Who says "pwned" anymore? How old am I? Anyway! Thanks, Jo Boaler for once again blowing my mind and drastically altering the way I thought I'd start off the year teaching Math 1. Ugh, it's a lot of work to change what we're so used to, especially if we feel we've gotten a system down that works, but I feel it's my job to be always adaptable. Seriously, if we as teachers didn't adapt our instruction based on the exhilarating new research on how people learn math (specifically algebra and the concept of a variable), then we wouldn't be good educators. And it's not a BIG change, like change-ALL-my-units change. Just the 1st one. A big ol' review of simplifying expressions, solving equations, and solving inequalities. You know, the only one I always feel the most confident about each year, but nevermindwhocares. Let me just put this drool-worthy quote up for you from Boaler's website, referring to the 4 weeks of free algebra curriculum she and her team provide: "It draws upon algebraic research showing that it is more helpful for students to learn algebra through studying pattern growth where a variable represents a case number, and can vary, before learning about 'solving for x.' When students start learning algebra by solving for x they come to believe that a variable stands for a single number and does not vary. Later when they need to understand that variables can vary, they meet a conceptual barrier, and many do not ever get past that barrier. We recommend that students learn first about pattern growth and see that algebra can be useful for describing growth. Later, when they encounter situations when the variable stands for one missing number, they see this as a subset of their broader learning about variables and there is no confusion." From the website: Check out the lessons. They're all patterns. Generalizing. Growing, decaying. Linear, quadratic, cubic, exponential. Students just jump right in to functions and how different types of patterns grow or decay. It's wonderful.
So now instead of teaching the "boring bits" as Dan Meyer says at the beginning of the year with equations, we can start with empowering students with patterns, and create the need for solving equations later, then with a better understanding of what a variable is.
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AuthorTracy Conte is a high school math teacher in Raleigh, NC. Archives
November 2019
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