This Japanese teacher offers a clear example to students of how there is not just one way to approach solving a problem. He challenges students to reverse their thinking and to try to factorise a quadratic expression by solving it as an equation. The teacher speaks out their thinking as they attempt to do this in an example, showing students how to think in this way and to persist through a challenging problem.

This is an urban, public school. Watch out for how the teacher:
- Challenges students to investigate different ways of solving a problem

- Models strategies for problem-solving

- Encourages students to persist through the challenge

How do you promote multiples ways of reasoning in your own classroom?