Introduction to standard index form/teaching approach

Standard Index Form is a key idea for mathematicians and scientists. The notion that we write numbers in this way requires some thought! So in this activity pupils take part in an investigation⁽ⁱ⁾ on how standard index form works. This is a higher order⁽ⁱ⁾ problem solving context when they are encouraged to engage in mathematical thinking⁽ⁱ⁾. Pupils may be involved in whole class⁽ⁱ⁾ or small group work⁽ⁱ⁾ discussion⁽ⁱ⁾, so they have good opportunity to practice using mathematical language⁽ⁱ⁾ and mutual questioning⁽ⁱ⁾. This means that students do not need to be able to explain their ideas in full: they can use the calculator's feedback to discover whether their ideas are correct or not. This is also an exciting way for pupils to realise that their idea might fit the data they have initially, and that their idea may need to be extended as new data arises. This resource therefore aims to support pupils to develop investigative skills, as well as introduce them to standard index form in a memorable way. The pupils can later use their knowledge of indices in discussion⁽ⁱ⁾ and group talk⁽ⁱ⁾ to explain what is going on.