Reflecting on Monday 020909

What worked
Originally I had planned a quiz on factoring trinomials. Instead, I wanted my students to reflect on the Algebra tiles activity and try to synthesize their thoughts on paper. First, I reviewed the procedure of factoring trinomials with the class. I also pointed out the connections between that and the Algebra tiles. It appears that my students can see the connections when I point them out.

What didn't work
When I had them think about the connections they saw and write them on paper, they were not able to write their thoughts in their own words. When I tried to probe deeper thinking, they were not able to get past the most simple connections.

Plans for next time
I hope they were able to at least visualize what it means to factor a trinomial. Next time I have to review multiplying and/or factoring polynomials, I will utilize the Algebra tiles and revisit those connections.