Comments on: Brief feedback http://4maths.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/brief-feedback/ Just another WordPress.com weblog Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:57:33 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Linda http://4maths.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/brief-feedback/#comment-884 Linda Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:15:01 +0000 http://4maths.wordpress.com/?p=125#comment-884 Hi Esther - thanks for the query. In the previous post, I mentioned that I thought the Soft Drink Cans activity from the Maths 300 series of lessons was an ideal entry point to simultaneous equations as it used the strategy of dealing with one thing at a time to simplify the solution process. I said: "I did come away with a couple of lovely ideas I will put into practice this coming term. I hadn’t seen the Maths 300 Soft Drink Cans activity. It was recommended as a ’strategy lesson’ at the conference - to teach students about breaking a problem down into manageable chunks, considering one aspect at a time. For those who don’t know it, students are given a 6×4 rectangular grid and 18 cubes. The problem is to place the cubes onto the grid in such a way that every column and every row has an even number of cubes in it. This proves to be quite tricky and frustration tolerance is tested. After about 5 to 10 minutes, the class is stopped and the teacher brings everyone around one student’s table. He/she asks the student to arrange the blocks on the grid so that every row has an even number, forgetting about the columns for the time being. When this is done, the teacher says…”Now, slide cubes along the rows - but keeping the rows intact in total - to make the columns all even” The problem becomes incredibly easy with this simple instruction" Hope this helps. Hi Esther – thanks for the query. In the previous post, I mentioned that I thought the Soft Drink Cans activity from the Maths 300 series of lessons was an ideal entry point to simultaneous equations as it used the strategy of dealing with one thing at a time to simplify the solution process. I said: “I did come away with a couple of lovely ideas I will put into practice this coming term. I hadn’t seen the Maths 300 Soft Drink Cans activity. It was recommended as a ’strategy lesson’ at the conference – to teach students about breaking a problem down into manageable chunks, considering one aspect at a time. For those who don’t know it, students are given a 6×4 rectangular grid and 18 cubes. The problem is to place the cubes onto the grid in such a way that every column and every row has an even number of cubes in it. This proves to be quite tricky and frustration tolerance is tested. After about 5 to 10 minutes, the class is stopped and the teacher brings everyone around one student’s table. He/she asks the student to arrange the blocks on the grid so that every row has an even number, forgetting about the columns for the time being. When this is done, the teacher says…”Now, slide cubes along the rows – but keeping the rows intact in total – to make the columns all even” The problem becomes incredibly easy with this simple instruction”
Hope this helps.

]]> By: Esther http://4maths.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/brief-feedback/#comment-883 Esther Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:09:18 +0000 http://4maths.wordpress.com/?p=125#comment-883 Hi, Could you please share with me how you used grids and blocks to teach simultaneous equations? Thanks! Esther Hi,

Could you please share with me how you used grids and blocks to teach simultaneous equations?

Thanks!

Esther

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