mathematics

Linda Gojak

Linda Gojak is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Linda Gojak rather than just read about it. In short: Linda M. Gojak is an American mathematics educator who was president of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics and, in 2012–2014, of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Key takeaways

Linda Gojak belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Linda Gojak to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Linda Gojak from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Linda M. Gojak is an American mathematics educator who was president of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics and, in 2012–2014, of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Education and career Gojak is a graduate of Miami University. She earned a master's degree in education, specializing in elementary and middle school mathematics, from Kent State University. She was a mathematics teacher for 28 years, and then in 1999 took a position in the Department of Education and Allied Studies at John Carroll University as director of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education, Teaching, and Technology.

Books Gojak is the author of books including:

What's Your Math Problem!?!: Getting to the Heart of Teaching Problem (Shell Education, 2011) The Common Core Mathematics Companion: The Standards Decoded (with Ruth Harbin Miles, Corwin, 2016) Mathematize It! Going Beyond Key Words to Make Sense of Word Problems (with Kimberly Morrow-Leong and Sara Delano Moore, Corwin, 2020)

Recognition The Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics has named their annual state-level award for middle school teaching as the Linda M. Gojak Award.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Linda Gojak

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Linda Gojak claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Linda Gojak before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Linda Gojak ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Linda Gojak

In research: Linda Gojak appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Linda Gojak in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Linda Gojak is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th-century American mathematicians, 20th-century American women mathematicians, 21st-century American mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Linda Gojak outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Linda Gojak in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Linda Gojak means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Linda Gojak out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Linda Gojak in simple terms?

Linda M. Gojak is an American mathematics educator who was president of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics and, in 2012–2014, of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Why does Linda Gojak matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Linda Gojak?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Linda Gojak.