Teaching Strategies
I want to offer my students the opportunity to discover multiplying polynomials in a different and self-guided way. By exploring the multiplication of polynomials using the box method and area models, students will be able to execute area, volume and perimeter problems with polynomial side lengths. I will use a number of teaching strategies to introduce and reinforce the process of multiplying polynomials. It is important to note that the above strategies (area and box models, distributive, associative, and commutative rules) will be formally reviewed with students using numerical models first to make connections to previously learned strategies. Using these principles while emphasizing the difference in whole numbers, base ten and polynomials, will let students use visual representation of polynomial multiplication. It is suggested that tasks assigned to students should be meaningful, accessible, and relevant in a number of ways. According to Jo Boaler, these tasks should “…open tasks and make them broader- when we make them what I refer to as ‘low floor, high ceiling’- this becomes possible for all students.”6
Number Talks
A number talk is a classroom conversation that typically ranges from 5 – 15 minutes; although in my experience number talks can be extended throughout the lesson to deepen content knowledge and understanding. These conversations are carefully crafted and structured in a way that each one answers specific questions and collects precise information from students. Number talks will be designed to be flexible to tap into learners of all modalities and academic abilities. Number talks should be student centered and presented in a classroom that welcomes productive student discourse. It is essential that students are familiar with the classroom norms and experience them consistently in order for them to be implemented effectively.
Regarding the topic of multiplying polynomials, there are a few observations that I would like my students to make at specific points in the unit. The main takeaways are that students should be able to justify that the associative and commutative rules for multiplication, in combination with the distributive property connecting multiplication with addition, allow for polynomials to be multiplied in different ways, yet all these ways result in the same product.
Kagan’s Cooperative Strategies
I like to promote community and a cooperative learning environment in my classroom. When using traditional math teaching strategies, I find that engagement is limited for many of my students. Many problems are simply not accessible and many students cannot make connections with what they have previously learned to new ideas. Kagan7has offered my students the opportunity to find their place in activities and allow them to feel comfortable doing the math. My activities will be carefully structured to incorporate one or more Kagan Strategy.
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