Monthly Archives: January 2012

When I was a Carpenter

Posted on January 26, 2012 by jrh794

I miss the time when I was a carpenter – being  outdoors, building physical  useful objects, the sheer physicality of the work.  But most of all I miss the talk – the blunt, intense conversations. It seems as if we … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fast Fractions – Easy System

Posted on January 23, 2012 by jrh794

We were playing around trying to figure out an easy way to memorize the different techniques for operations on fractions last Friday in my intermediate algebra class.  Suddenly this simple pattern emerged. ADD/SUBTRACT FRACTIONS – CRISSCROSS APPLESAUCE MULTIPLY FRACTIONS – … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 18 Comments

The Best Way to Factor Trinomials – A Remarkable Coincidence

Posted on January 14, 2012 by jrh794

I first got the idea for the “best” factoring method when I was looking at stretching the number line to make rational polynomial roots into integers, but if a person solves enough quadratic equations by factoring, the pattern will become … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The Best Way to Factor Trinomials – Screencasts

Posted on January 11, 2012 by jrh794

Part II has been added. See below I am learning to use screencasting software and here is my first effort.  I now know that I am more glib in my head than in reality and that I need to work … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Ideas, Curriculum, Teaching | Leave a comment

Feedback – A Short Story

Posted on January 5, 2012 by jrh794

“Are we moving again?’ “Yes” “Will we have to change our name?” “No, but we will.  I don’t want to take any chances.” “Who found out?” “No one.  Brian’s dad was getting suspicious though.” “The engineer?” “Yes.  Three weeks on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment