Original Site Title: Appetizers and Lessons for Mathematics and Reason, June 1995 to April 2012. New site title:
Logic and Mathematics Skill & Concept Development with How-TOs Français: 26 pages
for college students, gifted teens, home-tutoring and K1-12 schooling; and for avid readers in school and out. See site volumes.

Logic 5 Chapters Arithmetic 10 Steps Algebra 12 Starter Steps & 5 Advanced Steps
Work & Study 23 Tips Geometry 15 Steps Calculus 70 Lessons. See Site Map

Ages 15+: Why study slopes Polynomials Quadratics Why factor polynomials Logarithms Functions
What is similarity Euclidean geometry leanly Coordinates + complex no.s Vectors DC Electric Circuits
Ages 12+: Prime factorization Written work formats Decimal place value Extend arithmetic skills orally
What is a variable 5. Fraction Operations by Raising Terms Solving Linear Equations: Take I Take II


Online Volumes: 1 - Elements of Reason, 2 - 3 Skills For Algebra, 3 - Why Slopes and
More Math
, 1A - Pattern Based Reason, 1B - Skill Development Principles + Troubles

Welcome: Site content may develop critical thinking, improve reading and writing, and build mathematics skills. See online chapters on on logic and pattern based reason.

Teachers: This December 2011, 5-phase framework offers a context for mathematics & logic instruction. Phases 1 to 3 focus on skills with actual or potential value for adult & daily life. College-oriented phases 5 & 4 focus on calculus & preparation for it. Phases 1 to 4 may also serve trades & professions not dependent on calculus.

Site Review: Math resources ... span ... arithmetic, logic, algebra, calculus, complex numbers, and Euclidean geometry. Lessons and how-tos .... provide a good foundation for high school and college ... mathematics. Read more.

Home < Mathematics Skill Development Framework << Which Way To Go

[1][2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]


Which Way to Go

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
-- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6 --

The answer to Alice's or your question about which way to go depends on your ends and values, and also what steps or routes are available. We may want all we want, but to be practical, the wants have to be feasible, clearly accessible - by available routes or steps. Starting education reforms before all steps for each reform have been clearly identified and described - seeing is believing - may put ideology first, practice second. Or, we may recall failure to plan is planning for failure. The foregoing sets forth a standard which is respected in site material - to this mathematician, each not documented in site material seems self-evident. Where not, readers may pose questions.

Words Before or Beside Symbols

The oral dimension of mathematics has been missing or weak as arithmetic and algebraic expressions, axioms included, are better seen and read in silence. If you read site algebrs chapters and steps, logic chapters too, you will learn how to use more words and so add this missing dimension to your learning or teaching of mathematics. In particular, talking about using tables, rules, patterns and formulas forwards and backwards will become a verbal unifying theme from arithmetic to calculus and in logic. Most formulas in daily life and of technical use are used forwards and backwards. Instead of apologizing for doing things backwards, we will mention and prized it from the backward use of addition tables for subtraction to backward use in calculus of differentiation rules for anit-differentiation. Talking about numbers and quantities, known or not, variables included; describing calculation and arithmetic practices with words; and naming rules and formulas - or identifying them with short descriptive phrases, altogether provide define a greater role for words in understanding and explaining skills and concepts.

Unique: Site material is counter-trend. Leading mathematics educators have invested heavily in pyschological views of how students may learn, but fundamental difficulties in content presentation and motivation have been overlooked. That is, the algebraic way of writing and reasoning appears in mathematics as an immediate or eventual natural talent for some and as mystery for most. Since 1966 in secondary school, I have suspected and become convinced that steps too large or missing explain the mystery - why algebra is harder than need-be. Site smaller and extra gap-filling step could fit into course design as is to remedy that.

Since my graduate school day, I have thought about the difficulties or inconsistencies that stem from the 1960's insertion of modern set-based mathematics into general college and pre-college mathematics education. The implementation I met as students hinted at a full pure deductive path, one that in practice had small and large inconsistencies or flaws. The largest one was that quantitative needs in daily and adult life, and in science subjects besides mathematics were not fully supported by the form and content of the modern mathematics curricula. The form and content persist today in many English language mathematics curricula as is or weakened. After many twists or turns, a five phase framework for mathematics and language-logic skill development has been developed. The first three phases in putting the needs of adult and daily life first may leave a good impression while also providing a firm base for calculus.

As a mathematician, I have been looking for consistency and best practices. To that end, I collected 50 or so mathematics local booklets and texts for ages 4 to 13 to understand what came before the secondary mathematics and how. Beside I studied the secondary education possibilities put forth by leading mathematicians in North American and Western Europe in the early 1960s, before the modern mathematics curricula was implemented in North America. That study provides a fuller technical picture, and the perspective that the form and content of the latter curricula were designed for college-bound students - those with good preparation or natural aptitude. The needs of others were not addressed. Cold-war society urgently wanted engineers, scientists and mathematicians in various forms at a various levels.

The needs of others were not addressed because course content and form as not designed for the majority of students who would stop. While the contributors to the discussion of mathematics education for college bound acknowledged that, over the years, college-oriented mathematics courses were given to more and more in the name of equal opportunity. But the resulting college implied topics in mathematics appearing more and more formally in secondary mathematics. Today, for most students in Quebec, if not the rest of North American, and even elsewhere, the only context year after year in secondary school and some college courses being preparation for the next final examination. That context is re-inforced by secondary mathematics teachers and even university education professors be assigned to teach mathematics or trained future mathematics teachers without having a mastery of calculus, or senior high school mathematics. I am aware of university teacher certification programs employing mathematics education professor without a clear mastery of both. That This context was undermined by steps too large or missing in the introduction of algebra leading to troubles, troubles largely accepted as normal, too normal in my perspective. . The framework combined with site steps for re-arranging and improving skill development point to a unique path, one that most in mathematics and mathematics education will not have anticipated, but may eventually sanction. Time will tell.

In mathematics education, the ends and values, and steps are a great mystery for many students and teachers: Theirs being but to learn and teach without understanding why. The words below try to describe ends and values and steps, for mathematics and logic-skill development in schools and colleges, subject to the constraint of what is feasible in skill provision. The underlying premise is that site material from counting to calculus base for clear effective skill development from counting to calculus, a base in which previous technical troubles are handled by smaller and extra steps well-put or improveable in site pages. While the depth and variety of learning difficulties implies skill mastery cannot be guaranteed, The site framework for skill development outline below would be incomplete without the smaller and extra steps in site pages to make key skills and concepts easier to learn and teach.

While society may direct mathematics education to prepare and select students for say calculus- and statistic-based college programs, most students in school do not reach or pass those programs. Many leave high school before graduation. But graduating or not, all primary and secondary students would benefit from putting mathematics for practical use first - by rote if need-be, so that they do miss the take-home value of learning to handle routine problems by counting, measuring and figuring with numbers, with maps-plans-diagrams drawn to scale, with measuring and drawing devices; and with formula evaluation in the early years of instruction. The mid-years of instruction may add mastery of algebra for extending basic skills and providing more background knowledge and know-how. In that, student time is too precious for us to devise methods for them to form and master skill and concepts their way, while they still need to master routine skills and concepts. Near the end of the latter, more and more deliberate preparation for college studies may slowly switch from emphasizing skills with actual or potential take-home value to emphasizing skills and comprehension with technical value for further studies not only in colleges but also in pre-college trades and professions. So multiple work and academic ends can be served.

Phase 1 ==> Primary School Mathematics

In the first instance, five to six years of primary education may provide mastery in reading, writing and arithmetic.

In that, the child who complains that there many letters in the alphabet to learn will learn or be told that learning to recognize and write all letters is a must reading, writing and spelling. In reading and writing, rules and patterns for grammar and punctuation may lead to greater skills of practical value for adult and daily life.
Arithmetic skills may begin with learning to gradually count, measure and figure with small and than larger and larger whole numbers alone and with fractions, all with the aid of decimal notation. There counting and arithmetic may be suggested by playing or manipulating actual, drawn or imagined objects alone and in sets. In daily life, numbers and measure will be met
  1. in telling and tracking time in years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds;

  2. in describing how many or how much, exactly or approximately.

  3. may be met in finding lengths, areas, volumes, capacity, weight or mass;

  4. in handling money: counting, saving and spending in whole units and pennies - hundredths;

  5. in describing chance or likelihood, and choosing what chances to take or avoid;

  6. in using maps, plans and diagrams drawn to scale to describe angle, lengths, locations and paths or routes;

  7. calculating with distance, time and speed, or calculating with per unit costs.

The associated basic skills in counting, measuring and figuring may be developed by playing games and activities that entertain and/or may seen as having practical value for adult or daily life. All is part of growing up. Apart from a few technical innovations to clarify and strengthen the introduction counting and figuring with maps-plans-diagrams drawn to scale, and with whole numbers, fractions, decimals and signs basic mathematics skill and concept is fine.

Remark: Sighted people have the ability to recognize and name like or similar shapes in daily life. In reading and writing, that ability allows the recognition of letters, digits and further symbols. In maps, plans and diagrams drawn to scale that ability allows students and teachers to talk about like or similar shapers before any formal definition or codification of the term similar in later studies. In this case a common ability put practice first, and theory or the later codification of mathematics, second. From an empirical perspective, that is acceptable.

Phases 2, 3 and 4 ==> Secondary school or Late Primary School

Presently, secondary mathematics in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, logic, calculus and even statistics focuses on the needs of college programs that are calculus or statistics. The programs may span commerce or money matters, and STEM, the latter being an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Insurance, accounting and financing are very mathematical. Mathematics provides a language for the expression of many ideas in college level programs. Like any other language it can be used for fiction, speculation and non-fiction. Calculus and calculus-based programs require arithmetic, algebra, geometry, logic at full-strength in secondary or early college mathematics. Some school systems are faster than others. Where common use of the phrase "you are doing that backwards" is intended as a criticism, the carefull, full strength forward and backward use of rules and patterns in mathematics and logic is or should be a deliberate objective of secondary and college courses in mathematics, science, technology, money matters and law. The ability to understand a skill or practice forwards is a strength, one to strive for.

In most secondary mathematics courses today, the long-term goal of preparing for calculus- and statistic-based programs serves the needs of society for skilled people. Unfortunately, in most secondary courses as taught today, that long-term goal is too distant from the experience of student, many parents and many teachers. Year after year in secondary school, the key question why master this or that has the answer: preparation for the next final examination. With more than half the teachers in North America assigned to mathematics instruction without training in it nor a mathematical discipline, most students and most teachers do not see the value of mathematics mastery beyond this preparing for final examination target and beyond the hear-say that mathematics mastery is a ign of intelligence. That can be demoralizing.

In some Canadian and US primary and secondary schools, students may be pushed promoted to next grade for the sake of their "self-esteem" even if they have not mastered skills and concepts needed in the next grade. That makes the next grade more difficult. That promotion without being prepared and the employment of teachers half-trained or untrained in mathematics happens despite or because of the importance of mathematics in the preparation of students for high school mathematics. The result may be a lack of skill and confidence upon graduating or leaving school before that.

Secondary Mathematics Programs
Remedies for Technical Problems

Remedies for the context and motivation problems are prescribed below.

In my secondary school days 1965-69, I sense that there were gaps in the introduction of algebra. I sensed that words were missing to explain and justify or rationalize the shorthand role of letters and symbols in algebra after formula evaluation. That obstacle to understanding and developing algebra continues today. But arithmetic mastery is a prerequisite. That represents a further obstacled, mentioned in the 1950s by the NCTM, that compounds the first How later skills and practices depend on earlier ones need to be clearly stated in the text and comments of course design and materials. Failure to do that allows gaps in learning and teaching to persist unchallenged.

Today, instructors, students and home-tutoring parents will find remedies for most technical troubles in college-oriented, secondary mathematics courses today in site chapters and steps. But the cumulative structure of skill and concepts, that is how later ones depend on earlier one still needs to be remembered and accepted. That said, site coverage of arithmetic, algebra, logic, geometry and calculusincludes a few refinements or nuances to make skill and concept development more accessible and clearer.

Secondary Mathematics Programs
Remedies for Context and Motivation Problems.

The question of context and motivation for secondary mathematics remains. To serve the needs of all students, and not just the few who enter college programs in commerce and STEM, the early years of secondary mathematics may mix mathematics for practical use - that is develop skills and methods with actual or potential value for adult- and daily-life in modern society - with technical preparation for calculus-based programs. A mathematics-free development of logic-language methods useful in adult and daily life, and technically useful may included in this mix. I imagine future secondary mathematics and calculus course design and delivery may demonstrate and verify skills and practices in phases 2 to 5 below, the first phase being met in primary school.

  • Phase 2 in a practice first, explanation where not overwhelming manner, shows how counting, measuring and figuring with

    1. numbers - whole, fractional and decimals;

    2. maps-plans-diagrams drawn to scale; and

    3. algebra limited to formula evaluation

    provides a mastery of mathematics for practical use. The aim here is to provide and extend the common know-how of mathematics and even math-free logic to greatest possible, so the value for daily and adult life in handling routine situations is clear to students, parents and teachers. All can be taught in scout-like, be prepared, perspective. In this common formulas methods useful for money matters, for distance-time-speed problems, for unit cost problems, and for calculations in geometry and measurement are given illustrately directly.

    We may emphasize count computation by forming and adding subcounts, sum or total computation by by forming and adding subsums or subtotals with unsigned and signed amounts; and the calculation of products by forming and multiplingly subproducts. The latter will be useful in prime factorization, a must or plus for the technical development of efficient fraction skills. In the study of say distance, time and speed, formulas for each quantity will be given for the sake of take-home value. Then in the later Phase 3 development of algebra skills, how each of the formulas leads to the others will covered.

    The aim of phase 2 is skill mastery in a practice first manner, for the sake of take-home value. Students will be shown how to do and record mathematical steps in ways that can be seen for checking as done or later, so that the domino effects of care and mistakes become clear. Doing work in steps that can be seen and checked provides an end, value and tool, a skill in itself, for further skill development in and beyond mathematics.

  • Phase 3 will introduce algebra in systematics steps that will bypass common troubles. See site algebra starter lessons. The introduction will show students how to explain and rationalize the shorthand roles of letters and symbols in solving equations, in describing the properties of numbers, and beyond that in calculations that have some take-home value. The forward and backward use of formulas and proportionality relations, numerically and literally - algebraically that is, will be emphasized here as a unifying theme in mathematics beyond arithmetic and formula evalution. With that, formulas given earlier will be used forwards and backwards. Perhaps, operations with fractions will be described algebraically.

    In the context of money matters, formulas for compound interest or growth and formulas for geometric sum will be introduced numerically and used forwards and backwards, algebraically and numerically. Earlier use of likelihood in deciding whether or not to take a chance will be algebraically extended here into set-based probability theory. Besides the math-free mastery of logic, a simple account of Euclidean Geometry based on the direct use of implication rules will provide a stand-alone-body of knowledge and prepare the way for the further study of geometry and trigonometry in this phase or the next.

    Again in this phase or the next, the natural logarithm and its inverse or antilog, the natural exponential functions may be introduced numerically with an algebraic description of their fundamental properties. Then their properties may be used to show how to compute radical, powers and more exponentials using the natural logarithm and its inverse. Site material shows how. Saying how to do a calculation defines it.

    In essence, the this phase will be more algebraic and more technical than the first. Moreover, it will include islands and bodies of skills and practices with some practical to nominal value for adult and daily-life, with intellectual value in showing the role of logic in geometry, or with intellectual value in providing a mastery of the connections between logarithms, their backward use or inverses, and the the calculation of roots and exponentials. In this instructors are invited to emphasise algebra for practical use as much possible while systematically providing a mastery of algebraic thinking skills, using site methods to ease or avoid common troubles.

    Remark: The Modern mathematics curricula for mathematics introduced axioms for algebra that assumed the existence of numbers and employed their decimal represenation without explicitly sanctioning the latter and arithmetic operations with decimals. So axioms consistent with the decimal-free formulation of higher level pure mathematics, modern style, were disconnected from the common use of decimals in daily and adult life, and in other secondary school subjects. But in secondary mathematics and calculus taught as service subjects, the lack of sanction and formal mention of decimals represents a gap between the needs of other subjects and everyday and the in-class theorectical development of mathematics. The remedy for that is to clearly and explicitly assumed numbers have decimal expansions in secondary school mathematics before calculus, and in calculus itself, the remedy is to employ a decimal based development of limits and continuity in the context of decimal error control of approximations and calculations. The remedy recommended here will make theory in calculus and secondary mathematics consistent with numerical practice and with numerical perspective of concepts. The remedy here will also make algebra skill development before calculus and in calculus upto its decimal-free epsilon-delta view of limits and continuity easier to grasp. See site volumes 2 in this phase or the next, and site Volume 3 in phase 5.

  • Phase 4 will cover technical skills and concepts required for calculus. Most if not not all other skill and concepts required for calculus which have some take-home or intellectual value for adult and daily life, value worth mentioning, will appear in earlier phases 2 and 3 say. Some of thes technical skills have cross-curricula value. Those students heading for college programs in STEM will or should see quadratics, logarithms, conic sections and systems of equations forwards and backwards in advanced secondary studies of biology, chemistry and physics. But commerce or business oriented students who avoid the latter may not appreciate the cross-curricula value in full, even though some question in mathematics may hint at it. The earlier phases may provide students with the will, confidence and study habits needed to master the technical material here. To what extent remains to be seen. The discussion of slopes in Phase 3 or this phase, and the discussion of factored polynomials may be accompanied by light calculus previews for the sake of motivation and for the sake of algebra skill development.

    The skills and practices to be covered here are technical. In that, real-life or authentic problems apart from mathematics will distract students and teachers from seeing and mastery the technical theory or story which underlies and explains the theory and practice. Here mastery of theory is important for college programs. Here trigonometry may be introduce as a way to use sketches in place of diagrams drawn to scale for solving geometric problems. Given that most secondary mathematics courses in North America today introduce trigonometric skills and practices by rote, site steps in geometry provide a clearer and quicker thought-based development with a few innovations to make the hard easier. The proof is in the details. While present day courses introduce a zoo of functions met in calculus in a technical manner, I wonder whether or not the properties of function in general and those in this zoo could be included in a just-in time manner as part of a first or second course in calculus.

    Remark: While the site set-of-ordered-pairs treatment of functions includes a few expositional simplifications and twist to make the underlying concepts easier, the ordered-pair representaton of function, a key but artificial element of modern pure mathematics, may de-emphasized here in favour an equivalent computation rule perspective. In that, the vertical line rule becomes a critiria for a set of order pairs to graphically give a computation rule for a function. That step away from the theory and its formalities may make comprehension of functions and their inverses easier.

  • Phase 5 would consist of single-variable calculus. At this level, all site innovations in arithmetic, algebra, geometry and logic would make differential calculus easier to learn and teach. One option here is to give a light calculus course in which functions and integrands are restricted to polynomials and rational functions. Then most properties and theorems of calculus on limits, continuity, differentiation and integration may be developed and illustrated more simply with polynomials and rational functions. with function composition with limited to the outer function be polynomial, the chain rule would be easily implied and explained using mathematical induction. That approach, a detour, would circumvent student difficulties with a more direct approach to function composition and the chain rule. This light approach would leave mastery of calculus with trigonometry and inverse trigonometric functions to a second course in differential and integral calculus. Giving calculus lightly besides secondary school courses on mechanics would show how the assumption of constant acceleration and/or inverse square laws for gravatitation leads to equations of motion in mechanics. That would be a cross curricula benefit of a calculus light option in this phase or the previous. Sans or with the calculus light option, site material includes a few innovations in Volume 2 and 3, and in its calculus lessons to make the hard easier. Innovations includes calculus previews and decimal error control perspective of limits and continuity in Volume 3 and its appendices.

The five phases above include probability concepts lightly before phase 3 and thoroughly in phase 3. However, I am not enthused about the inclusion of statistical methods in mathematics courses that have take-home value for adult or daily life, nor in mathematics courses that prepare for calculus-based college studies. Statistical methods appear to be introduced and employed by rote in college programs in the social sciences. Those who want statistics in the high school or college programs should devise courses apart from mathematics for its introduction and development.

Summary or Conclusions

Talking about five phases for mathematics education from counting to calculus provides a direction skill development clearer to parents and teachers. In the North America, in the 1960s, the introduction of the modern mathematics programs for primary and secondary mathematics introduce the notion that society knows best in the domain of mathematics education to the extent that parents with technical backgrounds were not expected to understand the change of direction and scope. The policy of lack of clarity in course design has continued to the present day. The site presentation and summary of five phase program is noteworthy for its brevity and use of plain language to make skill development ends, value and methods clearer to parents and teachers with some or a good mastery of secondary mathematics and calculus.

Site Origins

Writing since the first days of 1991 has been an iterative and uncertain affair. The skill development principles and standards outlined in Volume 1B, Mathematics Curriculum Notes, were met outside of mathematics in 1981, and were then well-known before I met them. Those principles and standards crystallized my view that the algebra skills were too much assumed and not adequately explained in the development of mathematics. And technical following those standards and principles was also inadequate. Learners might be expected to bring their own motivation and keenness to a physical activity, one that provide pleasure. But in compulsory mathematics education, students do not bring that enthusiam, a lack of enthusiam easily compounded by gaps or difficulties in the exposition of mathematics that made it harder than need-be.

By fall 2007, all the technical difficulties I had seen in mathematics and logic education were resolved. But two issues remained. The first was motivational - what ends and values, what context, can we provide for skill and concept development? The result was a few incomplete attempts to define alternative programs LAMP and POMME for mathematics education. The question of ends and values for instruction led to a general pause in site content development. In fall 2010, work began on a new content management systems with the aim of making site content and organization clearer for web surfers and easier to change and maintain. That being done, attention return to the question of ends, values and feasible paths for skill and concept development in mathematics and logic.

The online description of the five phase framework for logic and quantitative skill development essentially addresses the technical and motivational issues facing that development which I have seen and noted since my own secondary school days. Site remedies began offline in 1983 where just before the granting of my doctoral degree, I presented three lessons spanning two logic puzzles, three skills for algebra and why slopes - a calculus preview - to small group of calculus or precalculus students. Those three lessons and ideas for step by step skill development met outside of mathematics in 1981 led to site volumes 2, 3 and 1B. The foreword and leading chapters of the latter set the stage for this five phase framework, one more phase than the older and more primitive four phase approach in 1B. Writing is an iterative affair.

Teachers & Tutors: Site pages offer better or best practices for providing skills - simpler than expected & comprehensive but for exercises. For your charges, your duty is to study them alone or in groups and develop skill building exercises & activities to share. Start now. The effort here is the best I can do. Others are welcome to refine or exceed it. Please do.

Secondary Mathematics for Ages 11+, A Practical Approach for home-tutoring or -schooling, or for schools & colleges with local curriculum control. Study how to include site content - its skill development how-TOs and innovations into present or future lesson plans - some reading required.

Road Safety Messages and Questions: When and why should you face traffic when walking along a road or cycle path? Is it a good idea to hang limbs outside of cars etc? What gives more protection in a crash: a car, motorbike or bicycle? See too, the BBC-Belgium story Texting and Driving - texting & the impossible test - the article links to a gruesome utube video on the subject

The Logic of Injustice: How Texas sent an innocent man to his death - The wrong Carlos. Some judgments are irreversible. Procescution: Where and when prosectors play to win rather than for justice, guilt beyond a reasonable doubt goes unrespected due to prosecutors who putting winning first, those innocence before the law may be convicted. Some procescutors offices in continuing to accuse after a pardon due to reasonable doubt or innocent being shown, may sucessfully oppose compensaton for false convictions by asserting a pardon individual is still under suspicion. Then the pardoned individual or the latter's estate is not compensation for years or decade of improper or false imprisonment, or for execution. Site chapters on Logic
and some in Pattern Based Reason may slowly lead to greater precision in reading, applying and writing laws.

May 2012, Composition Starting: Pre-School and Primary Mathematics - Quantitative Skills, An Intellectual View, Feedback Welcome:

The 8 Most Popular Site Inlinks

20 Times Table - the most popular site page - popular pages - unexpected.
Fractions & Ratios - with lesson on raising terms to introduce & justify times, division & comparison as well addition & subtraction
Parent Center - See below
Volume 1, Elements of Reason - Intro to all site books.
What is a Variable - best for ages 13+
Written work formats for Arithmetic and Algebra - a skill method and standard!
Complex Numbers Visually - best for ages 13+
Natural Logs, Exponentials, Powers, Roots

Division of Labour: This site offers advice and directions with pointers to resources elsewhere, if known, when they help or lessen the need to write more.

Parent Center: Help your child or teen learn:

Parent-friendly Work Booklets for ages 3+ to 13 Use these or others to check or build skills. Other booklets are available but these booklets allow parents unsure of themselves in mathematics to help their children. The selection acquired in Canada is published in the USA. So it has a US orientation. In retrospect, the selection shows parents what to check with the booklets or by other ways, the choice is theirs. But in retrospect, the selection does not cover integral and fractions liquid weights and measures - ask the publishers to correct that! For ages 9 to 12 say, parents may compensate by showing boys and girls how to use weights or mass, and further measures in food preparation. Beyond that children may be shown how to measure and calculate angles, lengths and areas [proportional amounts too] directly or by using maps and plans drawns to scale. Learning how to gather and measure all the ingredients, pots and pans for a dish or a meal, along with cleaning up sets the stage for like activities or experiments in science courses, and in developing organizational skills, gives boys and girls a head start. Good luck. At the other extreme, more comprehensive than light, if your motto is McCainian: drill, drill, drill then Toronto mathematician and actor John Mighton's jump math organization has jump math workbooks for at least grades 3 to 8 for at-home and in-school use - training sessions for teachers available. Jump math has been expanding to cover older students. Jump Math Samples: plus Fractions for Grades 3-4 & Grades 5-6 [Read] Free Resources grades 1 to 8 [unread - likely to be good]. and

Mathematics Skills For Ages 3 to 14 - technical!

Skills with take home value - A few ideas

Basic skills include time-date-calendar Matters; money matters; map, plan and scale diagram matters;counting, measuring and figuring; decision making with logic and likelyhood; being careful and being aware of the domino effect of mistakes; reading and writing with precision.

Is your child able to add, subtract and multiply amounts of money, work with fractions, work with clocks and calendars, work with maps and plans, and measure length, weight-mass and volume? Schools may promote your son or daughter without providing basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic.

Arithmetic and Number Theory Skills

Algebra Starter Lessons

1 Working With Sets
2 Formula Forward Use - Evaluation
3 Solving Linear Equations - Skip first step with students able to solve 1 eqn in 1 unknown.
4 Computation Rules and Function Notation
5 Real Numbers
6 More Less Greater Than Inequalities and Comparison
7 Axioms Logic and Equivalent Equations
8 Unifying Theme For Algebra
9 Proportionality Backwards and Forwards
10 Examples of Algebraic Reasoning
A Origins of Counting and Figuring Methods
B Real Numbers Extrinsic Development


Site coverage of formuala evaluation format, of computation rules and axioms, and of the forward and backward use of formulas and proportionality relations lessens the amount of natural talent needed to understand and explain algebra.

Geometry - maps plans trigonometry vectors

1 Maps Plans Measurement
2 Euclidean Geometry - Constructions + extras
3 Cartesian and Polar Coordinates
4 Lines and Slopes Take 1
5 What is Similarity
6 Trigonometry first steps
7 Complex Numbers
8 Unit-Circle Trigonometry
9 Lines and Slopes Take 2 with tangent function
10 Intersecting Straight Lines and Transversals
11 Parallel Straight Lines and Transversals
12 Function Translating and Rescaling
13 Vectors
14 Degrees to Radians and Radians to Degrees
15 Arc or Inverse Trigonometric Function

Pre-Teen and young teen mastery of skills and practices which should be common with map-plans-diagrams drawn to scale, contour interpretation included, has actual or potential take-home value for daily- and adult-life in solving routine problems. Elevating some practices to principles, axioms or postualates, provides a base for analytic and Euclidean geometry, an analytic view of similarity, and an efficient mastery of trigonometry and complex numbers. Right triangle trigonometry provide an analytic alternative to solving geometric problems by drawing diagrams to scale.

More Algebra

Natural-Logarithms Exponentials Powers Roots
Five Polynomial Operations
Quadratics Geometrically
Functions
5 Factored Polynomial Sign Analysis Examples
Rewriting algebraic substitution as function substitutions

The first topic leads to a full high school level theory for the forward and backward mastery of growth and decay models and for definition, range and domains of radicals, roots and powers. The next two topics make quadratics and polynomials easier to learn and teach. Site coverage of functions turns vertical and horizontal line rules into computation methods for evaluating functions.

70 Calculus Starter Lessons

Calculus Lessons Elsewhere:

  1. How to Ace Calculus: Street Wise Guide - Mostly Text.

  2. Flash Video for Calculus Phobics

They cover basic topics in ways likely to complement your notes, your textbooks and site material. When Goldilocks trespassed in the house of the three bears, she found three bowls of porridge, two not to her liking, and one just right. Different bears have different tastes. As invited guest here and elsewhere, if one or more explanations is not to liking, try another. It may be better or just right.

Unsolicited Advice

Learning to do and high marks if it comes to easy is often deceptive - light rather than deep. For that reason, students with learning difficulties determined not to let it get in their way may go deeper and farther than those with none. High marks, if the come easy, may be deceptive - provide a too light and not a deep mastery. That could have been your problem in secondary school, one that leads to comprehension shock or difficulties in calculus and more generally in the first year of college. Bon Appetite.


Return to Page Top

Home < Mathematics Skill Development Framework << Which Way To Go

[1][2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]


Logic-Reason for all
Careful Thinking
Chains of Reason
Mathematical Induction
Responsibility
Bodies-of-Knowledge

Arithmetic - Ages 10+
1. Deciml Place Value - fun
2. Decimals for Tutors
3. Prime Factors - quickly
4. Fractions + Ratios
5. Arith with units - science

Geometry
1 Maps + Plans Use
2 Euclidean Geometry
3 Rct +Polr Coordinates
4 Lines-Slopes [I]
5. What is Similarity
Algebra Starters - the base
1. Better Work Format
2. Solve Linear Eqns
3. Computation Rules
4. Axioms, Item 3 Viewpnt
5. Formulas Backwards
More Algebra
Logarithms-ax & m/nth roots
Five Polynomial Operations
Quadratics Geometrically
Functions || Vectors too
Arith. Skill Check+Answers
Calculus Prep/Preview
What is a Variable
Why study slopes
Why factor polynomials
Complex Numbers
Limits + Continuity

All trademarks and copyrights in this are owned by their respective owners.
Copyright to comments & contributions are owned by the Poster.
The Rest © 1995-2011, by site author, Alan Selby, Ph. D., Montreal,
All Rights Reserved --- Skype or Email to contact.