Math Problems that Unlock Student Thinking

Filled with dread, some math teachers have a problem. As they give problems to students to work their students become problems. Behavior problems. Boredom problems. Sometimes the problem is that students aren't excited by the problems. However, math can be exciting. The "Open Middle" math problem format is NOT talking about middle school math, although it applies to middle, high school, elementary, and even college math just the same. Robert Kaplinsky, a math teacher and author on the "open middle math" talks about how math teachers can unlock student thinking and interest in how problems are posed to students. Busy math teachers can listen to this quick episode to get an introduction to open middle math and see if they want to dive deeper. Math can be exciting! www.coolcatteacher.com/e584  Sponsor: The U.S. Toyota Dream Car Art Contest invites youth, ages 4-15, to submit their original hand-drawn artworks that answer the question, “If you could design a car to make the world a better place, what would it look like?” Artwork submissions for this free youth art contest are accepted this year from November 1, 2019, through January 31, 2020. Teachers can download a FREE K-12 standards-aligned lesson plan on car design that includes STEM concepts and art. Go to www.ToyotaDreamCarUSA.com/CoolCat to download artwork guidelines, an entry form, official rules, and the lesson plan today. Encourage your students to create Toyota Dream Car artworks today.   Challenge Check out these resources from Robert for math teachers. Robert says, "I created these free Depth of Knowledge matrices that teachers love: https://robertkaplinsky.com/tag/dok-matrix/" Add Robert Kaplinsky to your PLN (Bio As Submitted) Robert Kaplinsky has worked in education since 2003 as a classroom teacher, teacher specialist for Downey Unified School District, instructor for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and presenter at conferences around the world. He created the #ObserveMe movement, wrote the book Open Middle Math is president of Grassroots Workshops and co-founder of the website https://www.openmiddle.com/. Blog: https://robertkaplinsky.com Twitter: @robertkaplinsky Instagram: @robert_kaplinsky Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertkaplinsky Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/robertkaplinsky/ Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."