Summary and Synthesis

In class, we discussed perimeter and area. I thought I had a good idea of how to do them, but I realized that was all I knew...HOW, not WHY. I thought it was interesting what results we got when we were given string and used it to find the perimeter/circumference of different shapes. I always thought the square would be larger than the circle, but instead it was the other way around. I thought this was a great way to demonstrate this fact to students rather than just stating the fact that it is. I think learning this will help my students to understand the concept more than just performing the problem "because I said so"

I also thought it was interesting learning about the algorithms and using the geoboards. By forcing myself to come up with an algorithm, I am more likely to understand it than to just perform it. I liked how we could compare algorithms, so we could see how everyone else solved the problems and how different they all were.