#pointslope

[pointslopeform]

point slope form of a linear equation url : https://pointslopeform.net

[pointslopeform]

Point Slope Form Calculator - Free Online Calculator Tool 

URL : https://pointslopeform.net

[pointslopeform]

Point Slope Form Calculator - Free Online Calculator tool

URL : https://pointslopeform.net

[pointslopeform]

https://pointslopeform.net

The equation of a straight line whose slope is m and which passes through a point (x1, y1) is found using the point slope form.

[cardschic]

Being Less Helpful vs. Having Enough Time

Doing the Solving Quadratics activity that I have been using over and over really struck me today, because I noticed that the kids literally did not know which equation needed which type of solving technique. There were some that required solving by factoring and some that were solving by using square roots, but it took awhile for them to realize that they were different.

Here is where I struggle with the concept of “being less helpful” so that they do more discovery on their own. They asked the right questions and figured out the differences, but by then so much of class was taken up that quite a few only solved 3 or 4 of the dozen or more questions in the activity. Is it better to let them have the discovery but then not get done, or to give them some introductory information that allows them to solve more but maybe turns them a little more robotic? Hmm...

Along those same lines, I’ve been questioning how helpful point-slope form really is when you can just as easily solve for the y-intercept and have the answer that way. After talking to coworkers about it I’ve realized that providing them two ways to solve and telling them to choose one has kind of opened their eyes more to both. The only way some might get stuck is if they don’t know how to use point-slope at all and have to use it on the test.

Hopefully by allowing them to use a notecard it will eliminate the confusion of having so many equations. I don’t feel like I ever got a notecard in high school, that I had to memorize. Maybe that’s part of what we lose with having to cover so much, but then again maybe that’s why common core seems to be working out for some people, because they’re making weird early connections that make more sense later when they get to upper level factoring and such.