Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, and Trigonometry
06-25-2016, 05:55 AM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,391
My daughter teaches math in the elementary level. And she found that when the kids see what they are doing and why they are doing something it stays with them much longer. We were taught to memorize everything, and to some extent they still need to do that, but we use math in so many things without even realizing it. She uses sports and shopping for things so they can visualize it easier. Her kids usually test better than other classes for that reason. Another way she found the kids did better was when she put their names in the word problems. That was a mega difference by just putting in their own names. And it was kind of funny too if they were sharing candy bars almost 100% of them got the right answer even working out fractions. :-)
Not at all.
06-25-2016, 07:27 AM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Posts: 939
Ditto -- I used to teach Geometry and wish I had been quilting then so I could really show folks how much it is used. I also use algebra and a bit of trig too in my quilting. Wish I could have brought a carpenter into Geometry too since that is another occupation that uses a lot of math -- DH had real issues figuring out how much the saw reduces the cut and I sometimes obsess about the width of the lines on the ruler.......
06-25-2016, 08:15 AM
#14
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Nevada
Posts: 6,958
It is amazing how much we don't realize about what we know and what we use everyday. That's why it was sad to hear that one college is going to substitute a diversity class for a math class as a graduation requirement. Both should be required.
06-25-2016, 08:24 AM
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,065
I'm a retired math teacher (everything from algebra through AP calculus and college classes, to boot). One of the most enjoyed days was the one in which I had one of our school secretaries as a guest speaker in a high school geometry class with about half boys and half girls. Mrs. Kneidinger became a rock star to those kids. She brought in a dozen or so quilts and some smaller quilted projects (her lunch hour diversion) and talked about the various quilt blocks and how the squares, rectangles, and triangles had to be cut and sewn precisely to fit together properly. They were full of oohs and ahs and peppered her with questions. For months after that they would pop in to the office to ask if they could see what she was working on next. This caused such a stir that one of the home ec teachers decided to put in a unit on making quillows. And you can bet that I used quilt block patterns for demonstrations and quiz questions. The kids really took to it.
06-25-2016, 09:00 AM
#16
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Live Oak, Texas
Posts: 6,133
When my DD was in High School her geometry teacher gave them an assignment to make a project showing how geometry is used in everyday life. She had no idea what to do so I ask her to bring a new red sweat shirt she didn't like into the sewing room. I had her cut out the letters to spell geometry and sew it across the top. We then cut out shapes from quilting patterns and sew them all over the shirt then spell out quilting across the back. She got a A+. The next day everyone but her got their projects back . The teacher ask if she could pay her and keep it. DD just gave it to her and the teacher wore it often to school.
06-25-2016, 09:58 AM
#17
Power Poster
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,474
I remember people dreading the word/story problems.
We encounter them all the time -
How many strips of a certain size can we get from a yard of fabric?
How many squares of a certain size can we get from a fat quarter?
If we make the quilt 72 x 96 instead of 36 x 48 - how much more fabric will be needed?
If we want to change the finished block size from 8 inches to 12 inches - how do we do that?
We encounter them all the time -
How many strips of a certain size can we get from a yard of fabric?
How many squares of a certain size can we get from a fat quarter?
If we make the quilt 72 x 96 instead of 36 x 48 - how much more fabric will be needed?
If we want to change the finished block size from 8 inches to 12 inches - how do we do that?
06-25-2016, 10:33 AM
#18
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Vancouver Island, Beautiful BC
Posts: 2,090
I always tried to give my kids practical uses for math. Fractions when baking in imperial measurements, decimals when using metric.
I use various forms of math on a regular basis, in work school and hobbies.
But I just started a statistics course and am waiting to see when Standard Deviation will be useful for me outside of school.
It is interesting being back at school as a mature student. I have many friends who are freaked out by the thought of doing university level math, 30+ years after my last high school math class. So far it is all the basics, just put into complex formulas, as long as I do the steps in the correct order, I am getting the correct answer.
I use various forms of math on a regular basis, in work school and hobbies.
But I just started a statistics course and am waiting to see when Standard Deviation will be useful for me outside of school.
It is interesting being back at school as a mature student. I have many friends who are freaked out by the thought of doing university level math, 30+ years after my last high school math class. So far it is all the basics, just put into complex formulas, as long as I do the steps in the correct order, I am getting the correct answer.
06-25-2016, 10:40 AM
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Central Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Posts: 7,695
In 1990 I suffered a CVA (cerebral vascular accident), and although I lost the ability to do math, my DDs helped me learn it again. When I started quilting, it made the learning more fun. I had not even thought about calling what I do as algebra, so I guess you can learn algebra by quilting. Did I mention getting my degree in accounting 5 months before the CVA happened? I am living proof that there can be humor in every situation. Lol
06-25-2016, 04:04 PM
#20
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: AR
Posts: 3,604
I've learned more about reading a ruler since I started quilting. I've also learned a lot about fractions since I got married and started cooking...1/2 cup, 3/4 cup...etc. I told my son who is 36 and a math whiz and computer nerd that I might have learned more if they had applied it to everyday things.
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