Most middle school students are developmentally capable of in-depth exploration of interesting mathematical ideas. In setting a classroom environment that encourages problem solving, there are two important elements for the teacher to consider: Finding rich problems that align with the content we are teaching, and creating a classroom atmosphere that encourages students to grapple with new ideas and with situations that require in-depth thinking.

We will examine and reflect on how two students approached a problem.

  Working with "ominos"