Pupils should be learning that a square is a more specific classification of a rectangle just as a rectangle is a more specific classification of a parallelogram, and a parallelogram is a specific classification of a quadrilateral. It’s illuminating to see how prevalent the ‘ square’ misconception is and that maths learners young and old are often taught to categorise rectangles and squares separately. What we should be telling children is that this shape is ‘ a square rectangle’. When we say ‘ square’ we use it as a noun when in reality ‘ square’ is an adjective that describes a type of rectangle. It’s actually a lazy label we have attached to it and, like super glue, it’s hard to shift. But how well do we really know it? Here’s the thing, a ‘ square’ isn’t really a square. Take the square, one of the first 2D shapes we’re taught, and something you’d imagine there wouldn’t be much confusion around. The real problem with misconceptions is that when they’re unwittingly taught, children are being told faulty facts. Instead, we can positively use these misunderstandings and misconstructions during formative assessment, enabling us to help pupils “ develop richer and more robust conceptions“. Simply pleading ignorance and continuing to teach them is no longer an option. In fact, this is one of the recommendations in the ‘ Improving Mathematics at Key Stages Two and Three‘ report from 2018. It’s important to tackle maths misconceptions head-on. Editor note: This blog post was originally published on 23 July 2018 There is always plenty of buzzy stuff to discuss in maths especially when it comes to misconceptions, muddles and mix-ups.
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