Math Teachers: Be Less Helpful

I especially like the “4 layers of a story problem” concept, which helped me understand how Dan converts textbook problems into What Can You Do With This? challenges.

The 4 Layers

In nearly every textbook problem, there exist:

• The visual
  picture, diagram, or video clip — provided by the text or drawn by the student
• The mathematical structure
  including the decisions of what to measure, and how, and with what units
• The sub-steps
  a series of questions that will lead students to the solution, often presented as parts a, b, etc.
• The query
  the Big Question which the student needs to answer

By removing the middle layers and forcing his students to come up with them on their own, Dan turns a mere exercise into a thought-provoking problem.

Yeah. I think I could do that.