So Factoring is the process of writing the sum of terms as a a product of terms. Most students taking Algebra must learn to factor at some point. It is never going to go away. There are different things mathematicians must recognize when factoring.
What type of expression are you factoring (perfect square trinomial, difference of squares, or some other type of polynomial.) Depending on the type of expression, we determine how we will proceed in factoring!
Ok, so the box method is probably best used for factoring trinomials with a leading coefficient great than 1.
Ex. 3x^2 + 5x + 12
It is not easy to "guess and check" here, so something we call the "box method" comes into play.
So, my Algebra 1 class left to go learn Factoring during the short term with Ansley Yoemans. They come back and aren't really that comfortable with factoring (no fault of Ansley's.) But, they LOVE this "box method" which brings them some comfort level with factoring. When they arrive, I am confused because I have never seen anything like this "box method" and Ansley forgot to give me the heads up that she taught it to them.
I, along with many other math teachers here at Paideia, have been teaching students to "Guess and Check" when factoring trinomials that are not perfect square trinomials! Well, darn it, now Ansley has thrown a wrench in my teaching with this "box method."
I decide to visit with Ansley and ask where she got this "box method" thingy and she says the internet! I thought she was a genius and had come up with it on her own. It turns out she simply used the internet to learn a new method and provide it to the class! Brilliant!
Since then, I have realized that we can become much better learners/teachers by using each other's pooled knowledge and by using the internet as a resource. Hopefully this blog will help us share some of our findings in our own math class as well as math classes across the world.
Here is the link that describes the "box method". We will be using it in class to factor quadratic equations with a leading coefficient greater than 1!
http://www.purplemath.com/modules/factquad2.htm
Please leave comments and/or questions.
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"The Box Method" looks like those Punnett squares we have to do in science. Maybe you should explain this in class tomorrow. There are some parts I have questions about.
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ReplyDeleteThe difference between a Punnett Square and The Box Method:
ReplyDeleteThe Punnett square is a diagram that is used to predict the outcome of a particular cross or breeding experiment, such as the probability of an offspring having a particular genotype.
eg)
B b
B BB Bb
b Bb bb
Therefore, in a Punnett Square, you are using the values on the exteriors of the diagram to figure out what to place inside the diagram. In the Box Method, you do the opposite, pulling values outside the diagram to solve