I find it interesting that on the day that we post our most recent lesson, 4 x 4, (sample page), Dan Meyer posts the question: Aren’t we doing kids a disservice by emphasizing “multiple representations” rather than the “best representations?”

I understand where Dan is coming from…Why the overkill, when one proper tool solves the problem. I have three quick responses to this.

1) If the goal of the current activity is to apply previously learned skills, then I agree with Mr. Meyer. Students should develop the savvy to choose the most appropriate tool at hand, and implement it properly. When faced with embedding a nail, is there any sense in using both a hammer and a rock?

2) If the goal of the lesson is to build conceptual understanding of the four formal representations of a linear relationship (words, equations, data, graphs), then generating the other three from any given representation develops this insight. How many students can graph a line by plotting the y-intercept and then counting the slope up and over, but have no idea that they just stated the infinite set of points that satisfy the equation?

3) If the goal of the day is to offer a point of access to the students, then the temporary representation will eventually give way to a higher level of abstraction. Look at the banner on Christopher Danielson’s blog. These multi-link cube models can represent the various ways to factor the number 24. Alongside these 3-dimensional arrays, students could be representing factors symbolically, 2 x 2 x 6, 2 x 3 x 4,  3 x 8 etc. In time, the blocks are left behind for a level of abstraction that is far more efficient. Afterall, it is faster to write the factors on paper than it is to build them with the blocks, especially when the students start factoring much larger numbers. So to push back a little bit on the original question: Are we doing kids a disservice by offering training wheels when learning to ride a bike?

The answer to the question of “multiple representations” or “best representation” is, as always, up to the judgement of the teacher at the time.