You can teach math in two ways, notes Rolin. Math can be presented as a series of rules that produce reliable results, or as a set of concepts that explain much about the world.

Much of our math teaching has been rule-based, and for good reason: the rules are reliable and consistent. But some of our students may be left behind unless we also teach the concepts behind the formulas. Rolin encourages math teachers to incorporate a strong mix of both types of teaching. He demonstrates how that might work with a common type of math problem.

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