Many of my students are drilled in the use of algorithms to solve problems. I often find myself battling to try and get them to think about solving problems in different ways.
With that in mind I thought about how I could best challenge them.
We looked at the line of inquiry: there are many ways to solve problems.
Cheekily, I then gave them this scenario...
Instantly, there were moans and sighs.... great!
Some students couldn't resist, but when pressed to solve it another way... the thinking began!
My biggest opponents (I've had many debates with my G2 students) really struggled with solving this problem without using an algorithm. They even made 'mistakes' which they were very proud of during our reflection time.
I really felt I got my students to think today. I could feel their pain! I course had a smile on my
face :)
At the end, I asked them who is curious to find out about how to solve problems like this without having to use materials... hands flew up!
Not all my maths lessons end like this. It is important to celebrate your successes!
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