Comments on: Pseudocontext Saturdays: Introduction

By: dy/dan » Blog Archive » [Makeover] Internet Plans

dy/dan » Blog Archive » [Makeover] Internet Plans — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 05:33:20 +0000

[…] different real-world contexts onto a task that is rotten at its core. But we have to correct pseudocontext when we see it or students will come to believe that this math thing is a lie. This isn't the only […]

By: The Future of Maths Exams | reflectivemaths's Blog

The Future of Maths Exams | reflectivemaths's Blog — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:46:49 +0000

[…] Maths exams as they stand are poor. I particularly dislike any question that basically asks you to recall something or do some maths skill (add fractions say) with no context at all. Although I appreciate the need or even desire to show that solving maths questions is an enjoyable thing to do in its own right. I’m quite happy with (or even in favour of) a question that needs multiple steps and doesn’t guide you through. That’s fine. I don’t feel the need to make questions contextual or ‘relevant’ unless they genuinely are relevant questions. I can not stand and question that starts “Sarah is three times the age her dad was when he …”Â This is the way of pseudo context as Dan Meyer and Jo Boaler point out. […]

By: Jo Boaler teaches “How To Learn Math” | Shifting Phases

Jo Boaler teaches “How To Learn Math” | Shifting Phases — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:49:36 +0000

[…] dy/dan: Jo Boaler (Stanford prof, author of What’s Math Got to Do With It and inspiration for Dan Meyer’s “pseudocontext” series) is offering a free online course for “teachers and other helpers of math learners.”Â […]

By: K-12 Engineering: Engineering is Elementary « Shifting Phases

K-12 Engineering: Engineering is Elementary « Shifting Phases — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:05:35 +0000

[…] institutions that also sometimes turn out great materials).Â Besides the feeling of “bait and switch,” this is also disappointing because it fails to help students or teachers make sense of what […]

By: Angry Birds Project – Results and Post-Mortem | gealgerobophysiculus

Angry Birds Project – Results and Post-Mortem | gealgerobophysiculus — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 01:22:14 +0000

[…] note about pseudocontext – throwing Angry Birds in to a project does not by itself does not necessarily engage […]

By: Kit G.

Kit G. — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:55:20 +0000

I haven’t read all of the comments, so I’m not sure if someone already discussed this or not.

My school uses the CMP 2 curriculum, and for the most part, I really like it. It poses problems within the psuedo-contexts, and actually allows the students to explore the problems with some real world knowledge coming in to play.

However, in one unit, there are questions about the “break-even point” – defined as when the income = expenses. The only problem is that in BOTH cases they give, the number is fractional (when you solve the equations), but the items being sold are not divisible! You can’t sell 133.3333… t-shirts!! That doesn’t make sense! If you round down to 133 shirts, you make a slight loss, and if you round up to 134 shirts, you make a slight profit. So the REAL answer is that with the numbers you chose, you can NEVER actually break even!

By: “Isn’t Problem Based Learning easier than Project Based Learning?” and 10 other myths about PrBL. (“Real or not real”) | emergent math

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:06:56 +0000

[…] for advanced math courses such as Calculus. PrBL does tend to strip away some of the “psuedo-context” that often makes the math hidden within the weeds of a […]

By: Systems of linear equations | Overthinking my teaching

Systems of linear equations | Overthinking my teaching — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:51:54 +0000

[…] Racing problems are pretty easy to cook up and to make plausible. One person gets a head start, but runs more slowly. There is a greater start up cost for service A, but the unit rate is less than for service B. Et cetera. We make some simplifying assumptions (e.g. that rates are maintained throughout the race), but with a bit of finesse it’s not too challenging to make these seem reasonable, and thus to avoid the dreaded pseudocontext. […]

By: The Problems have become self-aware: Introducing the Skynet line. | emergent math

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:02:53 +0000

[…] is when a mathematical concept gets something real world-ish grafted on to it. You know, psuedo-context. It got me thinking about something Dennis Littke says about “fake real world problems” […]

By: 7 Quick Takes (9/24/10)

7 Quick Takes (9/24/10) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 05:20:52 +0000

[…] and impossibly important. No wonder there’s an enthusiasm gap.–5–There’s an excellent post on counterproductive math education at dy/dan that ought to be required reading for all math […]