Shortcuts Vs Concept Development

I highly recommend this majority Nix the Tricks - ‘a direct to avoiding shortcuts that cutting out math concept development’. I felt uncomfortable reading it at times - my ain didactics is amount of these tricks in addition to shortcuts because I’m strongly influenced past times the fourth dimension pressures in addition to examination focus that the writer references inwards her introduction. The majority covers a bully many didactics tricks in addition to inwards each illustration makes fantabulous points most why these tricks should move avoided. Helpfully, choice approaches are suggested. I’m non going to halt using crocodile references when introducing inequality symbols (I similar the crocodiles!) in addition to I'm non (yet) going to halt didactics slope as 'rise over run', only I volition surely mean value twice most many of my methods at nowadays I’ve read this book.

My spider web log focuses on sharing didactics ideas in addition to some of my posts include just the sort of shortcuts that this majority is therefore opposed to - similar sohcahtoa triangles, or this fob for remembering exact values of trigonometric ratios (which doesn’t supersede the triangle method - only it's a overnice fob in addition to worth sharing).

It was my excitement at discovering this method for multiplying matrices that inspired me to write this blog. I was astounded that I’d never seen this method earlier in addition to right away showed it to my FP1 students, who were as impressed. I mentioned this method to a colleague, prompting a conversation most other 'alternative methods' nosotros knew of. She told me about this method for finding Highest Common Factors. Again, I was astonished that I’d been happily didactics the Venn method - which I’d learnt from my mentor during a PGCE placement - when a quicker in addition to easier method existed. I felt similar I'd unnecessarily overcomplicated things for my students.

We all know that quicker methods aren’t e'er improve methods. ‘Maths hacks’ such as matrices method - that modify the agency nosotros instruct a theme for the better.

By the way, if you lot bask the majority in addition to therefore there's to a greater extent than (including novel sections inwards draft) on nixthetricks.com.