Alice in Wonderland enthusiasts recently celebrated the story’s anniversary with creative events like playing with puzzles and time — and future Alice exhibits are in the works. The original 1865 children’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, sprung from a mathematician’s imagination, continues to inspire exploration and fun. But is a connection between math and creativity captured in schools? Much […] … learn more→

Angry student: “Why do I have to learn algebra? I’m only going to be teaching eight year olds!” Me: “Because the parents of eight year olds want their teachers to know more than an eight year old.” –I used to get Education majors quite often in my math courses, before they became cloistered into special […] … learn more→

With the help of an adult and the right strategies, children can learn to love mathematics. If we take advantage of the early ages, you can shape your taste for this discipline with very simple steps: 1. Never say “I hated mathematics” (even if it was true) Probably, she would be more embarrassed to tell him […] … learn more→

On a snowy day in January, I asked students to tell me what was the first word that came to mind when thinking about mathematics. The two most quoted words were “calculus” and “equation”. When I asked the same question to a room full of professional mathematicians, none of these two words were spoken; they […] … learn more→

It should come as no surprise that the first recorded use of the number zero, recently discovered to be made as early as the 3rd or 4th century, happened in India. Mathematics on the Indian subcontinent has a rich history going back over 3,000 years and thrived for centuries before similar advances were made in […] … learn more→

In 1939, the fictional professor J. Abner Pediwell published a curious book called “The Saber-Tooth Curriculum.” Through a series of satirical lectures, Pediwell (or the actual author, education professor Harold R. W. Benjamin) describes a Paleolithic curriculum that includes lessons in grabbing fish with your bare hands and scaring saber-toothed tigers with fire. Even after […] … learn more→