Planning for Success in Math and Life

A planner is vastly different than a calendar.  A calendar keeps track of appointments and scheduling but a planner focuses on prioritization and short- and long-term planning!

The Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) has become a common tool in school and business and many people use their phone to store their calendar and appointments.  While the Treo phone has a very basic calendar --I went back to the low-tech paper version of Franklin Covey Planners -- the Weekly pocket format.

The planner inspires vision and goals which leads to thinking about the Important but Not Urgent tasks such as studying for next week's exam, filing your taxes or scheduling an annual checkup.  In addition to feeling more inspired and organized, perusing your paper planner is more socially correct than glancing at your phone.  A zipperable planner protects your plans from the elements (like a water bottle!) and offers a place to store a pen or pencil. Zippered Planner Binders

Franklin Covey offers Plan Plus Online which can be reached from any web browser -- planning on paper or on-line can raise productivity and motivation to stay focused and reach goals.

March 2010 Brain Teaser Solution

Amanda went to the mall to buy supplies. She spent 1/2 of what she had plus $2.00 in the first store. Then she went to the second store and spent 1/2 of what she had left plus $1.00. In the third store, she spent 1/2 of what she had left plus $1.00. In the fourth store and last, she spent 1/2 of what she had left. After all of her purchases, she was left with only $3.00. How much money did she start with and how much did she spend in each store?

Amanda started with $64
she spent $34 in store 1
$16 in store 2
$8 is store 3
$3 in store 4

she spent a total of 34 + 16 + 8 + 3 = 61
therefore she has $3 left


After store 1 she has x - (1/2x + 2) which becomes 1/2x -2

then store 2
1/2 of answer 1 - 1

so 1/2(1/2x - 2) - 1

1/4x - 1- 1
so after store 2: 1/4x - 2


then store 3
1/2(1/4x-2) - 1

1/8x - 1- 1

so after store 3:1/8x - 2

then store 4:

1/2(1/8x - 2)

1/16x - 1

this is = 3

1/16x - 1 = 3

add 1 to both sides

1/16x = 4

x = 64

After store 1 she has 1/2(64)-2 = 30
so after store 2: 1/4x - 2 = 1/4(64) - 2 = 14
so after store 3:1/8x - 2 = 1/8(64) -2 = 6
then store 4: 6/2 = 3

How Far Can Math and Patience Take Kids?

Patience is a virtue!!  Math builds space telescopes and also life skills such as persistence and endurance.

Washington Post article on Math and Hubble -- the sky is the limit! has some great quotes from Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, "who gets to peer into the starry great beyond for clues to the origin of the universe. "

"Tyson earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard and a doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia, but it was at the Bronx High School of Science in New York where he learned to not to be deterred when the going gets rough. " 
"I remember the transition from algebra to calculus and thinking: 'I will never in my life figure this out. I better try something else.' How many people do we lose because they don't think they are getting it as fast as they should? What I did was take a little bit at a time. Over the months, it was [as] though a misty fog began to dissipate and I was slowly emerging with a fluency in the new and powerful symbols of calculus."

Author Courtland Milloy encourages schools and parents to inspire students by showing an interest in Math and Science ;)

Academic Support Is Helpful ;)

At Xavier, Nun Works Out Players' Academic Side

Many students can benefit from this type of support.


It is great to see an article on academic coaching even if the main focus is on sports.

Robin Schwartz

Founder, www.mathconfidence.com

Author, Build Math Confidence e-newsletter

Helping Students Know What They Don't Know

This is in response to Willingham Helping Students Know What They Know in the Washington Post's Answer Sheet column with guest columnist Daniel Willingham.

Test taking is a skill that can be developed -- especially if one focuses on thinking about their thinking processes (metacognition).
As a Math peak performance coach (and former engineer / MBA), I help students to know what they know and know what they don't...to know where the traps are and what could go wrong. Often students do know the material better than their test scores show -- points can be lost due to not reading/answering the questions carefully!!

Engineering school taught us this attention to detail --please click on this link to my mathconfidence blog:

http://mathconfidence.blogspot.com/search/label/metacognition

Robin Schwartz
Founder, www.mathconfidence.com
Author, Build Math Confidence monthly e-newsletter

Core Standards Team Members...add Industry and GED

The Math Core Standards Team Members includes many Math educators from colleges, K-12 teachers and supervisors at the district level.  Also included are people from the College Board and Achieve.  From the academic perspective, GED experts would add to the discussion.

It would be also be interesting to add people from industry/corporate to see what employers would like to see in employees.

Common Core Standards Draft Released

The Common Core Standards are an initiative to standardize American public education.
Each state has had its own disparate (sometimes a very long list) standards.

The comments are open to the public until April 2nd.
In New York, the link is: Toolkit for Common Core Standards NY
To post comments: http://www.forms2.nysed.gov/emsc/ocis/ccssm.cfm

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200 (Math as a gatekeeper)

COMPASS is used by CUNY and many other colleges for Math and English placement. 
COMPASS Placement Test Pre-Algebra and Algebra provides sample questions and info about the test.
Practicing for this placement test will help students potentially avoid remedial classes saving time and money and keep them on track to their educational and career goals.