Everyone knows that arithmetic is true: 2 + 2 = 4. But surprisingly, we don’t know why it’s true. By stepping outside the box of our usual way of thinking about numbers, my colleagues and I have recently shown that arithmetic has biological roots and is a natural consequence of how perception of the world around us is organised. […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Arithmetic has a biological origin – it’s an expression in symbols of the ‘deep structure’ of our perception
‘Why would they change maths?’ How your child’s maths education might be very different from yours
There is a scene in the film Incredibles 2 where young Dash asks his dad Bob for help with his maths homework. Bob obliges and begins to scribble on a notepad. But Dash quickly points to his textbook and says, “that’s not the way you’re supposed to do it, Dad”. Frustrated, Bob exclaims I don’t know that […] … learn more→
Too many school students are falling behind: how do we help those most at risk?
There is increasing concern about Australian students falling behind in numeracy and literacy. NAPLAN results show 16.2% of Year 3 students are at or below the national minimum standards in numeracy and 12.9% are at or below the minimum standards in reading. By Year 9, this climbs to 20.4% and 25.1% respectively. The 2021 early development census also found […] … learn more→
Are digital technologies corrupting the school?
Since the world is the world, technology has been present in our day to day. In the Lower Paleolithic, Homo habilis began to use stone tools: from then on, humanity has not stopped generating new objects based on the elements it found in its immediate environment. We must not forget that technology is everything created by man, […] … learn more→
X marks the unknown in algebra – but X’s origins are a math mystery
Even though x is one of the least-used letters in the English alphabet, it appears throughout American culture – from Stan Lee’s X-Men superheroes to “The X-Files” TV series. The letter x often symbolizes something unknown, with an air of mystery that can be appealing – just look at Elon Musk with SpaceX, Tesla’s Model X, and now X as a new […] … learn more→
Digital video storytelling: how can we take advantage of this technique to learn and teach?
The Short Celts already said it: “ Tell me a story and you will see how happy I am ”. The ancient human interest in telling and listening to stories has become a powerful and popular marketing tool (with the modern anglicism of storytelling ) in the business world, due to its ability to capture the public’s attention. Surely we all remember […] … learn more→
How to motivate yourself to learn a language
Are you thinking about learning a language? Perhaps you’ve decided that it’s time to dust off your classroom French. Maybe you’re planning a trip to Japan and feel like you should make the effort to learn the basics, or work is sending you to the Cairo office for a year and you’ll need Arabic. Learning […] … learn more→
Is there life beyond PowerPoint? Tools for dynamic and interactive presentations
Let’s face it: when we perform certain tasks at work, we often resort to the same tools. Although there are already many alternatives to PowerPoint that make it easier for us to create dynamic presentations, we feel confident and don’t want to spend too much time learning how a new resource works. Who can blame us? We […] … learn more→
How do you know when it’s time to think seriously think about changing your child’s school?
Going to school can be challenging for children and young people at times. Most young people will have patches during their school career where it feels hard. That’s normal. Getting through those hard times can bring with it sense of mastery, confidence and resilience. Of course, this is not the experience of all young people, and many […] … learn more→
The role of online CPR training in reducing cardiac arrest deaths
Cardiac arrest is a severe condition where the heart suddenly stops beating. Quick action is needed to save a person’s life. Online CPR training allows people to learn the skills and knowledge necessary to perform CPR and provide life-saving assistance. Both BLS and CPR certification courses talk about saving a life with CPR. This blog […] … learn more→