[Maths-Education] NRICH Update January 2008

[Jennifer Piggott]

Happy New Year.

A reminder to you all that the January edition of the NRICH website 
(http://nrich.maths.org <http://nrich.maths.org/>) is now up and ready 
to stimulate your mathematical juices.**

This month the theme is Negative Numbers. This month's site includes two 
articles giving historic contexts to Negative numbers. One was written 
with pupils in mind 
<http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=5747> and the other 
designed for teachers and learners alike 
<http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=5961>. A third article 
gives a useful insight into adding and subtracting negative numbers so, 
if you have struggled with a model to help you teach these operations 
that works for your pupils as well as for you, why not look here 
<http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=5947> .

An interactive game based on negative numbers, called Connect Three 
<http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=5911> is also published 
for the first time this month which is ideal for developing confidence 
with adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers.

For those of you teaching at Stage 4 – we have now managed to complete 
an initial mapping of some problems to the KS4 curriculum – go here 
<http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=5665> to find out more.

Remember you can:

Go to Stage 1 & 2 <http://nrich.maths.org/public/monthindex.php?mm=1> if 
you are interested in mathematics at a level usually encountered at 
primary school.
Go to Stage 2 & 3 <http://nrich.maths.org/public/monthindex.php?mm=2> if 
you are interested in mathematics at a level usually encountered at 
lower secondary school.
Go to Stage 3 & 4 <http://nrich.maths.org/public/monthindex.php?mm=3> if 
you are interested in mathematics at a level usually encountered at 
upper secondary school.
Go to Stage 4 & 5 <http://nrich.maths.org/public/monthindex.php?mm=4> if 
you are interested in mathematics usually encountered at post-16 level.

Alternatively, click on the links in the left-hand menu.

Solutions to the January problems will appear in February.

From,

The NRICH Team

-- 
Dr Jennifer Piggott
NRICH Project Director (nrich.maths.org)
University of Cambridge
Centre for Mathematical Sciences
Wilberforce Road
Cambridge
CB3 OWA

The NRICH website publishes a monthly issue of free mathematical enrichment material - problems, articles, games and investigations - and offers an archive of accessible and rich mathematical resources.
The NRICH material encourages creative, confident approaches to
mathematical thinking and problem solving, and can be used by learners of all ages.
The sense of an online mathematical community is fostered by the publication of solutions sent to the site and by the online discussion and mentoring service offered by AskNRICH.