MT: May 2012, Volume 105, Issue 9


May 2012, Volume 105, Issue 9

FEATURES

A River Runs through Math Class
Linda L. Cooper and Martin C. Roberge
Let’s go wading! Students connect fundamental mathematics concepts in this real-world, problem-solving field experience.

Misidentifying Factors Underlying Singapore’s High Test Scores- FREE PREVIEW!
Zalman Usiskin
A strong curriculum is not the sole reason for Singaporean students’ success on international assessments.

The Common Core and Inverse Functions
Kelly W. Edenfield
As we design curriculum programs based on CCSSM, we need to be careful when we consider the inclusion of some “nonessential” standards.

Second Look:
The Concept of Inverse

Optimization: Old Dogs and New Tasks
Jennifer J. Kaplan and Samuel Otten
An optimization problem from a calculus class can be made accessible to algebra and prealgebra students. Are you smarter than a Welsh corgi?

Helping Students Become Quantitatively Literate
Katrina Piatek-Jimenez, Tibor Marcinek, Christine M. Phelps, and Ana Dias
How teaching for QL differs from teaching a traditional mathematics course and where to find good QL problems.

Thanks from the Editorial Panel
MT Editorial Panel
A list of the referees and reviewers for Mathematics Teacher from mid-2010 through 2011.

Classified Index, Volume 105, August 2011-May 2012
Online Only
The MT 2011-2012 index contains both an author index and a subject category.

Departments

Reader Reflections
Reader Reflections - May 2012

Media Clips
Media Clips: NFL Players’ Life Expectancy // Transit of Venus

Mathematical Lens
Mathematical Lens: Mathematics and the Art of Sol LeWitt

Calendar Problems
Calendar and Solutions - June 2012

Connecting Research to Teaching
Connecting Research to Teaching: Limitless Ways to Talk about Limits: Communicating Mathematical Ideas in the Classroom

Activities (for students)
Activities for Students: Delivered Tomorrow: Plane and Truck Geometry

Delving Deeper
Delving Deeper: Differentiated Insurance Contracts

For Your Information/Products/Publications
For Your Information - May 2012

The Backpage: My Favorite Lesson
The Back Page: My Favorite Lesson: Indirect Proofs

Calls for Manuscripts

Call For Manuscripts: 2014 Focus Issue: What Makes Ideas Stick? – May 2012

See all current Calls for Manuscripts

Second Look - The Concept of Inverse

The Inverse Name Game
The importance of emphasizing the concept of inverse. It addresses the different names we use for inverses and suggests ways to help students see the big picture. The author ties together the use of inverses in functions, arithmetic operations, reciprocal relationships, and makes a case for instruction of the inverse as a coherent whole.

Inverse Functions: What Our Teachers Didn’t Tell Us
The concept and notation of inverse functions—often tricky for students—become less so when using real-world data and a strategy of solving for the dependent variable.

A Hands-On Approach to Teaching Composition of Functions to a Diverse Population
This article presents a project that introduces compositions and inverses of functions, using a method that complements the learning styles of Native American students.

Illluminations Lesson: Code Crackers

Students begin an exploration of cryptology by first learning about two simple coding methods, the Caesar cipher and the Vigenere cipher. Students then use matrices and their inverses to create more sophisticated codes.

Algebra Standard for Grades 9-12
Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to—

Understand patterns , relations, and functions
Represent and analyze mathematical situations and structures using algebraic symbols
Use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative relationships
Analyze change in various contexts

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