teaching

Favorite Lessons

Why Study Math?

  • Answer to the age-old questions: When are we ever going to have to use this? Why do I need to know this?

  • Abuses Of Statistics -- which I presented to the 2002 American Statistical Society (CO/WY Chapter) Regional Workshop, and numerous times to my Statistics classes

  • Why randomize?

  • Sample my world-famous chili to discover why!

  • The Random Rectangles Activity to reinforce why you can't randomize on your own

  • Making "Cents" of The Central Limit Theorem -- construct a life-sized histogram of the dates of a jar of pennies; then choose 5 at random several times to model a sampling distribution

  • Law of Large Numbers Calculator Simulation -- use a graphing calculator to simulate flipping a coin and graph the results

  • Introducing Probability -- (they didn't build all those big hotels out in Las Vegas by people going out and winning money)

  • Fair Game? Project

  • The Lottery Activity -- hand out a stack of pick-6 lottery cards, and slap a $20 in front of the class to anyone who can match all 6

  • Letter Matching Master Activity -- everyone picks 5 different letters; then I'll pick 5 and bet I can match at least one of yours

  • The Birthday Problem Activity

  • Monty’s Dilemma Simulation

  • The Population Project -- Lefty Lindross is concerned that the world is overpopulated because if you stacked everyone end-to-end, they would reach the moon and back over 10 times; while Ros Wing says we have nothing to worry about, because you could give everyone on earth a 30'x30'x20' apartment and they would all fit into the Grand Canyon. So, who's right?

  • The Number Trick Activity -- use algebra explore how & why an interesting number trick works

In 1997, I formed and sponsored the Overland HIgh School Chess Club

1997-98 Overland HS Chess Club

OHS Chess Team Shirt

2005 OHS Chess Club

In 1990, I formed a chess club at Beauchamps HS, England

I introduced chess to Les Arnold HS in 1986

Playing "giant chess" with Tim Doolittle, Stadtpark, Hamburg, Germany (1981)

I was a founding member of Bishop Ward High School Chess Club in 1976

Poster from my 2009 Retirement Party (from teaching) at the Wynkoop Brewing Co.