The theme for this year's Mathematics Awareness Month is "Mathematics and Climate."
> Gain a deeper understanding of the math underlying food webs and ecosystems with "Connecting with Networks"
<http://www.learner.org/courses/mathilluminated/units/11/>, Unit 11 of Mathematics Illuminated -- new in 2008.
> The interactive labs that accompany our series The Habitable Planet <http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/index.php> use the power of mathematics to model factors affecting the environment; go to Carbon Lab to look at how climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions may change over time.
> Our interactives <http://www.learner.org/interactives/> offer enjoyable learning activities for exploring mathematics. Weather includes information on the mathematics behind weather forecasts, while our Math interactives -- Geometry 3D Shapes, Math in Daily Life, Metric Conversions, Statistics -- explore the math behind everyday phenomena, introduce terminology and concepts, and assess student knowledge.
> Our five Learning Math courses <http://www.learner.org/courses/learningmath/> for elementary and middle school teachers include links to Video on Demand, interactive illustrations and activities, and problems for reviewing the material. Topics include Geometry; Measurement; Number and Operations; Patterns, Functions, and Algebra; and Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability.> Our Teaching Math courses <http://www.learner.org/courses/teachingmath/>, available only online, offer professional development for K-12 teachers. Course materials and activities include examples of student work, analysis of student-teacher dialogues, video clips of teachers in classrooms, a reflection journal, math problems and solutions, and interactives.
> Our Teaching Math video libraries offer classroom footage to demonstrate effective teaching practices at the K-4
<http://www.learner.org/resources/series32.html>, 5-8 <http://www.learner.org/resources/series33.html>, and 9-12 <http://www.learner.org/resources/series34.html> grade levels.> The program Surprises in Mind <http://www.learner.org/resources/series130.html> documents a 12-year study tracking the development of mathematical skills in students participating in a special math curriculum. The program demonstrates how we can tap into children's innate mathematical ability and make learning math fun. Private Universe Project in Mathematics <http://www.learner.org/workshops/pupmath/> expands on these ideas in a full-length series.
Autism Awareness Month
> The Brain: Teaching Modules <http://www.learner.org/resources/series142.html> Video 29, "Autism," features Dr. Temple Grandin of Colorado State University. Dr. Grandin, severely autistic as a child, explains how she was able to overcome her autism and eventually benefit from her special way of perceiving the world.
> "Behavior Disorders of Childhood," Program 11 of The World of Abnormal Psychology <http://www.learner.org/resources/series60.html>, presents an overview of autism in children, showing the range of symptoms in milder and more severe forms of the disorder.
> Ethics in America II, Program 5, "A Better Brain: The Ethics of Neuro-enhancement" <http://www.learner.org/series/ethics2/better_brain/>, uses a hypothetical case to raise broader ethical issues related to the concepts of "merit," "need," "disability," and the proper role of medicine.
Updates Digest, Vol 48, Issue 1
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