Borland Educational News and Views

Monday, May 01, 2017

Mathematics Methodologies

The rise of pay-to-play extra-curricular educational options in recent decades has transformed the landscape of traditional education.

Private tutoring, for example, is no longer regarded as a mark of shame; in fact, it's often a source of pride ("My tutor is Joe Hotshot ... who's yours?").

In tandem with the explosive birth and rapid growth of the private tutoring industry in the U.S., a multitude of companies now offer group math tutoring in various styles and flavors. Some of these champion distinctive pedagogic approaches and programs with almost evangelical passion.

Below are some of the better-known, with notes on each:

Russian School of Mathematics
RSM posits that kids can and should be taught abstract thinking and higher-order reasoning skills (e.g. algebra) from a very early age. Results are impressive.

Singapore Math
Successful national mastery learning model emphasizing a three-step pedagogic approach (concrete, pictoral, abstract) and fewer concepts more deeply learned.

Kumon Method
Worksheet-based math and reading systems. Though currently out of fashion, the "drill and kill" mastery learning approach reintroduced by Kumon works.

Aloha (Abacus Learning of Higher Arithmetic)
Malaysian learning programs emphasizing brain development science and left-right hemispheric integration. Math programs teach mental abacus calculation.

Vedic Math
Indian system of mental calculation based on Vedic Mathematics by Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha. YouTube instructional videos here.

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Contact Chris

borlandeducational.com

Saturday, April 01, 2017

Early Data Visualization

The explosive increase in computing power in the last half of the last century changed the course of the mighty river of mathematics.

Discrete methods of solution came to supersede analog ones as "on-off" digital notions replaced the continuous. Analytical techniques and number-crunching overtook the elegant formality of logical solutions and symbol manipulation, lending to the latter a strangely passé and almost quaint air.

Yesterday, calculus and algebra were king and queen. Today, its statistics and data science.

Students will likely continue to study the traditional arithmetic-algebra-trig-calculus sequence we've all been used to, at least for a another decade or two.

Nevertheless, stats and datasci are coming up awfully fast in the rear view mirror, and it's just a matter of time before we watch them zoom by.

What does this mean for modern day parent-teachers?

Teach your child to enjoy measurement, recording data, and making pretty graphs!

Families can track chores done using points hand-recorded on a refrigerator door chart in bar-graph form. Weather data taken from a home weather station can be tabulated and line graphs generated. Personal goals can be set and progress memorialized using large presentation pad graph paper for all so see.

Finding ways to make creating, recording, analyzing, and visualizing data fun and rewarding will go a long way toward developing "data sense" in your growing children.

Start as soon as they can count and "color inside the lines."

Large format graph paper:

1" Grid Tablet 24 x 32 Inches

Quadrille Paper Grid Pad 17 x 22 Inches

Canson Foundation Series Quadrille Graph Paper Pad 11 x 17 Inches

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Contact Chris

borlandeducational.com

Thursday, March 02, 2017

The Miracle of Human Anatomy

The study of human anatomy has fascinated humankind's greatest thinkers since antiquity.

No machine rivals the awesome complexity of the human body and its myriad systems and organs. Nothing in art or nature surpasses it's dazzling, intricate beauty and harmonious melding of form and function.

Anatomical models, drawings, and texts reveal many of the tantalizing secrets lying under our own skins, and the study of human anatomy should be part of every home science curriculum.

Following is a list of recommended resources:

4D Vision Human Anatomy Torso Model

Smart Lab Toys Squishy Human Body

Smart Lab Human Body Model

Melissa & Doug Magnetic Human Body Anatomy Play Set

Gray's Anatomy for Students: With Student Consult Online Access, 3e

Anatomica's Body Atlas

The Anatomy Coloring Book

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Contact Chris

borlandeducational.com

Wednesday, February 01, 2017

Early Puzzles, Problem Solving, Math Games

Lots of fun family activities expose children to logical problem solving and exercise mathematical thinking muscles without adding columns of numbers or solving equations.

Games and puzzles that develop cognitive abilities, reasoning, and heuristic skills are great ways to get better at math without really trying, and provide alternative content for productive family learning times.

Below are just a few ideas:

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Products

Puzzle Barron's Logic Puzzles

Q-Bitz, Q-Bitz Solo, Q-Bitz Junior (Ages 3+)

Math Dice

Balance Beans

Press Here Game

24 Game: Integers

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Sites

MathPlayground

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Contact Chris

borlandeducational.com

Sunday, January 01, 2017

Family Science

As essential academic skills, the "3 R's" (Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic) dominate primary and secondary education at nearly every phase. This is as it should be.

However, a close second place should be assigned to STEAM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics.

Family science study can be a rewarding and fascinating family activity. Investing a relatively small amount of money in a scientific instruments of reasonable quality can open up entirely new worlds to impressionable and curious young minds. For example, keeping a good compound microscope at ready disposal in the family kitchen avails kids and adults alike of the opportunity to do real spur-of-the-moment science. Having a serious entry-level telescope standing by in the garage for use on those clear, dark, moonless nights when star gazing is most rewarding is a simple way to reify the infinite for youngsters and adults alike.

At all stages, the scientific method can be taught, utilized, and reinforced: Ask a good question, make a sensible guess about the answer, test that guess experimentally (or search the internet for information), confirm or adjust the guess based on what's learned, then repeat.

Having popular scientific magazines prominently displayed at home – and making sure your kids catch you reading and discussing them frequently – is another fun and engaging way to bring science into the home.

Why is it that so many scientists are amateur artists, musicians, painters, video programmers?

The arts are, of course, inextricably linked to the sciences. Affinity for one generally predicts affinity for the other. Music, dance, acting, visual arts, sculpture, architecture, and other diverse artistic disciplines intersect in fascinating ways with scientific fields ranging from physics and chemistry to anatomy and psychology.

Moreover, the dedication, sharply-focused thinking, and keen observational ability required to become a competent stage performer or fine artist are precisely the same "soft skills" central to advancement in STEM fields (but that's another post ...).

Parents can thoroughly enjoy home science along with their kids. The excitement of discovery is every bit as tangible and real when an adult first witnesses an oozing protozoa gobble up a bacterium as it is for a first grader or high schooler.

Full STEAM ahead!

For more ideas, see the following:

Science Tools and Manipulatives

Scratch Coding Resources

Robotics Toys, Aids, and Activities

The Miracle of Human Anatomy

Guidebooks: Science Experiments and Projects

Five Books Guaranteed to Make Kids Love Science

100 Best Science Books for Kids

Great Science Books for the Little Ones

Amazon's Best Selling Science Books for Children

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Contact Chris

borlandeducational.com