Real Math Academy

Math stories to be solved in small groups. Please visit realmath4all.com for more details on how to use the stories or read about it in the section "teaching style"

Small groups work on challenging real-world problems to encourage collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and most important DEBATES! These tips and tricks are ideas I learned in class or from another resource. I designed this page to share how I use Real Math and what has worked well for me. Students in groups of 3 (more than 3 and at least one will stop working). Buy big whiteboards for them to do the work on (I used to have them on the desks, and now they hang on the wall; for more information on that, read Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl). Import the PDF to an app (I use Notability) and project it. This allows you to write on the stories. Give the students only one marker so they have to work together (for more information on that, read Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl). If you don't have hanging whiteboards, get 2 or 3 easels so the whole class can look at sample work. Use the blank storyboard if you want to tell your own story or use your own numbers. When groups start finishing the work, pair them up with groups that have very different answers. This will allow them to debate and learn from each other. Refrain from telling them if they are right or wrong. Let them figure it out and debate. As much as possible, I try to use the Rigor and Relevance Framework as a guide when I create the questions, but this is also supposed to be FUN and ENGAGING in class. There will be beauty in the chaos.

BA in Child and Adolescent Development M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction.

When I worked in Cambrian School District in San Jose ten years ago, I walked into a colleague's classroom and spotted a test on a table in the back of the room. The test topic was circles, and I noticed one of the questions was about the Japanese flag. The students were asked to find the circle's circumference on the flag. This question did not require a picture of the flag, nor was it very challenging. There is only one way for students to solve the problem: to apply the formula written at the top of the page. Even though I wasn't a fan of the question, it gave me an idea. I looked up a few interesting flags, and after seeing that test on the desk, I presented my students with the flag of Norway and asked them to find the area of the three colors. I did not give them any other instructions, but what happened next was more exciting than anything I could have dreamed of. Students started moving around the classroom, discussing their ideas with classmates. They walked up to the Smartboard and started drawing lines to cut up the shape. Students with different answers began arguing about who was right; mistakes were made and then erased. It was beautiful. Shortly after, I bought large whiteboards and markers for students to use in small groups of three, and I spent most of my free time creating presentations on Google Slides. I spent a few years creating presentations with math that applied to the real world. Some worked great; others could have been done better. One day, I decided I needed to share my presentation with the rest of the teaching community, but I needed to figure out how or in what format. I tried a few things, but I needed more. One night, I was reading to my sons before bedtime, and it hit me. I can make math stories! And so Real Math was born.