"this sequence/pattern grows, one step at a time
these are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd stages of this sequence which continues, forever...
how could this sequence have been formed?
how might you (actually) drawn it?
how could it have been drawn?"
teaching (efforts) can helpfully focus student's attention on diagrammatic appreciations - the structure, rather than appealing, too quickly anyway, to a number pattern - obtained by counting sticks
in this way the nth term rule can be justified and a symbolic relation (i.e. club membership rule) is probably better appreciated
students need to appreciate what 'n' is:
the position of the shape/pattern/block in the growing sequence
students need to appreciate what the nth term rule enables you to find out (or tells you):
the number of matchsticks in that particular pattern for any ('n'y) position in the sequence
an important aspect of such work is to look at equivalent expressions that arise
for the example above, expressions that could be obtained are:
how can the sequence be viewed to see these rules?
why are they all the same rule?
John Mason suggests providing just one pattern/block in a growing sequence (e.g. the 3rd)
following class agreement on how the shapes grow each time - the 'structure' of the growth, a generalisation can be sought
he suggests an important part of such work is this shared decision, possibly seeking alternatives, on what structure is being generalised:
what 'bunch' or 'block' has been added on each time?
Dave Hewitt proposes using a large particular value of 'n' (e.g. the 45th pattern) to see how the diagram can be deconstructed
he has emphasised that the question, "how might you have drawn this?" is a helpful one to direct attention onto the structures
this is explored in the NRICH 7 squares (8111) three videos:
also in nth term work from number patterns, Dave Hewitt suggests providing just one input and output pair (e.g. the 4th term is 6) and asking students to consider possible generating rules that would include this pair
e.g.
- 2n - 2
- 10 - n
- 3(1/2n)
- 30 - 6n
see also nth term patterns for matchstick design growing
as a variation on matchstick designs
maybe for when service in restaurants is a little slow...
I like the suggestion in Great Maths Teaching Ideas by William Emeny of using wipeboards with a row of students at the front of the classroom holding n = 1, n = 2 etc. on each and with the teacher providing a rule (e.g. 3n - 1)
asking students to write the appropriate number in this sequence:
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