DAVE HEWITT VIDEO REFLECTION

I have a few thoughts on the video we watched today, both positive and negative, as well as an alternate method for introducing algebra to a class of students.



First the positive. I applaud Dave Hewitt for introducing a rather abstract concept in a manner that engages the entire class, and relating it to a familiar concept, the number line. I believe that "pure" mathematics instruction can be rather dry, and hard for a student that prefers to make associations to "real world" things to understand.



Unfortunately, I don't believe that this manner of teaching helps all students. In the video, there were a few students that answered incorrectly a few times originally, before correcting themselves. This may be because they weren't paying close enough attention the first time, or possibly that they are struggling with the concept but know that the class won't progress until they say the same answer as their classmates. There is no indication that they understood the subject material before moving on.



One realization that I did have while watching the Dave Hewitt video is that algebra can be introduced using the simple concept of kinematics. By asking the students questions like "If you are travelling 100kph for 2 hours, how far did you go?" and "If you are travelling at 50kph, and you have travelled 250km, how long have you been travelling?", the concept of formula manipulation can be introduced without actually writing anything. Once the students are able to answer a few questions, you ask them questions like "Is the speed you travel always equal to the distance divided by the time?" and "Is the time you travel always equal to the distance you travel divided by the speed?" and write up a few equations using full words, rather than symbols. Then let the students identify the similarity in all the equations. When they see the relation, introduce the symbols for velocity, distance, and time, and formally instruct them on how to manipulate an equation. After this concept is thoroughly understood, more difficult algebraic exercises can be done that don't necessarily have a "real world" counterpart.