finding the perimeter of a scalene triangle

we have to use the altitude to get a right triangle to get to the Pythagorean theorem.

decimal number addition

we must line up the decimals when we add.

solving multi step problems

here are a few tips before i go over the examples.

here are the examples explained in great detail.

rounding decimal numbers

this is a step by step approach to rounding.

percents

in this example we go from a drawing to a fraction to a percent. we use the concept of ratios. this is an introductory idea. eventually we see we must divide the fraction to get a decimal, then move the decimal to the right 2 places to get the percent value.

Summer Tutoring Program Explained

I am offering a tutoring program this summer.

In San Clemente the rate is $60 per hour.

Not in San CLemente the rate is $70 per hour.

The dates I will be tutoring are:

June 21st - July 30th (6 weeks) and Aug 16th - Aug 27th (2 weeks)

Monday - Friday from 10:30 - 5:30

I can tutor any subject. I am prepared with a focused curriculum in the following subjects:

==Basic Skills Practice

==Mathematical Modeling ( word problems and rectangular modeling)

==Singapore 3

==Singapore 4

==Singapore 5

==Saxon Alg 1/2

==Saxon Alg

==Geometry

==Algebra II

==Elementary Statistics

==Learning How to Learn Math (Note Taking, understanding the processes and mechanics of mathematics, organization skills, which questions to aks and when to ask them)

Obviously these are not the only concepts I am available for tutoring.

Summer tutoring is a fantastic way to reinforce prior learned concepts, introduce new concepts, relate concepts to each other, and receive "one on one instruction".

Please contact me via email for any tutoring request:

mrblack@vandammeacademy.com or mrblacksmath@live.com

coin problem

surface area of a triangular prism

increase in percent #2

another coin problem

evaluate variable expressions

we substitute values for the variable and honor the order of operations.

Pythagorean theorem and a diagonal

a 6 year old's quiz

decimals to fractions and the thousandths place

conversions of measurement

conversions of measurement are a 4 step procedure

increase in percent

rational equations

in the below examples we see a rational equation is an equation made of ratios. the key to solving these equations is to utilize the distributive property. multiply both sides of the equation by the least common multiple of the denominator. cancel where appropriate. now you have an equation. isolate the variable.

multiply scientific notation

similarity

inverting matrices with a 6 year old.

please excuse the poor quality of this photo. I didn't have my camera with me , i just had my phone. this is a photo from the material my 6 year old student is learning after school.

My introduction as a SDB Fellow

Class of 2009 Induction Comments

Delivered at SDB Annual Conference, Friday, January 22, 2010

Michael Black oversees the math program at VanDamme Academy, a relatively new private K-8 school in Aliso Viejo, California, including the math instruction for grades 4 through 8.  He is a graduate of Texas A&M and UC Santa Barbara, where he earned an MA in Pure Mathematics.  Michael has traveled widely, often in pursuit of the perfect wave.   He has taught in both large public schools and modest-sized independent schools.   He appears to have found his niche at the Academy.  His nominating student, currently an 8^th grader, confirms this good match.  “The ordinary math teacher has 30 pupils and teaches all of them the same thing with no special attention towards any of them.  Mr. Black is different.  A student in Mr. Black’s classroom does not have to worry about getting lost in the crowd.”   The student goes on:  “Mr. Black finds a way to relate the logic he teaches us in geometry to real life.”  For Michael, the mission is “to help free our school community of people who say, ‘I hate math.’”  In his words, “I enjoy the responsibility of finding creative ways to break through mental barriers to learning, of challenging students at their own levels of ability, and make them feel recognized and appreciated as unique individuals.”  Michael goes on:  “Being able to adapt, creatively and compassionately, to the individual child is one of the greatest pleasures of teaching.”  Responsibility and satisfaction – these are strong bookends for any professional.  Nice work, Michael, and welcome as an SDB fellow.

What is satisfying about being a teacher?

I just returned from the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth annual seminar. A student nominated me for a Fellowship. I was awarded it this past weekend. I was prompted to send in a Resume and a letter concerning what satisfies me about teaching. Below is what I wrote:

Nothing is more satisfying than being a teacher. Seeing my students grow in maturity, intelligence, and depth of understanding—and consequently seeing my community benefit from the addition of thoughtful, responsible, educated young adults—gives me profound satisfaction.

For many, math is regarded as intimidating, tedious, a chore. It is my goal to help free our community of people who say, “I hate math.” I have the pleasure of teaching students at every stage of development, from simple arithmetic to algebra to geometry to pre-calculus. It is my goal to ensure that at each step in the progression they have not just learned but mastered the concepts, and that they can advance with confidence and clarity.

When I teach my students long division, they do not simply churn through an algorithm. Long division is a step in a mathematical sequence, from counting (which is addition), to multiplication (which is repeated addition), to subtraction (which is addition of negative numbers), to division (which is keeping track of repeated subtraction). The students do not view long division as a process that exists in a mathematical void; they see its connection back to addition. Their depth of understanding allows them to grasp later concepts such as the division of polynomials and the reason behind the order of operations. This approach is one example of a broader theme: I am satisfied only when my students truly understand.

The task is a creative one. It cannot be achieved by cranking students through some preconceived program at some predetermined pace. I enjoy the responsibility of finding creative ways to break through mental barriers to learning, of challenging students at their own levels ability, and of making them feel recognized and appreciated as unique individuals. 

When one brilliant 5-year-old proved himself a prodigy in geography and zoology but formed an early aversion to mathematics, I taught him, for example, hexagons by reference to a bee’s honeycomb and addition through summing the number of countries in the world. When presented a 6-year-old with a seemingly infinite capacity and appetite for math, I nourished his ability, marveled as I witnessed him grasp the connection between fractions, division, and decimals (a year-long curriculum for most) in the span of about a single class period, and was pained at the thought of how many such students must exist, neglected. When after repeatedly asking the kids to put on their “thinking caps,” I brought in my own hand-sewn, colorful, patterned cap to give playful emphasis to the point, and was greeted by cries of, “I want one!”—I indulged. Being able to adapt, creatively and compassionately, to the individual child is one of the greatest pleasures of teaching.

Helping the child to build a solid conceptual structure and recognizing him as an individual, I empower the child to believe in himself. I am in a position to help provide students with a solid understanding of math, a generalized feeling of competency, and the sense that they have an important place in this world. What could be more satisfying?