Monday, October 22, 2012

Day 34: Logical Thinking

Both because I hadn't finished grading the Unit 2 Assessment yet, and because I hadn't really had time to get comfortable with how I wanted to start Unit 3 (Squares), I had students work on logic puzzles for the class period. My thinking was that instead of forcing formal proofs down students' throats, I'd rather just see them be able to thinking sequentially and justify their reasoning. Even with the angles in Unit 2, a LOT of students would label angles as "complimentary" without any reasoning for their choice. 

So I made 100+ copies of some free puzzles I found online and showed them the basics. The honors classes took to them like a fish to water, while the 5th hour class actually ended with a couple of referrals because of how many students simply refuse to do anything that requires independent thought. 

Overall, I'm happy I thought up a plan B that fit within my goals for the class. 

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