May 2011 Brain Teaser Solution

Q: Six men have 6 bags each. In every bag there are 6 cats, each cat has 6 kittens. How many legs in all? A: 6060 Each man has 6 bags with 6 cats each -- that's 36 cats. 36 cats x 6 kittens = 216 kittens Each bag has 252 cats (36 cats and 216 kittens): 252 x 4 legs = 1008 cat legs per bag 6 men each have 1008 cat legs = 6048 Plus the 6 men have 12 legs so the total is 6060.

Three Steps to Shoo Away Math Anxiety

http://www.good.is/post/could-math-anxiety-become-a-thing-of-the-past/

MATHCONFIDENCE 
Three Steps to Shoo Away Math Anxiety as a Thing of the Past:

First, call it “Increasing Math Confidence”

Second, solve Math problems (Math opportunities) including multiple choice as compare/contrast with “good wrong answers” can increase knowledge, skills, attitude and scores!

Third, embrace Math mistakes! Learning from errors can be challenging emotionally but will improve critical thinking, build confidence and expand educational and career options.

Robin Schwartz aka Robin the Math Lady
www.mathconfidence.com
Author, Build Math Confidence e-newsletter

Response to Darren Hardy's SUCCESS Blog

Jim Rohn’s Challenge to Succeed along with Darren’s Living Your Best Year Ever are cutting edge tools for all ages. Their messages of accountability and discipline are essential inputs for planning and achieving one’s goals. As an educator and a parent, I champion these ideas and principles and am delighted to see SUCCESS magazine in the mainstream!

Many college students do not have financial independence as a goal and a college education may not pay back for quite a long time (especially with student loans). As Jim Rohn says “If they’d offered Wealth 1 and Wealth 2, I would have taken both classes”. Math provides the foundation for processing and understanding personal finance and economic terms to increase savviness and savings while reducing debt.

Math teachers often hear “When I am ever going to use this Math?” which is not really a question but a complaint posed as a question. I have prepared my response with an acronym — MATH teaches Mental Fitness, Accountability, Teamwork and Horizon. And these principles learned in Math class (or on the baseball field or at church or on a job) are life skills that can be applied to the entire Wheel of Life.

http://darrenhardy.success.com/2011/05/helping-grads/

Response to Change the Equation's on Learning to Love Math

 Thank you for featuring this book -- "Learning to Love Math" by Dr. Judy Willis has an awesome subtitle "Teaching Strategies That Change Student Attitudes and Get Results".  How can Math teachers share their enthusiasm so that students will embrace the challenges and enjoyment of Math?  While this book emphasizes the utility of Math, Dr. Willis also points out ways and reasons for students to learn including convincing people that they can change their intelligence, supporting students in setting short-term and long-term goals and reducing mistake anxiety.  She also recommends teachers/parents sharing their own stories of learning including tales of endurance and fortitude.  

These ideas are especially important for girls as it is still not very cool to be good at Math.  Having a stronger Math background creates more career choices and boosts  confidence. – for example, engineering is a great career and solid foundation and is still only about 20% women (about the same as the 1980's when I was in engineering school!).  Best wishes to your daughter, Barbara!

This book was reviewed in Math Confidence's e-newsletter in December 2010:

 http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs086/1102574170134/archive/1103856670244.html