Friday, September 26, 2014

Implement The Core: Mean of 3 scores=90%,Range=30%,Median??

A little more detail from the Twitter Math Problem 9-26-14
(twitter.com/dmarain)

Mean of 3 tests:90
Range:30
Explain why median must be 100.

Note: Assume all tests are based on 100 pts. The % info could be misleading, aka wrong!

REFLECTIONS...
1) Emphasis here is on explanation/reasoning rather than giving a numerical answer. That's why the problem is different from the title. This is at the "core" of the Mathematical Practices of the Common Core.
2) As any dedicated professional knows:
Finding challenging problems to promote collaboration and maximize participation is a daunting task. But isn't that what the Common Core is all about?
3) As educators would you promote an algebraic explanation or feel equally comfortable with one that uses a number-sense approach like "the lowest score has to be 70% or less because...", etc???
4) I've given away over a thousand original higher-order problems over 7 years on this blog and, more recently, on Twitter. And we know everyone is looking for freebies on the web. But writing detailed solutions/strategies/Common Core Implementation is labor-intensive. Creating new nonroutine problems every day is my passion but all good things must come to an end. Hope you RE2PECT that! Pls note the special offer in the sidebar which ends on 9-30-14.

2 comments:

owen thomas said...

/*
4) I've given away over a thousand original higher-order problems over 7 years on this blog and, more recently, on Twitter.
*/

and i'll bet a lot of 'em have been *used*.
probably quite a few have been used a *lot*.

it's an amazing run; thanks for making
this explicit. twitter is useless to *me*,
of course... and so is most of the rest of
math-ed-online that i know about
(relying as so much of it does on one
or another high-tech "application" i'm
not at all inclined to think about [or some
whole *cluster* of 'em, more likely; too
bad about the worked-before-they-broke-
-it telecommunications systems round here]).

but then, i'm in no need of such exercises
(other than as entertaining reading)...

anyhow.
thanks *twice* for keepin it plain-text...

Dave Marain said...

I appreciate your kind words, Owen. This has always been a labor of love for me. I will continue to post some problems, but I do have to compile these into book form and either self-publish or get it on Amazon or somewhere else.

Of course, I'll still be hangin' around advocating for our children ...