The Deadly Sins Of Maths
Thursday, August 15, 2019
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A Twitter conversation amongst Ben Ward got me thinking well-nigh a display idea...
There are about misconceptions in addition to mistakes that come upward up fourth dimension in addition to fourth dimension again. Last calendar week I gear upward a lovely Don Steward quadratics homework for my Year 11s in addition to was dismayed to run into a pose out of them utilization this:
When I side past times side topographic point mutual misconceptions inward my students' work, I'm going to say the perpetrators that they've committed 1 of the deadly sins of maths, in addition to indicate them inward the direction of a classroom display. Making a large bargain well-nigh these mistakes (in a half-jokey means that volition stick inward their heads) is a skillful means to lower the direct chances of students repeating the same error inward an exam!
You tin download my posters here (there are twenty posters to pick from - y'all may non handgrip amongst all my choices). I've likewise made a US-friendly version (using the give-and-take math instead of maths) which y'all tin download here.
Some of these posters volition brand students halt in addition to mean value - it mightiness non live on obvious to them what the error is.
In our instruction nosotros should seek to preempt mutual misconceptions - this is where clever questioning in addition to well-written resources come upward into play. But sometimes nosotros can't run into mistakes coming - this is why effective marker in addition to feedback are essential.
There are about misconceptions in addition to mistakes that come upward up fourth dimension in addition to fourth dimension again. Last calendar week I gear upward a lovely Don Steward quadratics homework for my Year 11s in addition to was dismayed to run into a pose out of them utilization this:
(x + 2)2 = x2 + 4When I returned the homeworks I talked to the whole course of report well-nigh this mutual mistake. I told them that it makes me shout out every fourth dimension I run into it in addition to thus they must never ever utilization it again! When I asked them why it was wrong, they were able to explicate what had happened in addition to say me the right means to utilization it (phew!).
When I side past times side topographic point mutual misconceptions inward my students' work, I'm going to say the perpetrators that they've committed 1 of the deadly sins of maths, in addition to indicate them inward the direction of a classroom display. Making a large bargain well-nigh these mistakes (in a half-jokey means that volition stick inward their heads) is a skillful means to lower the direct chances of students repeating the same error inward an exam!
In our instruction nosotros should seek to preempt mutual misconceptions - this is where clever questioning in addition to well-written resources come upward into play. But sometimes nosotros can't run into mistakes coming - this is why effective marker in addition to feedback are essential.
These days marker doesn't get got to live on handwritten - websites similar Hegarty Maths can utilization it for you.
If you're looking for resources for highlighting in addition to tackling mutual misconceptions, hither are a few starting points:
- Classic Mistake Posters
- Sarah Carter's 'Killing Cats' poster
- Curmudgeon's 'Do this in addition to the bunny dies'
- For H5N1 degree students, the constant character
- Mathsbox Big Mistake activity (I e'er piece of job this inward a GCSE revision lesson).
- here that links to diverse websites in addition to resources relating to mutual misconceptions.
If y'all piece of job the 'deadly sins' idea, I'd dearest to listen how it goes!
Addendum:
Two days subsequently creating this display, it was upward on @jase_jwanner's classroom wall. He has likewise suggested creating a students' display called 'Maths Heaven', where they write downwards the right versions eg (-5)2=25.
