12 May 2010

Starting a Math Wiki

The following are some student responses I had when I gave these stubs about math. I think it's really interesting to see how students respond to such high-level, broad questions, especially with regard to a subject that is often so focused and skill-based.

Geometry is…

- A type of math (Jordan)

- That lets us know names of shapes, angles, and sizes (Kymani)

- It is important in life, because it shows you what angles or sides that you could say for triangles’ names. (Jordan)

Geometry is important because…

- It shows us how we can say different words for shapes, sizes, angles, and so forth. (Ahmad)

- It helps you see shapes in the world. Geometry helps you visualize. (Jordan)

- If you go to college and you want to study it, you could become a mathematician. (Justin)

What is math?

- A specific study of shapes, sizes, and numbers. (Sayeed)

- Math is hard to describe! (Sayeed)

- A language that helps us understand relationships in the world (Mr. Stephenson)

- Math is a study of different things, and it will help you in life when you need to learn how right angles how they are different from other angles, and what they are. (Malachi)

Math is important because…

- It’s like chemistry. It tells you physical properties or hard properties to describe things in the world. (Jordan)

- Math is important because it can help you in life. I want to be a surgeon, and math is going to help me when I need to decide how to operate on a person, by telling me exactly where I need to make the cuts. (Kymani)