Mathematical Perseverance: Brain Teasers

Are you looking for ways to get students more engaged in math? Brain teasers promote the development of critical-thinking skills and are a powerful way to inspire mathematical discourse. The idea is to develop pedagogical content knowledge by transferring previously learned skills when trying various techniques, asking questions, making conjectures and taking risks. By incorporating brain teasers into a classroom setting, students have an opportunity to collaborate and discuss mathematical strategies. The purpose of this session is to model three hands-on brain teasers that ignite learning through productive challenges and include: (1) looking for patterns, (2) collaborating as mathematical thinkers, and (3) exploring new approaches for solving problems that correlate with MP1 & MP7. At the end of the session, you will leave with ideas and examples of how to implement brain teasers into their educational setting.