We adopted the Singapore philosophy of math when we adopted the Math in Focus textbook series in 12-13. Our teachers were given an overview of the textbook and a few hours of training on some of the new strategies that would be encountered in the Math in Focus series. Well let's just top that off with a brand new math coach who was still trying to figure out where her office was let alone trying to lead a district of math teacher through a new textbook series that she had not even looked at yet! Whew - can I say I am glad the first year is behind me and that I have more confidence (as do the teachers) with this new style of learning! But... that darned "bar modeling" still seems to be a thorn in many teacher and students' side!
So what's bar modeling and how can we use it as a tool to help build the conceptual knowledge from adding to algebra! This is not a tool that will be used once and forgotten - (so, no, we can't just skip over it) but it is a tool that, once understood, can be used for life! I know since I have started using them, I can solve problems that I wouldn't have known where to start before.
So let's take some time and delve into understanding this wonderful tool!
Bar Modeling resources:
The Singapore Maths - sample problems with worked out solutions
Thinking Blocks - online practice playground (truly where I learned how to bar model!) and iPad apps
Step-by-Step Model Drawing - by Char Forsten
Bar Modeling Reference Sheet --- How do I know the best way to set up my bar model? This reference sheet should help you answer that question!
Problems connected to literature!
So what's bar modeling and how can we use it as a tool to help build the conceptual knowledge from adding to algebra! This is not a tool that will be used once and forgotten - (so, no, we can't just skip over it) but it is a tool that, once understood, can be used for life! I know since I have started using them, I can solve problems that I wouldn't have known where to start before.
So let's take some time and delve into understanding this wonderful tool!
Bar Modeling resources:
The Singapore Maths - sample problems with worked out solutions
Thinking Blocks - online practice playground (truly where I learned how to bar model!) and iPad apps
Step-by-Step Model Drawing - by Char Forsten
Bar Modeling Reference Sheet --- How do I know the best way to set up my bar model? This reference sheet should help you answer that question!
Problems connected to literature!