Today, I’m visiting Frisco Kids, a blog written by my friend and fellow freelancer, Debbie Abrams Kaplan. She has posted a Q&A with me about Math for Grownups, and as well as my thoughts about kids and math. I hope you’ll visit and even post a comment!
By the way, would you like me to guest post at your blog? Or do you know of a blog that I would fit right in with? I’ve got lots of ideas to share with anyone who will listen! And I promise I’m a good guest. I wipe out the sink after I brush my teeth and don’t mind if the cat sleeps on my pillow. Get the details here.
If you’re even the least bit vain, like I am, you know that finding a talented hair stylist is worth its weight in gold. Like many other careers, that talent is part science and part art, as Nikki Verdecchia of NV Salon Collective in Baltimore can attest. Nikki is an award-winning stylist who opened her own salon a few years ago. Now, along with figuring the ratios for a custom color, she also does a lot of business math.
Meet Nikki!
For Honfest, Nikki gives a young girl a traditional Baltimore beehive.
What kinds of things do you do each day at work? I am a hair stylist and salon owner. My job as a hair stylist on a daily basis is to make people look and feel their best. As a salon owner I have to make sure that the business is running smoothly and that there is more money coming into the bank than there is going out.
When do you use basic math in your job? As a salon owner I use simple addition and subtraction to make sure the salon’s income supports the checks I write each month. I also need math for payroll. For this I use percentages since our stylists are paid a commission, or a percentage of the money they bring into the salon.
As a hair stylist, I use fractions to mix custom color formulas for our clients. In order to make each formula special, we mix color tones together in 2 ounce formulations to create unique looks. For instance, I may use 1 oz of dark golden blonde, 1/2 oz of dark neutral blonde, and 1/2 oz of light golden blonde to create a warm, buttery blonde for a client.
Nikki is also a makeup artist and works closely with Baltimore’s most notable burlesque duo, Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey
Do you use any technology to help with this math? As a business owner, all of those tasks are done using computers and calculators so that I have records of everything I do. Since I am often dealing with large numbers, it makes my job easier to use technology. As a stylist I am a creative person first and foremost, and the computations I do to mix color are done with mental math.
How do you think math helps you do your job better? I would never get the paychecks right or be able to create beautiful color without math! It keeps me consistent.
How comfortable with math do you feel? I have always been comfortable using math to create hair color. When I opened my business and had to start using math more often I was very uncomfortable and sure that I wouldn’t be able to do it well. I have surprised myself that I am much better at it than I ever thought I was. Technology definitely makes it so much easier!
What kind of math did you take in high school? I took algebra, geometry and calculus in high school. My grades in those classes were dramatically lower than language-based classes that I took. I never liked math before, but every time I balance my check book to the penny at the end of the month I get this secret thrill that I have managed to overcome a fear I had and learn how to perform a new task that I never thought I could do well.
Did you have to learn new skills in order to do this math? Most of the math I do every day is so simple that I’m sure I learned it in grade school.
Questions for Nikki? Please post them below, and I’ll make sure she sees them.
I don’t usually post on Sundays, but with Geithner’s debt-ceiling deadline looming on Tuesday, I wanted to share this really great video. Using some math and graphs, the narrator explains the debt, deficit and debt ceiling in ways that even your 4th grader can understand.
It’s a little long — almost 10 minutes — but trust me, it’s not full of the gobbledy-gook that economists are sometimes famous for. You will be smarter after you watch it. Promise.
Questions? Ask them in the comment section. (But please skip the political comments. Math is neither Democrat nor Republican.)
Also, be sure to come back tomorrow for an exciting August announcement!
Okay, so most parents really do understand how to encourage literacy. We read signs, the backs of cereal boxes, the comic section and of course classics like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But injecting a little everyday math into long summer days can be a bit of a challenge.
Good Morning America to the rescue!
In a regular feature, the morning show brings in a “sneaky teacher” to show parents how to continue learning through July and August. And my good friend and fellow freelance writer, Debbie Abrams Kaplan was featured last week.
It’s a cool video, but unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to embed it. So just click on the picture below to view it. It’s worth the extra step! (Debbie’s kids — and she! — are adorable.)
couple of weeks ago, a fellow freelance writer wrote me about her foray into graduate school. She needed to brush up on some math skills, and she wasn’t sure how. I have a feeling that her questions weren’t unique. Whether you need to learn a little extra to help your kid with his homework or you need to take a math class to further your education, learning math again (or for the first time) can be daunting.
Luckily, my friend and fellow math blogger, Bon Crowder offered to write a guest post on this very topic. I swear, Bon and I were separated at graduation or something, because we approach math education in very similar ways. Plus she’s fun. (See? Math folks aren’t always boring and difficult to understand!)
I wanted to title this “Being a Great Adult Learner.”
But that’s dumb. All adults are great learners. If we weren’t, we’d be stumbling around, bumping into doors, starving and naked. We know how to learn, and the proof is that we’re still alive.
And dressed.
The question is “What makes you learn?”
1) You need confidence.
Confidence involves two things: feeling worthy and knowing you have the ability.
When people feel they’re entitled to something, they’re more likely to feel confident in getting it. Hang around any Best Buy service desk and you’ll see this in action. People say all kinds of strange things when trying to return a broken product, and these things are said with a sense of entitlement. BY GOLLY they’re going to get their way!
So how do you gain worthiness and ability? You’re worthy of it because you already have it. And you’re able to do it because you already do.
You have it all. It’s just hidden behind a wall of words you or someone else (or both) has told you for years. Now’s the time to ignore everybody, even yourself.
Because here’s the gosh-honest truth: There is not a single thing within a mathematician that is not within you.
You’ve done math since you were a kid. Even before you were in school. You knew at a deep level that if there was one toy and there was another kid around, you’d better run like the dickens to get it. There’s no dividing that toy evenly between kids.
You balance your checkbook (or you would be in jail right now), you probably have some rough idea of your gas mileage, and you know that if you have 12 people coming over, you’re going to have to double or triple that recipe for shepherds pie. You know math. Now’s the time to admit it.
So say this every night before your prayers. If you don’t pray at night, say it twice:
I do math. Today I woke up on time because I calculated how long it would take to get dressed. I knew how much money to spend because balanced my checkbook. I figured out how much weight I needed to lose – and I used math to do it.
Modify this statement to fit your lifestyle and run with it. Every night.
2) You need the right environment.
Once you’ve tapped in to the realization that you’re inherently good at math, you need the right learning environment.
This includes location, timing and the other people involved. If you have to drive too far away after working all day and all you get is a lousy quarter-pounder-with-cheese, you’re going to be tired, grumpy and irritable. If your class is full of teenagers fresh out of high school and the professor is 400 years old and believes in death by PowerPoint, things are not going to go well.
How do you know the right environment?
Look at all the learning experiences you’ve had through the years. List out the good ones and the bad ones. And then dig deep – what made the good ones good? Why were the bad ones so detrimental?
Include timing, location, student body, temperature in the room and details of the instructor. List out the attitude of the instructor, his/her teaching style, voice intonations – even how he wrote on the board.
Pick out the deal-breakers and the nice-to-haves and write them on a special piece of paper. This is your official “Environment Requirement” page. Laminate it, put it in Evernote, tatoo it to your bottom – whatever you do to keep it close so you can refer to it often.
How do you make sure your Environment Requirements are honored?
Here’s where that sense of entitlement comes back into play. If your class has a deal-breaker environment element, do something about it. Think, “If this were a faulty remote control that I bought at Best Buy, how would I handle it?”
Ask the instructor to manage the loud students better. Ask building maintenance to change the temp of the room (or bring a sweater). Don’t sign up for a class during a time when you’ll be tired, hungry and irritable.
And if you can’t change the environment – leave. Drop the class. Get your money back.
If it were a crappy remote control, that’s what you’d do, right?
You’re dressed…
And fed. You learn all the time. And you do math.
Now go find a class that fits and have fun!
Bon Crowder publishes www.MathFour.com, a math education site for parents. But that’s not all! Bon has launched a really, really, really cool initiative called Count 10, Read 10. While parents are encouraged to read to their infants, toddlers and preschoolers, we’re rarely encouraged to inject a little bit of math into the day. Bon will show you how. Take a look at her blog for more information on developing math literacy (or numeracy). I’ll be writing about this more in the coming months.
A few years ago, I got this idea that I wanted to learn how to sew. My mother in law bought me a lightweight machine at a yard sale for $10. So I decided it was time to teach myself how to sew. How hard could it be?
Turns it, not so much, when you have the internet at your fingertips. With a few searches, I unearthed great Flickr tutorials for zipper pouches, blog posts with step-by-step instructions on how to make box bags and a really, really amazing month-long series of fat-quarter projects on a blog called Sew, Mama, Sew!
One of my zipper pouches made from ModGirls Sis Boom by Jennifer Paganelli
A fat quarter is a piece of 18″ x 22″ fabric. In most cases, it’s a quarter of a yard, but not cut from one side of the width to the other. And it’s a cheap and easy way to buy those gorgeous designer fabrics, like Amy Butler, Moda and Alexander Henry. This is a big deal, because I was quickly realizing that I’m a fabric addict. The editors and contributors at Sew, Mama, Sew had great projects for fat quarters: purses, journal covers, pin cushions, crochet hook rolls and even fabric boxes. I was in heaven!
When I published Math for Grownupsand learned that a virtual tour would be a great way to promote the book, my first thought was that maybe — just maybe! — I could guest post on Sew, Mama, Sew. Imagine my surprise when the editors there jumped at the chance. I felt like I was one of the cool kids.
And today is the big day. You can read my guest post, “Nothing but Net,” which talks about how we can mentally (and physically) translate 2-dimensional figures into the 3rd dimension. That’s what patterns are, after all. Even if you don’t sew, this skill is a great one to have!
My friend Martha Lucius owns and manages Boheme Cafe in downtown Baltimore. She has also catered my book launch before, and so I thought it would be great to introduce you to her — and to the math that she does.
What is involved in owning and running a cafe? My job is diverse; I wear many hats. I make sure that customers can be served the food on the menu (a matrix of salads and items for the pastry case), which also means ensuring that staff follows the recipes (read: math) every time. I also make sure our catering clients get trays of food and that they receive their bill. And my job includes marketing, artwork, and simple mechanics!
When do you use basic math in your job? I make conversions every day: pounds to ounces or vice versa. My entire business profile is on QuickBooks, so often I can ask the program to do the math for me, but simple percentages, and regularly noting where daily numbers are, helps me know how healthy the business is. (Healthy and profitable are actually related subjects.)
Do you use any technology to help with this math? We do use calculators and computers; they confirm the math that we do in our heads. Sometimes we talk about food costs, which refers to how much we are paying for any one product.
How do you think math helps you do your job better? I must do the math on my job or I would be out of business. Without math, I would not necessarily know if there is money in the bank to do anything.
How comfortable with math do you feel? I am comfortable with the math I use at work, and at home. My daughter takes algebra, which I like, but I wish she wouldn’t rush me… it takes me a while to understand the topic they are discussing.
What kind of math did you take in high school? I took high school algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, and I was comfortable with it. As time has passed, I have come to love getting the correct answers!
Did you have to learn new skills in order to do this math? No, most of the math I do is just a reintroduction to math I already knew. I just have to reach back there and see what I did know–get back to the page in the proverbial textbook.
The mental math is flying in this hilarious clip from the classic, groundbreaking sit com, All in the Family. (And it’s even better because, guess who’s there? The Jeffersons!)
Most math teachers teach that that there’s one process for solving math problems, but this approach just isn’t very practical. Now that you’re a grownup, you can find your own way to the answer. I promise.
Ron S. Doyle is both a web designer and a freelance writer. In fact, he’s found a particular niche in developing web sites for other freelance writers. He’s also got a wicked sense of humor and uses math in his work.
Can you explain what you do for a living?
The highfaluting answer: I help clients build or restructure their online presence through web development and design, business analysis, project management, strategic brand management, consultation and training.
The mundane answer: I make websites!
When do you use basic math in your job?
I use proportions, algebra and basic geometric concepts at work every day. Most of what I’m doing involves simple addition, counting pixels. For example, if a website’s main container is 960 pixels wide, I have to make sure that all the margins, padding, borders and boxes inside add up.
This basic addition turns into algebra when a client comes to me and says “I have this 300 pixel wide advertisement that must go here” or “I want to embed this YouTube video there.” Then all the other elements become variables—and I change them to make everything balance with the ad or video.
It gets even more complicated when I start adding things like drop shadows or glowing edges to an object, which have a specific radius from the edge. A 3px drop shadow spreads 1.5 px past the edge of the object, etc.
Certain objects, like videos, also must appear in specific proportions, e.g., 16:9. For example, if I know I must fit a high-definition video into a space that’s 500 pixels wide, I know that the video will be a little more than 281 pixels tall.
16/9 = 500/x
16x = 4,500
x = 281.25
I also use proportions for my favorite design element: The Golden Ratio, 1: 1.618. It’s a proportion that naturally occurs in nature and is used widely in design and architecture. I agree with the ancient Greeks that it’s a beautiful shape and I try, whenever possible, to use it in my designs. Sometimes, it’s a fun little secret for me. For example, Ann Logue’s website doesn’t seem to have many boxes or rectangles at all:
But there are actually seven golden rectangles coded into the layout:
Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?
I use paper to draw initial designs, a calculator to figure out proportions and design software like Adobe Creative Suite to help with measurements and placement of objects before I write any code. I suppose I could do it all while I’m writing the code, but I like to keep costs low for my clients—and I like going outside from time to time.
How do you think math helps you do your job better?
Math doesn’t just help me do my job better, it makes it possible.
How comfortable with math do you feel?
None of this math feels uncomfortable to me. All web designers use math, whether they realize it or not, but some have a natural ability to see things like the golden proportion without picking up a calculator. I don’t know if I have that innate aesthetic skill—so the numbers make me feel more confident in my design decisions.
What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?
I didn’t develop a relationship with math until the seventh grade. That year, I had a great algebra teacher; things just clicked and I’ve loved mathematics ever since. I took Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, PreCalculus and AP Calculus in high school. I always felt confident in math class, except Calculus; my teacher struggled teaching the subject and I had a bad case of graduation fever.
As a psychology major in college, I didn’t love research but I enjoyed the statistical part of the work (and I took Calculus for Engineers even though it wasn’t required). Before I started my current business, I was a high school teacher. Trigonometry was one of my favorite subjects to teach.
Did you have to learn new skills in order to do this math? Or was it something that you could pick up using the skills you learned in school?
School definitely helped me feel confident with math, but I learned the skills I use today from building things with my father when I was younger. I spent a lot of my childhood with a tape measure with my father rattling off fractions at me—I understood 5/8 and 3/4 and 9/16 on a visual level long before I learned them in school.
Everything else I learned from Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land:
Do you have questions for Ron? If so, ask them in the comments section below.
Today’s Film Friday is brought to you by one of my favorite teenagers in the world, Simon, who introduced me to Tom Lehrer earlier this year. This version was done by lipsyncORswim.
(Warning for those who are satirically challenged: this is supposed to be funny. So laugh!)
Math for Grownups blog readers tend to fall into two camps: grownups who are not parents and really hate math (or think they’re not good at it), and parents who are worried that they’re going to pass along their math anxiety to their kids. And so I thought I’d spend a little bit of time addressing some of the concerns of these parents.
Earlier this week, my friend and fellow freelancer, Debbie Abrams Kaplan forwarded the summary of a new bit of research on kids and math. Debbie is the author of two great blogs: Jersey Kids and Frisco Kids, and she figured that I might find some blog fodder from this study.
Boy did I! A couple of things jumped out at me:
No one has ever studied how the basic math skills of first graders affect their later understanding of math throughout elementary school. (Compare that with the many studies of early reading skills, and this fact will blow your mind, too.)
There are three basic skills that will help first graders become good fifth-grade math students.
I’m going to tell you those skills a little later, but first I want to introduce the concept of numeracy. Quite simply, numeracy is the ability to work with and understand numbers. When children are young, numeracy includes the ability to count, recognize the symbols that we use for numbers (which is akin to learning the alphabet), and even do some very simple operations (like 1 + 1 = 2). For high school students, numeracy includes more complex problem solving skills and properties of real numbers.Among math educators, there are big debates about how we can better teach numeracy. I guess this is like the debates about phonics vs. context support methods in reading education. But now that this study is out, it’s clear parents can help lay a firm foundation for our kids’ later success in math. According to this study, published by a team of University of Missouri psychologists, rising first graders should understand:
Numbers — I’m going to take this to mean whole numbers, since most first graders aren’t very familiar with fractions or decimals.
The quantities that these numbers represent — In other words, kids should be able to match a number with that same number of objects (five fingers, two cats, etc.)
Low-level arithmetic — And I’m guessing researchers mean things like adding and subtracting numbers that are smaller than 10 (excepting problems with negative answers).
If you’re like most parents, this is probably a duh moment. What’s so hard about recognizing whole numbers or understanding what five objects are? But I don’t think many parents spend much time emphasizing these ideas — at least not in the way that we commit to reading to our children every night.So here are a few ways that you can help instill numeracy in your pre- or elementary-school aged children.
Count things. Count everything — like the stairs that your climbing or the cars that pass your house or blocks as you take them out of the box or those adorable little toes!
Have your child count things. You can do this in really simple ways. Ask him to get you five spoons so you can set the table. When she wants some goldfish, tell her she can have 10 (and watch her count them). When you’re planning his birthday party, have him tell you which 10 friends he wants to invite. (Write them down for him, so he has something visual to count.)
Notice numbers. When she’s really tiny, ask her to say the numbers that are on your mailbox or on a license plate. Older kids can name multi-digit numbers, like 157 or 81. (And if you want to really be precise and prep your kid for school, don’t say things like “one hundred and fifty-seven. In math, “and” represents a decimal point, which is something most elementary school teachers will really drive home.)
Teach your child to count backwards. This can be a great way for kids to start understanding subtraction. If you know you have 10 steps in your staircase, count backwards as you go down the stairs. Then count frontwards as you go up!
Start adding and subtracting. Give your child 5 raisins and show her how to “count up” to 7 by adding 2 raisins to the pile. Then as your child eats the raisins one by one, “count down” to find out how many are left.
You don’t need to make a big deal about math. And for goodness sakes, skip the worksheets, flashcards and even video games — unless your kid really loves them. Integrate these basic skills into your daily life, and you’ll see your child’s understanding grow. (And you probably won’t feel so stressed out about it all!)What kinds of things do you do with your young elementary-age kids? Any teachers out there want to share their thoughts with the class? Post in the comments section.
