Math is Figure-Out-Able!
Math teacher educator Pam Harris and her cohost Kim Montague answer the question: If not algorithms, then what? Join them for ~15-30 minutes every Tuesday as they cast their vision for mathematics education and give actionable items to help teachers teach math that is Figure-Out-Able. See www.MathisFigureOutAble.com for more great resources!
Math is Figure-Out-Able!
#MathStratChat - October 16, 2024
In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on October 16, 2024.
Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies.
Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Pam 00:00
Hey, fellow mathers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam Harris.
Kim 00:06
And I'm Kim Montague.
Pam 00:08
And this episode is a MathStratChat episode where we chat about our math strategies. Every Wednesday evening, I throw out a math problem on social media. Well, at least when I remember. And people from around the world chat about the strategies they use and comment on each other's thinking. I only say that because there was one where, for some reason, it didn't go out on Twitter, but we put it out a couple days later. It's fine.
Kim 00:28
It happens.
Pam 00:29
Yeah.
Kim 00:29
Life, life, life. Okay, so this Wednesday, our math problem was 25% of 10. How would you solve this problem? Pause the podcast. Solve it however you'd like. And then come on back to hear how we're hearing it. How we're hearing it. How we're solving it. Good night. The problem is 25% of 10.
Pam 00:47
Okay, I'm going to go first.
Kim 00:49
Okay.
Pam 00:49
If you don't mind.
Kim 00:51
Yeah.
Pam 00:51
I'm going to think of 50% of 10. So, 50% of 10 is half of 10, so that's 5. And then if that's 50% but I want, I need to have 25%, 25% is half of that. So, half of 5 is 2 and a 1/2, 2.5.
Kim 01:06
Nice.
Pam 01:06
Alright, what are you going to do?
Kim 01:07
I'm going to do what you did last week, and I'm going to say 10% of 25 because 10% is nice. And I know that that is 2.5.
Pam 01:18
And how do you know that 10% of 25 is 2.5?
Kim 01:20
I knew you were going to ask that. So, 10% of 25. So, if it was 100%, that' would be 25.
Pam 01:29
Okay.
Kim 01:29
So, I'm going to scale them both down by a tenth. Scale them to find a tenth. Which is 2.5.
Pam 01:37
Okay. Yeah, so it's some sort of shift.
Kim 01:41
Mmhm. Okay, excellent. Well, we can't wait to hear what you do every week. Join us on MathStratChat and let us know how you think about the problems that Pam posts. Comment on each other's strategies while you're there because that's the most fun.
Pam 01:52
That is the most fun. Hey, we'll post them on Wednesdays around 7:00 pm Central time. When you answer, tag me and use the hashtag MathStratChat. Then join us here to hear how we're thinking about the problem. Thanks for being part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement. Math is Figure-Out-Able!