An Analysis of the Pedagogical Price of Mathematical Tricks: The Case of Factoring

Students are exposed to a variety of mathematical tricks that ostensibly make it easier for them to solve problems. But tricks also undermine their understanding that mathematics is supposed to make sense; they rob students of opportunities to explore and struggle with ideas; and they obscure mathematical structure.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Mathematics Enthusiast
Published
2026-03-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.54870/1551-3440.1703
Primary Topic
Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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An Analysis of the Pedagogical Price of Mathematical Tricks: The Case of Factoring

John Beam, Amy Parrott, Eric Kuennen, Jason Knight Belnap et al.
The Mathematics Enthusiast
Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques
article

An Analysis of the Pedagogical Price of Mathematical Tricks: The Case of Factoring

John Beam, Amy Parrott, Eric Kuennen, Jason Knight Belnap, Jennifer Earles Szydlik
article en

Abstract

Students are exposed to a variety of mathematical tricks that ostensibly make it easier for them to solve problems. But tricks also undermine their understanding that mathematics is supposed to make sense; they rob students of opportunities to explore and struggle with ideas; and they obscure mathematical structure.

The Mathematics EnthusiastVol. 24(1)
Openalex Percentile: Top 26%
Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques
DOISourceOpenAlex
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An Analysis of the Pedagogical Price of Mathematical Tricks: The Case of Factoring — John Beam, Amy Parrott, et al. · The Mathematics Enthusiast (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS