During our first morning session, we worked on Exeter Academy problems. I chose Math I which is mostly Algebra I. We basically just sat there and worked problems and stopped to discuss/brainstorm after each page.
Here are some notes I took on the idea of problem solving in general:
Students have trouble organizing and labeling information.
Students aren't familiar enough with measurements to easily make conversions.
'Spaghetti' method: don't mix the the noodles and the sauce in the pot. Keep them separate until you know how much you need. Analogy: don't mix all the information together. Keep things separate until you know what you need.
Write answers in [complete] sentence form to alert students to things that don't make sense.
Relate non-integer [messy/ugly] answers to the check out. How often does the register come up with exactly $20.00?
What numbers can we substitute into the concepts we already teach to make them richer?
Start the year with students making and writing down observations [from videos, demonstrations, measurements, charts, photos, rhythms, etc]. Compare answers. Think out loud. Uncover assumptions students make when translating from reading and translating to writing.
I know that's not much but it's what stuck out to me and what I've been ruminating (ooh I'm such a scholar) on.
Exeter Math 1 Problems I want to try in class: Page 1: 7, 8, 10,11 Page 2: 5, 6, 7, 10, 11 Page 20: 4, 8 Page 22: 1, 2, Page 80: 2
