Problem Teachers' Notes Hint

This activity is designed to create a challenge that pupils will not have been taught or leant how to do straight away. They therefore have to use their individual problem solving skills and/or initiative. It also provides an opportunity, when the different approaches have been used by different groups or individuals, for a discussion about different approaches to take place.

Look at the hint and decide whether to use that example or the original one with the pupils. Explain that you're not expecting them to necessarily know straight away how to do it. Encourage them to devise a way, through problem solving to make suggestions as to what has happened to create these pictures. The pupils may be encouraged to validate their suggestions. Then a discussion can be had around the class as to the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches.

 

How do you think the pictures were created?

Could you make something similar?

What do you think about others' ideas?

Pupils create a similar set of pictures privately for others to try to find out what is happening. Then use more than $2$ objects in the picture.

 

Some pupils depending on age and ability may need to have this presented in real-time with the teacher using a camera that displays on a large screen what the camera "sees". Also it may be useful for some to use the idea in "Hint" and have the two towers made.