Session 06: March 05, 2016

Proofs of Impossibility

Very engaging for teachers, and applicable to a variety of classroom contexts, this session’s tasks involved deriving numbers using the four operations (+, -, x, ÷). This eventually led to the identification of numbers that were impossible to make and discussions on how we might prove that. Some of us found that it was more challenging to prove that an outcome is impossible than is possible! A variety of mathematical topics were also discussed, including order of operations and functions. Teachers were also introduced to a math task framework that might be used as a way to reflect on one’s practice.