Revisiting Multiplication

If you watched my first multiplication video (here if you haven't yet), you'll remember that I said there was a high school application for the area model strategy of multiplying.

We're going to take a look at that today. Since many parents are currently in this situation

trying to recall what they can remember about high school math.

For many parents, who do remember factoring quadratics from their high school algebra days, it probably wasn't their favorite memory. I would bet that most people factored using the tried and true "guess and check" strategy - which works great IF you have a really strong handle on your multiplication facts. If not, students struggled and were likely told that "upper level math" just may not be for them. When in reality, many of those struggling students struggle because they need to SEE WHY something works.

When we connect multiplying (FOIL if that rings any bells) to factoring in 1 cohesive process, students can see that the two are directly connected AND they have meaning to WHY they work the way they do.
Check it out.

Comments

Division - the subject that brings us all together

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Trust the Process: Fractions - the Real F Word

I know it's not exactly the most comforting advice to adults who have been through a lot of change, but 1 thing I know for sure is that no school, no teacher, no administrator, no aide wants any child to be poorly educated. Instead those teachers, administrators, aides, and school officials all know that there is a building process from Kindergarten (or 4K) through senior year of high school. There is a progression that they've spent (countless) hours working to align so that every topic is covered, every concept is given time to develop, and every student has access to the material when they're ready. The long and short of it is that there is a well thought out process - please trust it. While it may be frustrating for you at times, remember that you have all the "keys to the castle" as an adult who's be...

It's about the learning not the grade.

I hope you (and the children/students in your life) had the chance to watch the Perseverance land on Mars recently. Or see the Dragon launch last year. Every single one of the astronauts, engineers, and technicians had years of schooling to prepare for THAT MOMENT. Every doctor or nurse has been trained through lectures, tests, and field experiences. Something that strikes me every year around this time, as our seniors are making college decisions and our juniors are taking the ACT and beginning the application process, is that not one person in any interview I've ever had has asked me about my grades or GPA. We have tied up so much time and energy into thinking that only the best survive, but we KNOW that can't be true. All that does is overstress our teens and lead them to believe that successful people never struggle. That is a damaging belief - especially when internalized by students who are struggling. Here's my take on grades:

Demystifying Elementary Math (from a Secondary Perspective)

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