How can I tell if algebra practice is teaching the concept or just patterns?

[Mila98]

I'm helping my nephew with his algebra homework, and we're both just following the worked examples in mathematics from his textbook. He can mimic the steps, but when a slightly different problem comes up, he's completely lost. Are these examples actually teaching the underlying concept, or just training him to recognize a pattern?

[Zachary_D]

That question comes up a lot in math class. The worked examples are meant to teach the underlying concept rather than just mimic steps.

[John_J]

Sometimes you can spot the pattern and still miss the idea behind it which is the point of showing several variants.

[KevinMP]

Try turning a new problem into the same idea told in plain language and then write your own steps from that understanding.

[KennethPA]

If you are stuck you can separate the idea from the numbers and explain in simple terms what needs to happen first.

[Larry.C]

Some teachers mix explanations with drills so you see why a move works and not just that it works this helps a lot with the concept in focus.

[Mason82]

If you want we can work on a small set of fresh problems and highlight the core concept each time.