Global Math Week officially ends today but that doesn’t mean teachers and their class can’t have fun with the activities on the Global Math Project website. The introductory video on the Exploding Dots game promises to show us the maths we thought we knew but “in a brand new, astounding light”.
It essentially gamifies and deconstructs the notion of a base in maths, working up from base 2 (the binary system used in computing) to base 10 (the decimal system) and beyond.
Adventurous
Exploding Dots begins at a point that younger children can understand and works its way up to college-level maths. Designed to be used as a resource in classrooms, the Exploding Dots activity comes in three formats: low tech (videos), high tech (web app), and no tech (working with PDF print-outs and a blackboard). Not all teachers might be comfortable working this into the curriculum, but adventurous parents can give it a go (it’s fun, honestly).
There’s also a section of the website called RAMD or random acts of mathematical delight. These are videos or activities designed to make maths a bit more fun, like converting your name into a polynomial equation.
