Description

Have you ever noticed how many different meanings there are for the word simplify? Even if you limit it to mathematical meanings, there's a lot. In this episode Pam and Kim discuss how we can better communicate with students what we really want them to do when we say 'simplify.'
Talking Points:

• Asking students to 'simplify' can often be a guessing game as to what we really want students to do.
• Why not level the playing field?
• Some meanings of "simplify" can be contradictory.
• There are better ways to ask students what we actually mean for them to do when they see that word "simplify".

See episode 18 "This, Not That" for other examples of unhelpful words sometimes used in math teaching.

Check out our social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education