One of a number of tried and tested technique for teaching work that learners find hard to learn found in teaching tricks and tips
Sometimes it helps learners to know "why" processes work - but sometimes this makes learning new processes just too hard.
So the reason why the "trick for multiplying fractions" works is helpful but perhaps the "trick for dividing one fraction by another" is not.
"trick for multiplying fractions" | "trick for dividing one fraction by another" |
---|---|
fraction4operations 2Full | fraction4operations 5Full |
Offering reasons why is helpful if it helps learners follow a process that would otherwise seem arbitrary, when the reason gives more meaning, but is no more complicated than the process being learned. So if working memory load is decreased or memory can be retained longer because it is attached to something that is already learned it can be helpful.
The plan for this page is to build up examples as above and include links to "teaching Higher work to Foundation learners" videos and more easy on the eye learner "remind-me" videos. For now though here is a list of situations where we have found explaining "why" to some learners has helped.
Knowing why is useful - if learners are likely to fall into this trap, and why it is helpful for us to explicitly state why the trap is wrong.
fraction4operations: 1PlusEvery
fraction4operations: 6&10plus
why one would multiply the fractions on the two branches to find the probability probabilityTree1.pdf
valueINDEX: 3^0
valueINDEX: 3^1
valueINDEX: 3^-3
sequences page 1 NC quick find an expression for the nth term
intro 7.2 x 10+ve as ordinary number
standard form why better to move the decimal point than the numbers
standard form why 7.2x10^-4 as ordinary number
why area of a rectangle is width x height
why volume of a cuboid is width x depth x height
diagram method to show what πr^2 and 2πr look like for when π =3 and r < < 3 and for r >> 3