Dan Meyer: Math class needs a makeover

http://www.ted.com Today's math curriculum is teaching students to expect -- and excel at -- paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. At TEDxNYED, Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate. Watch a highlight reel of the Top 10 TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

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[chrypton1]

I wish every math teacher taught the way he does.

[nosachamos]

This is one of the greatest videos I've seen in a long time. I recently took the GRE and in countless situations I've found myself asking whyyy am I computing these useless equations. If only I could see the application, then I would have a *reason* to be solving them. I think applying these concepts on schools would not only make better students, but also on the long run better scientists, teachers, parents, etc...

We have enough computers, no reason to turn people into walking processors.

[kgast0303]

It all sounds great. And, as a high school math teacher, it was intellectually stimulating. However, if you give a bunch of high school kids a problem with no apparent answer, they will not think about it for more than a minute or two. I have students with parents in jail, who are homeless, strung out on drugs, etc. Trust me, they don't care about math. We have too many "teachers" that really want to be speakers or policy makers or anything other than classroom teachers.

[lightandbeautiful]

Homosexual activists understand the power of words.

Please visit my channel to watch a one-minute video clip in which popular atheist author Richard Dawkins admits that homosexual activists "hijacked the word 'gay'".

The word "homosexual" is more appropriate and accurate because it, unlike the word "gay", actually describes the behavior/attraction/relationsh­ip being discussed.

The word "gay" helps homosexual activists push their agenda.

[bninjabninja]

Teaching is an art, it's just like drawing or playing instruments. Not everyone can do it right.

[hemdan1]

thanks dude

[comeonewtf]

He is right, but I wish he would have spent more time on how terrible these curriculum is. I recently took and passed a college Calculus class... I cannot tell you anything about it because all I did was learn what formulas to apply where. I did not learn what it meant. Therefore Math classes today are more like "memory" classes. All you have to do is remember the formula, not really understand the Mathematics behind the problem. Such a shame.

[xxxXandrAxxx]

I've had a few good math teachers in my lifetime but none of them were as creative as this guy. Wish more teachers thought like him

[AlexAnthonyG]

he was the best teacher!!

[eXecuteD3101]

Why Im so Dummy xD ! Math :( !