Mathematics News

Which one doesn’t belong?? (https://wodb.ca/shapes.html)

Try this at home. Ask the question Which one doesn’t belong? Why doesn’t it belong? The answer (or answers) may surprise you. 

Justification and proving your answer forms a significant part of the mathematical curriculum. It refers to the proficiency of mathematical reasoning. 

There are four proficiencies embedded in the curriculum; reasoning, understanding, fluency and problem solving. The proficiency of reasoning is when we are expected to provide mathematical justifications for processes and solutions. This often requires not only the process of how you get there additionally children must have the dialogue behind the process. 

This dialogue forms a significant part of the problem solving process that happens in class when we are asking students to work through tasks where the mathematics is not immediately clear. The example above is of a set of shapes, however  the question of ‘which one doesn’t belong?’ can be asked of a set of numbers, graphs or equations. 

The answer? Here is the tricky part. There is not one correct answer, as long as you can justify your answer in a way that makes mathematical sense, you are correct.

Jennifer Young

Maths Leader