David K Butler
@davidkbutler.bsky.social
Maths Learning Support lecturer at Adelaide Uni (my views here). Grad Dip Ed & PhD Finite Geom. Love maths and helping people learn. he/him
Pinned
David K Butler
@davidkbutler.bsky.social
· Oct 20
Hello those drifing through BlueSky.
I mostly post about these:
* My experiences with students in the Maths Learning Centre
* Maths and maths teaching thoughts I have, including live problem-solving
* Books I read (mainly childrens fiction)
* Observations and photos of things I see in the world
I mostly post about these:
* My experiences with students in the Maths Learning Centre
* Maths and maths teaching thoughts I have, including live problem-solving
* Books I read (mainly childrens fiction)
* Observations and photos of things I see in the world
Reposted by David K Butler
Poems walk on the page,
Never quite reaching the edge;
They hesitate, wait.
Never quite reaching the edge;
They hesitate, wait.
February 8, 2026 at 5:02 AM
Poems walk on the page,
Never quite reaching the edge;
They hesitate, wait.
Never quite reaching the edge;
They hesitate, wait.
Ok I am going to do a #TryMathsLive wit this from @catrionaagg.bsky.social. I will do it in short bursts, so know that my silence is not a request for help, it just means I’m doing something else for a while. (Indeed, in general, all questions are to myself and are also not a request for help.)
Two regular hexagons inside a rectangle. What fraction of the rectangle is shaded?
I found this #geometrypuzzle in my sketchbook - I drew it last June, but I’m pretty sure I never got round to posting it. Better late than never!
I found this #geometrypuzzle in my sketchbook - I drew it last June, but I’m pretty sure I never got round to posting it. Better late than never!
February 7, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Ok I am going to do a #TryMathsLive wit this from @catrionaagg.bsky.social. I will do it in short bursts, so know that my silence is not a request for help, it just means I’m doing something else for a while. (Indeed, in general, all questions are to myself and are also not a request for help.)
One of my major issues is that I feel like there is a Most Important Thing that is the highest priority to get done first, but I can't face doing it, so I end up doing nothing. When what I need to do is anything I can face doing even though it's not critical, so that SOMETHING gets done.
Have to do homework this weekend because everything is happening all at once and we are SO not ready for the new students who start orientation on Monday and classes in two weeks. But there's so much to do I am paralysed not knowing the best place to start.
February 7, 2026 at 10:41 PM
One of my major issues is that I feel like there is a Most Important Thing that is the highest priority to get done first, but I can't face doing it, so I end up doing nothing. When what I need to do is anything I can face doing even though it's not critical, so that SOMETHING gets done.
Reposted by David K Butler
Two regular hexagons inside a rectangle. What fraction of the rectangle is shaded?
I found this #geometrypuzzle in my sketchbook - I drew it last June, but I’m pretty sure I never got round to posting it. Better late than never!
I found this #geometrypuzzle in my sketchbook - I drew it last June, but I’m pretty sure I never got round to posting it. Better late than never!
February 7, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Two regular hexagons inside a rectangle. What fraction of the rectangle is shaded?
I found this #geometrypuzzle in my sketchbook - I drew it last June, but I’m pretty sure I never got round to posting it. Better late than never!
I found this #geometrypuzzle in my sketchbook - I drew it last June, but I’m pretty sure I never got round to posting it. Better late than never!
Reposted by David K Butler
ok. does anyone know if it's twice per athlon or every two athlons
February 7, 2026 at 2:44 PM
ok. does anyone know if it's twice per athlon or every two athlons
Reposted by David K Butler
"They're shouting for you," Rhyme said with a smile.
"But I could never have done it," he objected, "without everyone else's help."
"That may be true," said Reason gravely, "but you had the courage to try; and what you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do."
"But I could never have done it," he objected, "without everyone else's help."
"That may be true," said Reason gravely, "but you had the courage to try; and what you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do."
February 7, 2026 at 8:01 PM
"They're shouting for you," Rhyme said with a smile.
"But I could never have done it," he objected, "without everyone else's help."
"That may be true," said Reason gravely, "but you had the courage to try; and what you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do."
"But I could never have done it," he objected, "without everyone else's help."
"That may be true," said Reason gravely, "but you had the courage to try; and what you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do."
I see this all the time with maths. People who were naturally good at school maths often fall over completely at university because they don’t know how to make sense of things that are difficult to them.
In my experience, talent is a *detriment* to learning.
I didn't have to practice early on so I *didn't know how*. I didn't start to learn how to practice until my 30s! (When much of my life was taken up with parenting, so I didn't have time!)
I didn't start to improve as a musician until my 40s!
I didn't have to practice early on so I *didn't know how*. I didn't start to learn how to practice until my 30s! (When much of my life was taken up with parenting, so I didn't have time!)
I didn't start to improve as a musician until my 40s!
I'm going to say this again in case you haven't heard this one: I was a talented writer and it did *nothing whatsoever* because I hadn't put in the work, and I put in the work for ten years (subtracting the bit where I had to quit for my mental health) to write Witchmark
talent alone could *never*
talent alone could *never*
February 7, 2026 at 8:21 PM
I see this all the time with maths. People who were naturally good at school maths often fall over completely at university because they don’t know how to make sense of things that are difficult to them.
“Everything is easy when it’s finished.”
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"Sadly, not aliens."
"Sadly, not aliens."
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"It's not designed to work that way"
"It's not designed to work that way"
February 7, 2026 at 8:19 PM
“Everything is easy when it’s finished.”
Reposted by David K Butler
A chocolate brown horse with a white diamond on his nose happily munches on the rose bushes in a house’s front yard.
February 7, 2026 at 6:47 AM
A chocolate brown horse with a white diamond on his nose happily munches on the rose bushes in a house’s front yard.
Have to do homework this weekend because everything is happening all at once and we are SO not ready for the new students who start orientation on Monday and classes in two weeks. But there's so much to do I am paralysed not knowing the best place to start.
February 7, 2026 at 4:36 AM
Have to do homework this weekend because everything is happening all at once and we are SO not ready for the new students who start orientation on Monday and classes in two weeks. But there's so much to do I am paralysed not knowing the best place to start.
It seems to me that people who think 0 is in the Natural Numbers feel much more strongly about it than people who think 0 is not in the Natural Numbers.
February 6, 2026 at 11:58 PM
It seems to me that people who think 0 is in the Natural Numbers feel much more strongly about it than people who think 0 is not in the Natural Numbers.
Reposted by David K Butler
“Many places you would like to see are just off the map and many things you want to know are just out of sight or a little beyond your reach. But someday you'll reach them all, for what you learn today, for no reason at all, will help you discover all the wonderful secrets of tomorrow."
February 6, 2026 at 11:01 PM
“Many places you would like to see are just off the map and many things you want to know are just out of sight or a little beyond your reach. But someday you'll reach them all, for what you learn today, for no reason at all, will help you discover all the wonderful secrets of tomorrow."
Reposted by David K Butler
i think we all need to step back and realize that peak art was made when neolithic pot in the shape of a pig was fired
February 6, 2026 at 7:46 PM
i think we all need to step back and realize that peak art was made when neolithic pot in the shape of a pig was fired
Reposted by David K Butler
A small but very deep thing that bothers me about generative AI as a shortcut to practice and work and skill is the basic assumption that it’s impossible to take pleasure in a creative pursuit that you aren’t very good at and I assure you that is not the case
February 6, 2026 at 7:41 PM
A small but very deep thing that bothers me about generative AI as a shortcut to practice and work and skill is the basic assumption that it’s impossible to take pleasure in a creative pursuit that you aren’t very good at and I assure you that is not the case
Reposted by David K Butler
Weekend reading: Does your integration introduction land like a wet fish on dry land? Have a read to see how I’ve added significant weight and gravitas to it in my draft overview for Methods. open.substack.com/pub/vmnalex/...
February 5, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Weekend reading: Does your integration introduction land like a wet fish on dry land? Have a read to see how I’ve added significant weight and gravitas to it in my draft overview for Methods. open.substack.com/pub/vmnalex/...
Reposted by David K Butler
"That's just what I mean," explained Milo as Tock and the exhausted bug drifted quietly off to sleep. "Many of the things I'm supposed to know seem so useless that I can't see the purpose in learning them at all."
(Pure Reason’s full response is in the attached image)
(Pure Reason’s full response is in the attached image)
February 5, 2026 at 11:01 PM
"That's just what I mean," explained Milo as Tock and the exhausted bug drifted quietly off to sleep. "Many of the things I'm supposed to know seem so useless that I can't see the purpose in learning them at all."
(Pure Reason’s full response is in the attached image)
(Pure Reason’s full response is in the attached image)
Reposted by David K Butler
Echoing through the train station is what sounds like the twittering of a hundred birds, but when I get closer, turns out to be the squeaking of two escalators.
February 5, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Echoing through the train station is what sounds like the twittering of a hundred birds, but when I get closer, turns out to be the squeaking of two escalators.
Reposted by David K Butler
The two GOATs in animal husbandry in the country secretly pine for each other.
Bleated Rivalry
Bleated Rivalry
The two best shitposters on Bluesky secretly pine for each other.
Skeeted Rivalry
Skeeted Rivalry
The two best whiskey distillers in the country secretly pine for each other.
Peated Rivalry.
Peated Rivalry.
February 5, 2026 at 9:23 PM
The two GOATs in animal husbandry in the country secretly pine for each other.
Bleated Rivalry
Bleated Rivalry
Reposted by David K Butler
Here's the first and last paragraphs of my latest. Give it a read! pershmail.substack.com/p/understand...
February 5, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Here's the first and last paragraphs of my latest. Give it a read! pershmail.substack.com/p/understand...
Reposted by David K Butler
The strong sunlight shines through the windows onto the floor of the mostly empty train. The shadows of the seats and seat backs makes it look like the entire length of the floor is one giant piano keyboard.
February 5, 2026 at 7:00 AM
The strong sunlight shines through the windows onto the floor of the mostly empty train. The shadows of the seats and seat backs makes it look like the entire length of the floor is one giant piano keyboard.
Sometimes parenting means sitting up at 11pm finishing painting a cape for a silly dress-up dance at school tomorrow because without it, your daughter will miss out on yet another thing due to her chronic illness.
February 5, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Sometimes parenting means sitting up at 11pm finishing painting a cape for a silly dress-up dance at school tomorrow because without it, your daughter will miss out on yet another thing due to her chronic illness.
Reposted by David K Butler
Reposted by David K Butler
For many years, @400footghost.bsky.social has been drawing my observations, simply because he wanted to respond. And for many years, folks have been asking me to share all of them in one place. So here they are - his beautiful pieces inspired by my words. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 🧵…
February 5, 2026 at 6:14 PM
For many years, @400footghost.bsky.social has been drawing my observations, simply because he wanted to respond. And for many years, folks have been asking me to share all of them in one place. So here they are - his beautiful pieces inspired by my words. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 🧵…
Going to have to teach my new managers that I can't respond to emails immediately or even within a day because I am either teaching, or dealing with the last thing they asked me to do.
February 5, 2026 at 6:43 AM
Going to have to teach my new managers that I can't respond to emails immediately or even within a day because I am either teaching, or dealing with the last thing they asked me to do.