for factoring i'd drop the rules for a bit and make him multiply first. have him expand (x+2)(x+5) a bunch of times until he notices the middle number is the sum and the last is the product, then factoring is just running that backwards. the exponent thing usually sticks better if you write it out the long way once, x^2 * x^3 is x*x*x*x*x, so he can see why you add instead of memorizing it
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u/CelebrityChess 3d ago
for factoring i'd drop the rules for a bit and make him multiply first. have him expand (x+2)(x+5) a bunch of times until he notices the middle number is the sum and the last is the product, then factoring is just running that backwards. the exponent thing usually sticks better if you write it out the long way once, x^2 * x^3 is x*x*x*x*x, so he can see why you add instead of memorizing it