Multiplication – an important skill. There’s many different ways to multiply, but I prefer the good old fashioned method. Whilst not necessarily easy for all, most children do find a method of multiplication that works for them. But that’s only half the story. Can you work backwards, being given part of the question and part […]
Every day I get to work with geniuses. They often don’t yet know they are a genius, and they’ve still to hit the heights of Einstein, but nevertheless, I am, on a daily basis, struck by the brilliance and intuitive thought of those I teach. I’ve recently been doing some work with a class, encouraging […]
Percentages – Its all in the name: Per as in ‘out of’ and cent as in ‘century’ ‘dollars (or Euros) and cents’ ‘Centurion’ and ‘hundred’ in French. Percent means: ‘out of 100’ So to turn a percentage into a fraction, just shove it over one hundred: 58% = 58⁄100 … … but don’t forget to […]
Pick up any dictionary and you will find ‘Vulgar’ defined along the lines of: Lacking sophistication or good taste; unrefined indecent; obscene; lewd … and I’ve often wondered what the poor old fraction has done to deserve such a reputation. I have visions of unruly fractions, burping and belching and generally terrorising the more gentle […]
The Number 1 – is it a prime number? So – we normally say, a prime number is a number that can only be divided by itself and 1. A good working definition that most children know, understand and readily accept. But … … but 1 is not a prime number. Why? Well, the true […]