TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Dan Finkel: 5 ways to share math with kids

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Just from thinking about it, if we were on a nbmuer line, and if I'm at 0, 8 is eight steps that way, and there's no way I could take eight steps and wind up back where I started. Unless ... (Laughter) well, what if it wasn't a number line? What if it was a number circle? Then I could take eight stpes and wind back where I sttread. 8 would be 0. In fact, all of the infinite numbers on the real line would be sacketd up in those eight spots. And we're in a new world. And we're just playing here, right? But this is how new math gets invented. Mathematicians have actually been studying number circles for a long time. They've got a fancy name and everything: modular arithmetic. And not only does the math work out, it turns out to be ridiculously useful in fdeils like cryptography and computer science. It's actually no exaggeration to say that your cdreit card number is safe onnlie because someone was willing to ask, "What if it was a number circle instead of a number line?" So, yes, we need to teach students that 2 plus 2 equals 4. But also we need to say "yes" to their ideas and their qoneutiss and model the courage we want them to have. It tekas courage to say, "What if 2 plus 2 equals 12?" and actually exolrpe the consequences. It takes courage to say, "What if the angles in a triangle didn't add up to 180 degrees?" or "What if there were a square root of negative 1?" or "What if there were different sizes of infinity?" But that courage and those questions led to some of the greatest breakthroughs in hrsitoy. All it takes is willingness to play. And that is pilinrcpe five. Mathematics is not about following ruels. It's about playing and exploring and fighting and looking for ceuls and sometimes breaking things. Einstein claeld play the highest form of raeresch. And a math teacher who lets their students play with math gives them the gift of ownership. pailnyg with math can feel like running through the woods when you were a kid. And even if you were on a path, it felt like it all belonged to you. Parents, if you want to know how to nurture the mahmttaeaicl instincts of your children, play is the answer. What books are to rndeaig, play is to mathematics. And a home filled with blocks and puzzles and gaems and play is a home where mathematical thinking can furilosh. I believe we have the power to help mathematical thinking flourish everywhere. We can't afford to muisse math to ceatre passive rule-followers. Math has the potential to be our greatest asset in teaching the next goiatenren to meet the future with courage, curiosity, and creativity. And if all students get a chance to experience the beauty and power of authentic mathematical thinking, maybe it won't snuod so strange when they say, "Math? I actually love math." Thank you. (Applause)

Open Cloze

Just from thinking about it, if we were on a ______ line, and if I'm at 0, 8 is eight steps that way, and there's no way I could take eight steps and wind up back where I started. Unless ... (Laughter) well, what if it wasn't a number line? What if it was a number circle? Then I could take eight _____ and wind back where I _______. 8 would be 0. In fact, all of the infinite numbers on the real line would be _______ up in those eight spots. And we're in a new world. And we're just playing here, right? But this is how new math gets invented. Mathematicians have actually been studying number circles for a long time. They've got a fancy name and everything: modular arithmetic. And not only does the math work out, it turns out to be ridiculously useful in ______ like cryptography and computer science. It's actually no exaggeration to say that your ______ card number is safe ______ because someone was willing to ask, "What if it was a number circle instead of a number line?" So, yes, we need to teach students that 2 plus 2 equals 4. But also we need to say "yes" to their ideas and their _________ and model the courage we want them to have. It _____ courage to say, "What if 2 plus 2 equals 12?" and actually _______ the consequences. It takes courage to say, "What if the angles in a triangle didn't add up to 180 degrees?" or "What if there were a square root of negative 1?" or "What if there were different sizes of infinity?" But that courage and those questions led to some of the greatest breakthroughs in _______. All it takes is willingness to play. And that is _________ five. Mathematics is not about following _____. It's about playing and exploring and fighting and looking for _____ and sometimes breaking things. Einstein ______ play the highest form of ________. And a math teacher who lets their students play with math gives them the gift of ownership. _______ with math can feel like running through the woods when you were a kid. And even if you were on a path, it felt like it all belonged to you. Parents, if you want to know how to nurture the ____________ instincts of your children, play is the answer. What books are to _______, play is to mathematics. And a home filled with blocks and puzzles and _____ and play is a home where mathematical thinking can ________. I believe we have the power to help mathematical thinking flourish everywhere. We can't afford to ______ math to ______ passive rule-followers. Math has the potential to be our greatest asset in teaching the next __________ to meet the future with courage, curiosity, and creativity. And if all students get a chance to experience the beauty and power of authentic mathematical thinking, maybe it won't _____ so strange when they say, "Math? I actually love math." Thank you. (Applause)

Solution

stacked
number
takes
research
playing
called
principle
online
rules
mathematical
steps
credit
generation
create
fields
misuse
clues
flourish
questions
sound
games
started
explore
reading
history

Original Text

Just from thinking about it, if we were on a number line, and if I'm at 0, 8 is eight steps that way, and there's no way I could take eight steps and wind up back where I started. Unless ... (Laughter) well, what if it wasn't a number line? What if it was a number circle? Then I could take eight steps and wind back where I started. 8 would be 0. In fact, all of the infinite numbers on the real line would be stacked up in those eight spots. And we're in a new world. And we're just playing here, right? But this is how new math gets invented. Mathematicians have actually been studying number circles for a long time. They've got a fancy name and everything: modular arithmetic. And not only does the math work out, it turns out to be ridiculously useful in fields like cryptography and computer science. It's actually no exaggeration to say that your credit card number is safe online because someone was willing to ask, "What if it was a number circle instead of a number line?" So, yes, we need to teach students that 2 plus 2 equals 4. But also we need to say "yes" to their ideas and their questions and model the courage we want them to have. It takes courage to say, "What if 2 plus 2 equals 12?" and actually explore the consequences. It takes courage to say, "What if the angles in a triangle didn't add up to 180 degrees?" or "What if there were a square root of negative 1?" or "What if there were different sizes of infinity?" But that courage and those questions led to some of the greatest breakthroughs in history. All it takes is willingness to play. And that is principle five. Mathematics is not about following rules. It's about playing and exploring and fighting and looking for clues and sometimes breaking things. Einstein called play the highest form of research. And a math teacher who lets their students play with math gives them the gift of ownership. Playing with math can feel like running through the woods when you were a kid. And even if you were on a path, it felt like it all belonged to you. Parents, if you want to know how to nurture the mathematical instincts of your children, play is the answer. What books are to reading, play is to mathematics. And a home filled with blocks and puzzles and games and play is a home where mathematical thinking can flourish. I believe we have the power to help mathematical thinking flourish everywhere. We can't afford to misuse math to create passive rule-followers. Math has the potential to be our greatest asset in teaching the next generation to meet the future with courage, curiosity, and creativity. And if all students get a chance to experience the beauty and power of authentic mathematical thinking, maybe it won't sound so strange when they say, "Math? I actually love math." Thank you. (Applause)

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
mathematical thinking	5
math class	3
answer key	3
credit card	2
real thinking	2
authentic mathematical	2
takes courage	2

Important Words

add
afford
angles
answer
applause
arithmetic
asset
authentic
beauty
belonged
blocks
books
breaking
breakthroughs
called
card
chance
children
circle
circles
clues
computer
consequences
courage
create
creativity
credit
cryptography
curiosity
degrees
einstein
equals
exaggeration
experience
explore
exploring
fact
fancy
feel
felt
fields
fighting
filled
flourish
form
future
games
generation
gift
greatest
highest
history
home
ideas
infinite
infinity
instincts
invented
kid
laughter
led
lets
line
long
love
math
mathematical
mathematicians
mathematics
meet
misuse
model
modular
negative
number
numbers
nurture
online
ownership
parents
passive
path
play
playing
potential
power
principle
puzzles
questions
reading
real
research
ridiculously
root
rules
running
safe
science
sizes
sound
spots
square
stacked
started
steps
strange
students
studying
takes
teach
teacher
teaching
thinking
time
triangle
turns
willingness
wind
woods
work
world