What does it take to be an effective math teacher? Some individuals will argue that those that grasph math concepts easily are necessarily the best teachers because they haven't experienced being out of the comfort zone and struggling to understand. Others feel that you really need to understand math to teach math.

What does the research say?  A IEA study, led by Michigan State University says teacher preparation is key.  They have discovered that the countries that best prepare math teachers meet several key conditions. See the full article in Science Daily.

If you are near Philadelphia, then you are probably already aware of one of the best confererences for 'mathies'. If not, it's not too late to check out the 700 presentations at the NCTM Conference that are sure to delight math students, math educators and math enthusiasts. Be sure to check ou the conference highlights, a must see! Although I'm not able to attend this year, be sure to share the highlights if you happen to be attending.

When I was young, I enjoyed puzzles like the trangrams. I played with them until they were no longer a challenge. Little did I know then that Tangrams are much more than just a few shapes that can be re-arranged into a square. There is so much more math that tangrams can be used for. This ancient puzzle can be used for teaching angles and angle measures, logic, reasoning and problem solving. This week, I've put together a little teaser on a few great things you can do with a tangram. If you don't have the puzzle, no worries, a pattern has been provided.

Studying for math is somewhat different than studying for most of the other subjects. Math requires more practicing as opposed to reading for learning.  Working through various problems and exercises based on the math concept being studied seems to be the most favorable way to study for math.  However, some individuals find that if they take great notes  and use a strategy specific to math for those notes, they tend to retain and understand the concepts better.  What works for you? Be sure to share your preferred strategies with our users.