Connor Wagner

Husband. Father. Teacher. Learner.

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@MathsCirclesOz Games--with depth. Easy to learn, hard to master.

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@pwharris 4 quarters to a dollar.
35/4 = $8.75
Move the decimal back.
Answer = 875

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@DrKChilds Don't all decisions made impact the rest of your life at any age with varying degrees of severity?
Other decisions 13-yr-olds make with tremendous impact:
How to spend their free time.
What friends to surround themselves with (partial choice).
What hobbies to pursue.

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@Mathowitz Conspicuous conservation. It is better seen from the road.

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@saravdwerf The book that made me fall in love with math: "Here's Looking at Euclid" by Alex Bellos

The articles/blogs that most impacted my practice:
https://t.co/toQpWukLgA

https://t.co/E6NcfVAUOC

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@pgliljedahl Recently moved from the classroom to a math coach position. I want to bring your work to other math teachers. When you introduced ideas via modeling and immersion did you choose tasks that would challenge teachers or tasks they would use in their grade levels?

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

Hey everyone, have a question for you (trying to share the beauty of Twitter's MTBoS):
With state testing about to end, who has some good project-based lessons/ideas to keep students engaged through the end of the school year? (ex. Barbie bungee)
#iteachmath #MTBoS

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@MathsCirclesOz @atlasobscura These would be fun as slow reveal graphs.
https://t.co/1GCYiJWyZU

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@robertkaplinsky And here is a research paper showing that learning the kuku chant (memorization) decreases recall time, which they suspect reduces cognitive load as defined by Cognitive Load Theory. https://t.co/fla5w01XQD

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@robertkaplinsky Without defending my alphabet analogy, a better argument is looking at Japan's use of the kuku chant. Japan scores top-5 internationally for math scores in 4th grade. If you are unfamiliar with the kuku, I was introduced to it in Alex Bellos, "Here's Looking at Euclud."

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@NCTM I am sorry, but I cannot stand the treatment "memorization" gets from people in these spaces. Find me one child that does not first memorize the alphabet before becoming a fluent reader. This makes me take the work of the NCTM less seriously. I am NOT saying stop at memorization.

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@beslewis @robertkaplinsky I completely agree, but it is definitely treated like a 4-letter word around some of these spaces.

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@mr_stadel @DVsqrd Did you jump right into polynomials, or did you connect it back to elementary multiplication with problems like 23(567)?

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@BerkeleyEverett Better yet, I dare you to bring in the cookies.

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@ddmeyer For this particular trick, I used a 4-quadrant multiplication table with Q1 filled in. Visualize a coordinate grid where (2,4) has a circle with 8 inside.
I then ask students to notice and wonder patterns. The patterns eventually bring Q3 with negative times negatives.

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@TeachMrReed What are your thoughts on, S played around in class and didn't do any work. So now S uses recess to make up work? (i.e. S used class time as their recess, and thus it wasn't taken away.)

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@MrE_Maths @StudyMaths If you can link the concept back to elementary, I have found this helpful:
Why can't you add the hundreds place value with the tens place?
Why can't you add thirds with halves?
Why can't you add feet with inches?
You want students to realize we cannot add different units.

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@davidwees 2[3(4)+1]+1

[Connor Wagner @MrWagnerMath]

@carterorieux @benjamindickman I think it is important to use correct terminology/language, even if students may not have "learned" it yet. This is how all toddlers learn language: they hear adults use it.