Creator: Harvard Graduate School of Education | visit site
Grade Range: 4 - 8
Contrasting Cases provides curriculum and professional development for developing flexibility in math problem solving in Algebra. The site includes many printable resources for classroom use including student handouts and teacher guides. Click the word Curriculum on the top menu, and then click Materials in the left menu to find the printable resources. Also, there are archived webcasts illustrating teaching techniques and discussions on why students struggle with Algebra concepts.
In the Classroom
If you teach Algebra, you will want to take advantage of the many free resources on this site. Share resources with colleagues as part of your professional development activities. Use printable resources from this site to encourage and develop problem-solving flexibility with students. Create videos of students explaining different methods for solving problems and share them on a site such as TeacherTube, <a href="/single.cfm?id=9419"> reviewed here</a>. Enhance learning by having cooperative learning groups create podcasts demonstrating a problem-solving method using a site such as podOmatic, <a href="/single.cfm?id=8094">reviewed here</a>.
At Home
Use this site at home to understand the importance of flexible thinking when problem-solving in math. Encourage your student to discuss his thinking when working through math problems, and to develop an awareness of different problem-solving strategies.
Tags
equations, critical thinking, thinking skills, problem solving,