David Wees

Because @rob-baier.bsky.social won't stop bullying me, here's why I'm totally right about trapezoids having at least one pair of parallel sides:

www.strongermath.com/trapezoids-a...

My favorite argument for the inclusive definition is that the area of a trapezoid formula reduces to the other area formulas under the same conditions that the other quadrilaterals do as subsets of trapezoids.

Sal Khan's career is very much a "right place right time" situation and he has not learned a single thing about teaching in all these years.

Did something fun early enough on the internet and got to have his opinions taken seriously forever.

For the remainder problem, I'm well aware of modulo notation, which would be really useful here, but my students are not, and it couldn't figure out how to connect it neatly to a meaningful context for the students. #btc #mathed #mathsky

A sequence of BTC problems focused on scientific notation.

A sequence of BTC thin slicing problems focused on finding remainders of large numbers.

Here are two tasks I used back to back that worked really well, for my goals for those two days. #btc #mathed #mathsky

Is there a community created pool of thin-slicing tasks for the Thinking Classroom model somewhere?
#btc #mathed #mathsky

The image shows 3 fraction additions, 2/3 + 1/4, 3/2 + 3/4, and 2/3 + 1/3 and two visuals: one showing 8/12 and 4/12 each drawn using a bar model, and 8/12 and 3/12 drawn using a bar model.

How are the fraction additions different? How are they similar?
How are the visuals different? How are they similar?

Which visual goes with which fraction addition and how do you know?

#connectingreps #mathsky #mathchat

Yeah, that definitely seems like a reasonable interpretation to me. I might re-use some of these representations when it comes time to work on the distributive rule.

My plan is to introduce the ways in which I want students to collaborate slowly, over time, rather than all at once.

The activity went very well! Every single student was able to engage with the task and make significant headway without too much work from me. We needed a break from the heavy collaboration we'd been doing over the past while.

Solving Integer Equations Worksheet Solving Integer Equations Worksheet Try to find the value of the ?. Two examples have been done for you. A x + 2 = 5 3 + 2 = 5 B C 2x + 2 = 8 2(3) + 2 = 8 D E F Try to find the value...

Here's a worksheet I gave students today. The idea is to reinforce integer operations (and a chip model) through solving equations. An example of what to produce for an answer is given for each type of problem, except the equations on the last page.
docs.google.com/document/d/1...

#mathed #mathsky

Here's new #connectingrepresentations task I created and used a few days ago with my 7th graders.

How are the number lines similar? How are they different?

Which list of numbers goes with which number line, and how do you know?

#mathed #mathchat #mathsky

Area Models and Completing the Square I’m nearing the end of my time with my 9th graders, with this week dedicated to moving beyond factoring as the sole method for solving quadratic equations and towards more general methods lik…

Here's a blog post talking about the advantages of using the approach I created for completing the square. I'm hopeful this approach will also work for this similar mathematics.

mathcoachblog.com/2017/06/05/a...

#mathed #mathsky

Multiplying Binomials Multiplying Binomials 1. Write a quadratic expression in both x2 + bx + c and (x + h)2 form for each visual. One example is given. A B C x2 + 6x + 9 (x + 3)2 D E F 2. Write a qua...

I created a resource similar to the Completing the Square resource I created a few years ago for supporting students with "micro-discoveries" related to multiplying binomials.

Check it out: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
#mathed #mathsky

Any old #bcedchat folks have a lead on a veteran math history teacher??

They'd like someone who has merged academia and industry and can give life and career advice. The event is in English because it will bring young leaders together from around the country.

Is anyone interested in helping out?

My son is looking for a volunteer speaker for a student event he is co-organizing meant to inspire and empower university student leaders. The event will be in Montreal, probably on September 20th.

This is so funny.

I've created a new streamlined page for my educational consulting services on my website to help schools and educators who are looking for support answering these questions. Check it out here: davidwees.com/services/

Let me know how we can work together!

#mathed #edtech #mathematics

How can we inspire educators to do the challenging work that is required to develop and extend their practice? What role do routines play in student learning? How do we help educators focus on the right metrics for learning? What role does technology play in student learning?

A Venn Diagram showing four nested ovals. In the outside oval, the caption reads, "What I think." In the next oval nested inside, the caption reads, "What I can put into words." The next nested oval reads, "What I say to other people." The final smallest nested oval reads, "What they understand."

This diagram encapsulates for me the reason why formative assessment is so critical! It also helps justify the need for visual representations of mathematics to increase the pathways for understanding. #mathed #learning #communication

Oh goodie, customer service is going to get even worse.

Ooo, thanks for the reminder. I might have forgotten about these.

That would be great! It's been ages.

By coincidence, I'm working with Ange' I'll be sure to ask her.

Thank you! It's our second stint. I taught previously in London, Vancouver, New York, and Bangkok.

Hey everyone!

I'm excited to report that I just moved to Hong Kong to work at the Canadian International School of Hong Kong as a math coach and head of department. I'm in the city and getting set up. So far, it's been a fun adventure.

Does anyone know of any math coach networks in this area?

I won't be at NCTM this year. I can't travel to the US at this time as a Canadian citizen. I can't take the risk of being detained by ICE. My colleague Monique will be presenting our presentation on her own.

This is true, but my wife has a bunch of other teaching experience. She is already a great teacher, but she needs a credential. Also, she has a husband who coaches teachers and can help her with the early career hurdles she'll have to face.