I've been spending the past few months researching the cognitive and neural underpinnings of mathematics, as well as their implications for math education. What follows is a brief list of some of the more accessible articles I have found:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_science_of_mathematics
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerical_cognition

These are short, non-technical Wikipedia articles on the cognitive science of math and on numerical cognition. They both serve as a good introduction.

I think one thing that came out of our discussion today that we did not get a chance to talk about in depth is runoff pollution. I think it is a very real issue that our students can relate to and make observations about. It's also a great local issue to get students invested and interested in.

http://www.phila.gov/water/

http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/lid/lid1.asp

http://www.phillyfuture.org/node/5094

Trying to get students to understand that their world goes beyond their own world is relevant when you teach science! This is an attempt to create a story that will interest your students as well as educate them about the the bigger picture! Our story begins....

Understanding what is science and how it is related to our world is a concept that is difficult for students to understand We will take a short tour through it to try and make sense out of it. First stop on our way is called Googleville. In this peculiar place, we will use the help of Google earth and Neo. http://neo.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/Search.html

This is a really great cause started by an amazing woman. My students really enjoyed learning about her and her movement.

http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/

Optical Illusions from Michael Bach

http://www.subliminalmessages.com/plane_charter_1b.htm

Subliminal & hypnotical messages