Launch

Don't be surprised when students ask why learn exponents? When will they use exponents? and so on...

At the beginning of each unit topic, students should have a good overview of at least three things:

- Starting point: what they already know about the topic (assessing experiential knowledge) ... Where am I?

- Destination: how is the knowledge useful (applying new knowledge, connecting to real-life experiences) ... Where am I heading? 

- Journey: what will they be learning (exploring knowledge content, examples, archiving knowledge) ... How do I get there? 

This overview will help students to become aware of their learning goals, interests, and questions related to the topic. 

Tips:

- The examples used (for teaching and explaining concepts) should be challenging, intellectually stimulating and interesting to students.

- Help students to become familiar with applications of knowledge in contexts outside of mathematics.