What is important in a lesson on factorisation? the reflection of an experienced teacher in Hong Kong

Abstract

Factorisation is a fundamental topic in school algebra but also a challenging topic for teachers to teach and students to learn. This chapter highlights what an experienced teacher valued in the teaching of factorisation. A competent Hong Kong teacher, Teacher-HK, was invited to comment on his lesson by the video-stimulated recall technique. The analysis was based on the interviews with Teacher-HK unfolding his strategy for helping his secondary 2 (14+) students learn about the complexities associated with the learning of factorisation of linear and quadratic expressions and also the rationalisation for his actions. Finally, how the example may benefit teacher professional development is discussed.