I hope you and your students have been enjoying and learning lots in this unit. I want to share another fantastic moment that helps students learn more about the value of their thinking even when it isn’t yet correct.
Tell me about a different world.
Students are still developing their ideas about positive and negative numbers, so they may answer “-60 + (-2)(-10)”.
One way to develop that idea is to correct it: “Here’s why that isn’t right and why -60 + 2 * (-10) is correct.”
But you also have an opportunity here to celebrate their idea while also developing it, by asking students to describe what would have to change in the original problem so that the wrong answer was right: “Tell me about a world where -60 + (-2)(-10) is correct. How would it be different from this one?”
When students realize that their answer would be correct if Tommy was walking in the opposite direction, they’ll learn more about math. They're also likely to understand their value as thinkers and the value of their thoughts, even the ones that are still developing.
Dan & the Desmos Classroom Team
PS. Please give us feedback on the last lesson.
Use the feedback form or just click your answer below then click "Submit" on the form!
How likely is it that you would recommend this lesson to a friend or colleague?
.png?width=1200&height=120&upscale=true&name=DM_Logo_6-A1%20(1).png "DM_Logo_6-A1 (1)"){kind=logo}
