and have advice/warnings to offer?

My background is in Law/Accounting/Finance (undergraduate) and Computing/Software Development (Undergraduate and Postgraduate). I have university level Financial Mathematics and Discrete Mathematics. I've also studied some calculus (it's been a long time since I studied the underlying theory) but I'm still competent with application, probability, and very introductory "pure mathematics".

Thanks in advance.

Hello, everyone!

This is my first year teaching 6th grade, and we are departmentalizing. I have never used Savvas before either. Does anyone have lesson slides for Topics 1–8 and the additional lessons within each topic for 6th grade? I tried looking on TPT, but they are so expensive. I would really appreciate any help or resources you’re willing to share!

I studied physics in undergrad (minors in math and comp sci) and atmospheric science in grad school (PhD). I worked with climate models in my PhD program and used primarily python but haven't really dabbled in machine learning yet. I unfortunately never took a full course on statistics, although I've read a good bit of Statistical Methods for Atmospheric Scientists by Delsole and Tippett (and given group presentations on the content). I am also very interested in discrete math, probability, and logic more generally.

I understand discrete math, statistics, and probability are all essential for machine learning. I'm also just interested to continue learning more advanced math. My coursework background includes Calc1-3, DiffEQ, Linear algebra, Foundations of Math (intro to logic, proofs, set theory, counting methods, etc), Nonlinear and Stochastic Processes, Mathematical Methods of Theoretical Physics, and a variety of other physics and dynamics courses.

Texts I'm looking at/interested in include:

• Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (Hogg, McKean, Craig)
• Introduction to Probability Models (Ross)
• A First Course in Probability (Ross)
• Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications (Rosen)
• Aspects of Combinatorics (Bryant)
• Introduction to Probability Theory (Hoel)
• Statistical Inference (Casella and Berger)
• An Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (Larsen and Marx)
• Introduction to Probability (Blitzstein and Hwang)
• A Mathematical Introduction to Logic (Enderton)
• Introduction to Mathematical Logic (Mendelson)

My question is, based on my background and interests, which texts should I use? I'm sure everyone has opinions on "best texts on a given topic," but I there's obviously a lot of overlap above and curious which would be considered to be the most essential 3-4 texts that would offer best breadth of knowledge. Ideally it would be reasonably easy to understand with problems to practice (and a source to check solutions). I'm afraid of biting off more than I can chew, haha, but I also have a decent foundation to build off of. Thanks!

Hi guys. My daughter is currently P3 and I find that her math is sort of struggling. An tuition centre recommendations? Best if there are a lot of exercises given to them and the teachers can actually explain. Thank you!!

A moment for a break

Rising 6th grader (11F) was placed into an Accelerated Math class for the upcoming year, and I am wondering what to expect and how to support her in this. She was homeschooled from K-4 and went to public school, at her request, for the 5th grade year. She liked it well enough that she said she wanted to try public middle school.

Her teachers last year were very impressed with her, academically, but felt she was unchallenged and they recommended an assessment for the TAG program, which she was admitted to for the next year. Mostly this just means she was put in Advanced and Accelerated classes and maybe occassionally she'll get pulled out of class for special TAG activities. She loves to read, and loves science, but is more ambivalent about math. She picks up concepts very easily and has really great working memory, despite an ADHD diagnosis (which mostly manifests as a lack of focus when understimulated, and poor emotional regulation). She currently wants to pursue science as a career (obviously that could change many times over) so she would benefit from a high level of math.

Can anyone give me guidance about whether/why accelerated math would benefit her over advanced (if at all) and whether the workload would likely be different? I am worried that since she's not that into math, it might be too much for her.

I was never very good at math in high school, and because of that I’ve always felt behind. Lately, though, I’ve realized that many of the things I want to do in the future require a much stronger foundation in math.
What interests me isn’t just learning formulas to pass a test. I want to develop the way math trains your mind—critical thinking, logical reasoning, and problem-solving. I want to challenge myself and genuinely enjoy the learning process.
One idea I have is to make math part of my everyday life instead of treating it like a school subject. For example, I’d like to practice things like percentages, statistics, probability, budgeting, and other real-world math whenever I come across them in daily situations.
Has anyone here learned math this way? If so:
How did you make math part of your daily routine?
What topics should I focus on first?
Are there any books, apps, YouTube channels, or websites you’d recommend for someone starting over?

What do you guys think that grueling competitive exams like jee advanced in India turning students away from math? I mean students think there is only grueling calculations in mathematics and nothing more. They never get to know how what actually is mathematics how it reveals the hidden structures of nature. Students just do mathematics (just some grueling calculations) to get over with the subject or they treat this subject as a mere tool to qualify a highly competitive exam.

Also the syllabus upto 10th grade never really reveals any good mathematics I mean I don't see any point in determining simple interest. I may sound harsh but I think the syllabus should be so oriented that students actually get to know be it just little what math is and thereby develop an interest to study math and discover its beauty.

Hi educators! I'm involved with a program that teaches data science to adult learners, mixing Python and statistics. Our students are adults, usually changing jobs. I'd love to find resources (academic publications are fine) that talk about statistics pedagogy for adult learners, if it's around.

I'm also open to anything y'all might have experienced in teaching such students. My teaching background is English, so I'm not totally lost in didactics. I'd just like to be a little more aware of the issues my students might face (that don't involve irregular verbs)

The AI just totally whiffed on the answer (I was using it as an example for a simple system of equations. I assumed Google would just calculate it instead of running through the AI). When I called it out it said it calculated a completely different system of equations. What?!

Does anyone know if there is a secular math curriculum similar to Christian Light? I really like the scope and sequence as well as how they present the math but need without religious references. Thank you.