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

The Power of Yet (and I Don't Know)

This one's for all the parents facing the "why...?" and "how...?" and "why not...?" and "do I have to...?" questions. And for the teachers (and parents) who are uncomfortable with admitting they aren't the omniscient geniuses we'd like our kids (and students) to believe we are. There is a LOT of power in the word YET. And even more power (in my opinion) in admitting you don't know. Students of all ages need to know that they don't have to know everything - and the people in their lives don't know everything either. Try it out. It's OK to not get it, yet. It's OK to not know. Let's find out together.

It's not new, it's meta

Metacognition: a buzz word that educators like to throw around Metacognition: thinking about thinking Yes, that's a real thing teachers are asked to do on a regular basis. We are expected to anticipate errors our students might make before they make them. We are constantly on the look out for students who have a different approach than their peers to a problem. And now we're seeing these "metacognition" problems showing up on standardized tests for all ages. The practice of explaining your thinking can be a tough one to wrap our heads around as adults. It feels easier to say "It just IS the answer." But we want to dig deeper into HOW or WHY you arrived at your answer because It's Not New, It's Meta

There's HOW MANY ways to add 2 numbers?

To answer the title question - a LOT! We take for granted that most of us adults can add quickly because we "know our math facts". For many of us that may be true, but I would bet that the vast majority of adults out there do quite a few of the addition strategies your children are taught in elementary school without even knowing it! This video addresses some of the addition strategies that I've seen frustrating parents. Addition Video As always, let me know if there's a topic you'd like to see Demystified!

Demystifying Elementary Math (from a Secondary Perspective)

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