Substitution and Elimination
Resources for those of us teaching students how to solve systems of equations with substitution or elimination. Continue reading Substitution and Elimination
Category: Mathematical Content
Beyond Math Conference 2021
Thank you to everyone who joined me at the Beyond Math Conference this summer. I hope you enjoyed my presentation on Getting the Most out of Math Tasks. As promised, here are some additional resources to accompany that presentation. Staircase Task During the video I did three tasks. First, I did a classic task called … Continue reading Beyond Math Conference 2021
Circles and Pi
It’s Pi Day (March 14th) so I figured I’d briefly talk about circles and pi. First, let’s talk define a circle. Okay, so a long time ago people wondered how to find the area of a circle, it’s tricky because square units don’t fit within nicely unless they are teeny tiny. People found that if … Continue reading Circles and Pi
Solve for y and substitute?
Something I’ve been thinking about is the way we teach students to solve systems of linear equations using substitution. Consider for example the following system of linear equations: y = 3x + 4 and 2y – 3x = 16. Many textbooks would suggest the way forward is to solve one of the equations for a … Continue reading Solve for y and substitute?
Fractions Part 2: The Whole
Note: This is part 2 in a multi-part series on fractions. In part 1, I discussed two different meanings for fractions, I recommend you start there. The Whole Story Discussing fractions without discussing their associated whole (also called referent unit) can be problematic. The quantity is assumed to refer to some referent unit. However, I … Continue reading Fractions Part 2: The Whole
Fractions Part 1: They’re Complicated
When I began teaching undergraduates, I mainly taught mathematics methods courses for elementary education majors. Put simply, I taught future elementary teachers how to teach mathematics. For many elementary teachers, fractions is one of their least favorite topics to teach. For many elementary students, fractions is one of their least favorite topics to learn. So … Continue reading Fractions Part 1: They’re Complicated
Why does elimination work?
Teachers typically emphasize two techniques (though there are certainly others) for solving systems of equations: substitution and elimination. The other day I asked my class of prospective middle and secondary teachers to explain why elimination works. I asked this because as I was sitting at my kitchen table that morning, My students were not able … Continue reading Why does elimination work?