What a kid learning math can look like: struggling through a great geometry problem

Saw an incredible problem posted on twitter today:

https://twitter.com/Five_Triangles/status/793474062026678276

 

Here’s the picture in case it isn’t clear from the tweet:

 

 

When my son got home from school I asked him to give it a shot.  The video is over 8 min long, but it shows what a kid struggling through a challenging problem can look like.  It is important – especially in middle school, I think – that kids know that math isn’t just about speed.

Also, though, give the problem a shot before checking out the video – it is wonderful and involves no calculating that can’t be done in your head (i.e. this isn’t a trig problem):