Shifting Our Mindsets and

Our Actions from

Remembering HOW to
Understanding WHY

Steve Leinwand
TMC14 Jenks, OK
sleinwand@air.org www.steveleinwand.com
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And what message do far too
many of our students get?
(even those in Namibia!)
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Ready??
What is 8 + 9?
17 Bing Bang Done!
Vs.
Convince me that 9 + 8 = 17.
Hmmmm.
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8 + 9 =
17 know it cold
10 + 7 add 1 to 9, subtract 1 from 8
7 + 1 + 9 decompose the 8 into 7 and 1
18 1 add 10 and adjust
16 + 1 double plus 1
20 3 round up and adjust
Whos right? Does it matter?
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4 + 29 =
How did you do it?
How did you do it?
Who did it differently?
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Sothe problem is:
If we continue to do what weve
always done.

Well continue to get what weve
always gotten.
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8
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Where is the opportunity to
learn?
Where is the sense-making?
Does anyone benefit from a
sheet like this?
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95
- 48 How did you do it?
or
Convince me that 95-48=47.
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In other words,
our questions make all the
difference.
(no pun intended)
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Mathematics
A set of rules to be learned and memorized
to find answers to exercises that have limited
real world value
OR
A set of competencies and understanding
driven by sense-making and used to get
solutions to problems that have real world
value
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And Alt apps and mult reps emerge
from this why/convince me
Effective teachers of mathematics elicit, value, and
celebrate alternative approaches to solving
mathematics problems so that students are taught
that mathematics is a sense-making process for
understanding why and not memorizing the right
procedure to get the one right answer.
Effective teachers of mathematics provide multiple
representations for example, models, diagrams,
number lines, tables and graphs, as well as symbols
of all mathematical work to support the
visualization of skills and concepts.
Also know as rational, doable DIFFERENTIATION!

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Adding and Subtracting
Integers
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Remember How

5 + (-9)

To find the difference of two integers, subtract
the absolute value of the two integers and then
assign the sign of the integer with the greatest
absolute value

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Understand Why
5 + (-9)

- Have $5, lost $9
- Gained 5 yards, lost 9
- 5 degrees above zero, gets 9 degrees colder
- Decompose 5 + (-5 + -4)
- Zero pairs: x x x x x O O O O O O O O O
- On number line, start at 5 and move 9 to the left


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Lets laugh at the absurdity of the
standard algorithm and the one right
way to multiply

58
x 47
18
3 5
58
x 47
406
232_
2726
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How nice if we wish to
continue using math to sort
our students!
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So whats the alternative?
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Multiplication
What is 3 x 4? How do you know?
What is 3 x 40? How do you know?
What is 3 x 47? How do you know?
What is 13 x 40? How do you know?
What is 13 x 47? How do you know?
What is 58 x 47? How do you know?

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3 x 4
Convince me that 3 x 4 is 12.

4 + 4 + 4
3 + 3 + 3 + 3
Three threes are nine and three more for the
fourth

3

4
12
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3 x 40
3 x 4 x 10 (properties)
40 + 40 + 40
12 with a 0 appended

3

40

120
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3 x 47
3 (40 + 7) = 3 40s + 3 7s
47 + 47 + 47 or 120 + 21

3

40 7

120 21
25
58 x 47
40 7


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8
58
x 47
56
350
320
2000
2726
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Why bother?
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Just do it:
Siti packs her clothes into a suitcase and it
weighs 29 kg.
Rahim packs his clothes into an identical
suitcase and it weighs 11 kg.
Sitis clothes are three times as heavy as
Rahims.
What is the mass of Rahims clothes?
What is the mass of the suitcase?
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The old (only) way or RemHow:
Let S = the weight of Sitis clothes
Let R = the weight of Rahims clothes
Let X = the weight of the suitcase

S = 3R S + X = 29 R + X = 11

so by substitution: 3R + X = 29
and by subtraction: 2R = 18
so R = 9 and X = 2
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Or using a model to support UndWhy:
www.thesingaporemaths.com

11 kg
Rahim
Siti
29 kg



Multiplying Decimals
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Remember How
4.39
x 4.2

We dont line them up here.
We count decimals.
Remember, I told you that youre not allowed
to that that like girls cant go into boys
bathrooms.
Let me say it again: The rule is count the
decimal places.
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But why?
How can this make sense?

How about a context?
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Understand Why
So? What do you see?
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Understand Why
gallons
Total
Where are we? 35
Understand Why
4.2
gallons
Total
How many gallons? About how many?
$
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Understand Why
4.2
gallons
$ 4.39
Total
About how much? Maximum?? Minimum??
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Understand Why
4.2
gallons
$ 4.39
Total
184.38
Context makes ridiculous obvious, and breeds sense-making.
Actual cost? So how do we multiply decimals sensibly?
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Solving Simple Linear
Equations
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3x + 7 = 22
How do we solve equations:

Subtract 7 3 x + 7 = 22
- 7 - 7
3 x = 15
Divide by 3 3 3

Voila: x = 5
40
3x + 7
1. Tell me what you see: 3 x + 7
2. Suppose x = 0, 1, 2, 3..
3. Lets record that:
x 3x + 7
0 7
1 10
2 13
4. How do we get 22?
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3x + 7 = 22
Where did we start? What did we do?

x 5

x 3 3x 15 3

+ 7 3x + 7 22 - 7
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3x + 7 = 22

X X X IIIIIII IIII IIII IIII IIII II



X X X IIIII IIIII IIIII
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Lets look at a silly problem
Sandra is interested in buying party favors for
the friends she is inviting to her birthday
party.
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Lets look at a silly problem
Sandra is interested in buying party favors for
the friends she is inviting to her birthday
party. The price of the fancy straws she
wants is 12 cents for 20 straws.
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Lets look at a silly problem
Sandra is interested in buying party favors for
the friends she is inviting to her birthday
party. The price of the fancy straws she
wants is 12 cents for 20 straws. The
storekeeper is willing to split a bundle of
straws for her.
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Lets look at a silly problem
Sandra is interested in buying party favors for
the friends she is inviting to her birthday
party. The price of the fancy straws she
wants is 12 cents for 20 straws. The
storekeeper is willing to split a bundle of
straws for her. She wants 35 straws.
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Lets look at a silly problem
Sandra is interested in buying party favors for
the friends she is inviting to her birthday
party. The price of the fancy straws she
wants is 12 cents for 20 straws. The
storekeeper is willing to split a bundle of
straws for her. She wants 35 straws. How
much will they cost?
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So?

Your turn. How much?
How did you get your answer?
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Putting it all together one way
Good morning class.
Todays objective: Find the surface area of right
circular cylinders.
Open to page 384-5.
3
Example 1:
4 S.A.= 2rh + 2 r
2




Find the surface area.


Homework: Page 385 1-19 odd
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Putting it all together another way
Overheard in the ER as the sirens blare:
Oh my, look at this next one. Hes completely burned
from head to toe.
Not a problem, just order up 1000 square inches of
skin from the graft bank.
You have two possible responses:
- Oh good that will be enough.
OR
- Oh god were in trouble.
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Which response, oh good or oh my is
more appropriate?
Explain your thinking.
Assuming you are the patient, how much skin
would you hope they ordered up?
Show how you arrived at your answer and be
prepared to defend it to the class.
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Exit slip: Sketch an object and its
dimensions that has a surface area of about
100 square inches?

Homework: How many square cm of skin do
you have and be prepared to show how you
arrived at your answer.
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The CCSSM Trojan Horse:

SMP 3: Construct viable
arguments and critique
the reasoning of others
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Questions?
Comments?

Thank You!
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