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Sue VanHattum ♦
Sue VanHattum ♦
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I teach in the U.S. at a community college. Although I prefer distributing without drawing thatan area box when I'm doing math myself, I often show the box in class to help students see how things work. When we use an area model to help students visualize the workings of the distributive property, it makes much more sense for many students.

In fact, the box seems to help them understand completing the square. You may want to watch a few of James Tanton's videos on this. (Completing the Square - Part I is here.) The 2b term is the diagonal of the area box.

I have found that his method of deriving the quadratic formula, which avoids fractions, is much easier for students to understand than the method as usually presented in textbooks. He completes the square with his area boxes in this video also. I think it is lovely.

There is much evidence that having a visual understanding of algebraic procedures deepens understanding for many students. (Possibly for everyone?) I understand that Jo Boaler has done some work on this.

It may help you to shift if you discover how many of your students don't really get the distributive property, especially when it is used in more complicated situations

I teach in the U.S. at a community college. Although I prefer distributing without drawing that area box when I'm doing math myself, I often show the box in class to help students see how things work. When we use an area model to help students visualize the workings of the distributive property, it makes much more sense for many students.

In fact, the box seems to help them understand completing the square. You may want to watch a few of James Tanton's videos on this. (Completing the Square - Part I is here.)

I have found that his method of deriving the quadratic formula, which avoids fractions, is much easier for students to understand than the method as usually presented in textbooks. He completes the square with his area boxes in this video also. I think it is lovely.

There is much evidence that having a visual understanding of algebraic procedures deepens understanding for many students. (Possibly for everyone?) I understand that Jo Boaler has done some work on this.

I teach in the U.S. at a community college. Although I prefer distributing without drawing an area box when I'm doing math myself, I often show the box in class to help students see how things work. When we use an area model to help students visualize the workings of the distributive property, it makes much more sense for many students.

In fact, the box seems to help them understand completing the square. You may want to watch a few of James Tanton's videos on this. (Completing the Square - Part I is here.) The 2b term is the diagonal of the area box.

I have found that his method of deriving the quadratic formula, which avoids fractions, is much easier for students to understand than the method as usually presented in textbooks. He completes the square with his area boxes in this video also. I think it is lovely.

There is much evidence that having a visual understanding of algebraic procedures deepens understanding for many students. (Possibly for everyone?) I understand that Jo Boaler has done some work on this.

It may help you to shift if you discover how many of your students don't really get the distributive property, especially when it is used in more complicated situations

Source Link
Sue VanHattum ♦
Sue VanHattum ♦
  • 21.5k
  • 2
  • 43
  • 107

I teach in the U.S. at a community college. Although I prefer distributing without drawing that area box when I'm doing math myself, I often show the box in class to help students see how things work. When we use an area model to help students visualize the workings of the distributive property, it makes much more sense for many students.

In fact, the box seems to help them understand completing the square. You may want to watch a few of James Tanton's videos on this. (Completing the Square - Part I is here.)

I have found that his method of deriving the quadratic formula, which avoids fractions, is much easier for students to understand than the method as usually presented in textbooks. He completes the square with his area boxes in this video also. I think it is lovely.

There is much evidence that having a visual understanding of algebraic procedures deepens understanding for many students. (Possibly for everyone?) I understand that Jo Boaler has done some work on this.