"Understanding Distance, Speed, and Time Relationships Using Simulation Software" from NCTM, e-Examples for 3-5 grade students.
http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/chap5/5.2/index.htm
This math applet helps students to understand functions and representing change over time. Students can place two runners at different points on a running line. Then students push the play button and see how fast the runners run and when they cross paths. There is a graph that is formed from where the students placed the runners and the students can pause to see where each runner is at certain points. The applet is very appealing to the eye because each runner has a different color that represents them so the student can clearly see which runner is where at all times. The students can easily slide the runners to different positions and change the size of their strides. There are also follow up questions for students to consider and help make sure they are understanding functional relationships.
This applet seems to be very helpful for students to understand functional relationships. By being able to manipulate the runners in multiple ways students can really visually see these relationships. If students do not see something the first time they can continually change the placement of the runners for any sort of question they may have. This seems like it would be a good supplemental tool to teaching functional relationships. Teachers can have students answer the questions listed after the activity to see if the students really got what the activity was trying to do. This applet seems to have the potential for the student to grow in this math concept. The student is able to play with different ways they can affect the relationship.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Math Applet Review #1
"Add like Fractions with Circles" from Visual Fractions
http://www.visualfractions.com/AddEasyCircle.html
The objective of this math applet is to help students understand how to add fractions together. By using pictures of circles with parts shaded in the interactive site helps students to see what the fractions are they are adding and what their sum is. Students are given a picture of circles divided into a different number of sections. They have to enter what the number is that the circles are representing. Then students are given a second set of circles and have to enter the number those are representing. Each set of circles is also shaded in with a different color. With both pictures still present the student then is told to find the sum of the two sets of circles. The answer is shown in the circles as well once the student has submitted their answer and it combines the two colors used to still show the two different numbers in the answer. The student can then submit a report of all the one they have gotten wrong or right to the teacher so they can check the work. There is also a button for explanation. If a student does not understand why something is the answer they can click the explain button and it will explain how the program got the answer it did.
This applet seems pretty good at helping students to see what fractions really look like and helping them understand how to count out and figure out the fraction. However, if a student enters a fraction wrong for just one of the addends it doesn't really explain why it is wrong it just tells them to look at it again. It also does not register this as a wrong response. So it could take a student 5 tries to get the addends right but they get the sum right away and it looks like they got the whole problem correct. This applet doesn't seem to promote much in the growth of math content. It basically only shows students if they understand how to make fractions and add them. If a student doesn't understand this concept they are not going to be able to learn how to from this applet. The feedback the program gives for an incorrect sum is simply if the response is too large or too small from the actual answer. This applet would be good for a teacher to use to see how well their students are doing with fractions. From the report of the activity the teacher will be able to see how much more time they need to spend on fractions with their students. This applet cannot be used to try and teach those struggling with fractions.
http://www.visualfractions.com/AddEasyCircle.html
The objective of this math applet is to help students understand how to add fractions together. By using pictures of circles with parts shaded in the interactive site helps students to see what the fractions are they are adding and what their sum is. Students are given a picture of circles divided into a different number of sections. They have to enter what the number is that the circles are representing. Then students are given a second set of circles and have to enter the number those are representing. Each set of circles is also shaded in with a different color. With both pictures still present the student then is told to find the sum of the two sets of circles. The answer is shown in the circles as well once the student has submitted their answer and it combines the two colors used to still show the two different numbers in the answer. The student can then submit a report of all the one they have gotten wrong or right to the teacher so they can check the work. There is also a button for explanation. If a student does not understand why something is the answer they can click the explain button and it will explain how the program got the answer it did.
This applet seems pretty good at helping students to see what fractions really look like and helping them understand how to count out and figure out the fraction. However, if a student enters a fraction wrong for just one of the addends it doesn't really explain why it is wrong it just tells them to look at it again. It also does not register this as a wrong response. So it could take a student 5 tries to get the addends right but they get the sum right away and it looks like they got the whole problem correct. This applet doesn't seem to promote much in the growth of math content. It basically only shows students if they understand how to make fractions and add them. If a student doesn't understand this concept they are not going to be able to learn how to from this applet. The feedback the program gives for an incorrect sum is simply if the response is too large or too small from the actual answer. This applet would be good for a teacher to use to see how well their students are doing with fractions. From the report of the activity the teacher will be able to see how much more time they need to spend on fractions with their students. This applet cannot be used to try and teach those struggling with fractions.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Journal Summary: February (2)
From the journal Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School I read the article "Transitions from Middle School to High School: Crossing the Bridge". The article discusses the different challenges students may face when transitioning from middle school to high school. Students have difficulty with the alignment of instruction and curriculum. If the students start to fall behind after transition from elementary to middle school they will end up falling even more behind going from middle school to high school. The students could also have difficulty with the content from middle school to high school. In high school everything is more focused on a specific area like algebra and geometry, where middle school covers multiple topics. The third challenge is the physciological and social factors of moving to high school. Students can be unmotivated and want to just fit in with their friends. Ways to help ease the transition process for students is to have collaboration between middle school and high school teachers, try to have the content be structured so students don't get lost, and make the classroom culture be easy to address social factors. Finally the article talks about the importance of creating a learning community to find the best ways to help with the transition for students.
Since I also read the article on transitioning from elementary school to middle school I was already a little familiar with some of the topics covered in this article. Similar ideas from this article and my other one is working with other teachers from the other grades to know what students already know and need to know. The idea I took most from this article is creating a professional learning community. I think this would be important to incorporate into your professional career. By creating this community it will help teachers to be accountable for helping students with their transitioning. It is also beneficial because it causes teachers to evaluate how they are doing at helping the students. Most times it seems teachers come up with plans to help students but then never come back to it to see how it really worked. If the learning community continues to meet and evaluate their ideas and plans the better we will become at helping students be successful.
Since I also read the article on transitioning from elementary school to middle school I was already a little familiar with some of the topics covered in this article. Similar ideas from this article and my other one is working with other teachers from the other grades to know what students already know and need to know. The idea I took most from this article is creating a professional learning community. I think this would be important to incorporate into your professional career. By creating this community it will help teachers to be accountable for helping students with their transitioning. It is also beneficial because it causes teachers to evaluate how they are doing at helping the students. Most times it seems teachers come up with plans to help students but then never come back to it to see how it really worked. If the learning community continues to meet and evaluate their ideas and plans the better we will become at helping students be successful.
Journal Summary: February
From the journal Teaching Children Mathematics I read the article "Transitions from elementary to middle school math". This article addressed some of the main things transitioning students struggle with in math and how teachers can help make this struggle less for them. The main place to start in helping the students is for the teacher to be aware of what the students are going through. Students are seeing a difference in instructional method, work expectations, and general difficulty of material. Teachers need to be sensitive to what the students are going through, stress the importance of the teacher-parent relationship, and recognition that the transitioning process is ongoing and not a single step. Teachers should also be communicating across grade levels. It would be beneficial for 6th grade teachers to observe the 5th grade classroom their students will be coming from and vice-versa. This way each could try and incorporate something the others classroom does, such as independent bell work to begin the class, into their own classroom for a short time so it is not as much of a shock when the students move on. A lot of times schedules conflict for this though and maybe teachers could simply videotape their classroom for a day and discuss what they are doing with the other teacher. Sometimes this does not even happen and what a teacher could try and do is watch a general videotape on that grade level to try and get a sense of what may be going on in their classroom. And finally another way to communicate between grade levels is to show examples of student work to show the kind of quality that was expected and material.
I thought this article was very interesting and put a lot of stress on the teacher to help make the transition easier on the students. The article was sure to point out that just because these students are transitioning schools does not mean they have to fail in any area. I also really liked that the article focused on teachers communicating between each other. In many of my other classes they stress communication between teachers and this article just helped to emphasis that point. A teacher could definitely take this into their everyday classroom. They could try to find a cooperating teacher in the elementary school that feeds into the middle school or vice-versa and try to find out more about each other's classrooms. Even if a teacher doesn't have time to try and contact someone else they can find resources online themselves. Whenever they have a free moment they can try to find corresponding videos to help them be better educated on what their students are going to know or need to know. I also think the teacher can be able to identify how different their textbooks are. Especially in the middle school, if the textbook has too much information and small print, maybe try and print it larger for the students a few times, or provide supplemental representations as well. I think this article is very important for teachers to read and be knowledgeable on because it seems too many times teachers place the blame on students for not succeeding during the transition period.
Schielack, Janie and Cathy L. Seeley. (2010). Transitions from elementary to middle school math. Teaching children mathematics. 358-362.
I thought this article was very interesting and put a lot of stress on the teacher to help make the transition easier on the students. The article was sure to point out that just because these students are transitioning schools does not mean they have to fail in any area. I also really liked that the article focused on teachers communicating between each other. In many of my other classes they stress communication between teachers and this article just helped to emphasis that point. A teacher could definitely take this into their everyday classroom. They could try to find a cooperating teacher in the elementary school that feeds into the middle school or vice-versa and try to find out more about each other's classrooms. Even if a teacher doesn't have time to try and contact someone else they can find resources online themselves. Whenever they have a free moment they can try to find corresponding videos to help them be better educated on what their students are going to know or need to know. I also think the teacher can be able to identify how different their textbooks are. Especially in the middle school, if the textbook has too much information and small print, maybe try and print it larger for the students a few times, or provide supplemental representations as well. I think this article is very important for teachers to read and be knowledgeable on because it seems too many times teachers place the blame on students for not succeeding during the transition period.
Schielack, Janie and Cathy L. Seeley. (2010). Transitions from elementary to middle school math. Teaching children mathematics. 358-362.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
PBL Review: Step 3
The first PBL I looked at was titled "Lounging Around". This PBL was set for grades 7 and 8 in the middle school. Students were told the school would be creating a new student lounge and they would be allowed to design and decorate it. They were given a set budget to work with in order to decorate the entire lounge. The PBL incorporated standards from geometry, measurement, algebra, data analysis and probability, and number operations. They also incorporated other subject areas such as English, science, social science, and fine arts. There were mini lessons also incorporated and working with excel.
I thought this PBL followed what I understand to be a PBL pretty well. The question was an interesting topic for middle school students. It also was very open ended and allowed the students to direct their learning. It seemed like there were a lot of standards and objectives covered in one project. I know it is important to have multiple standards and objectives but it seems like almost too much. If all those standards are being covered and the students are really understanding them it seems like the project would probably take even longer.
The second PBL I read was titled "Operation: Redo the Zoo". This PBL was set for 5th and 6th grade students. This PBL lets students redo the zoo. They are given a set budget and timeline of creating the new zoo. Many different subject areas are covered with this PBL and standards. There will be a large use of technology including TV, VCR, Excel, and Word. There are mini lessons as well to supplement the project.
This PBL was a little more involved then I originally thought PBL's should be. Detail is very important but I thought their problem had too many guidelines for the students to follow. I also did not like the question they gave students because some students may not have ever been to the zoo and animals are not necessarily a common interest in students. I think a better topic could have been picked for the age group selected. Or there should be a field trip scheduled to the zoo before the PBL is assigned.
Both PBL's focused on the students following a budget. While this a good topic to cover I think they could have come up with some more creative ideas. Both also used mini lessons to supplement their projects which I think is a good idea. Both were connected to the real world in some way however I think "Lounging Around" was better applied to something they may have to do themselves one day.
From "Lounging Around" I would try to take away some of the objectives and standards. If they are not directly assessed in the rubric then I don't see there being a need for them. From "Operation: Redo Zoo" I would give the students a different problem involving the zoo. Maybe they could create the most eco-friendly zoo possible with no need to follow the budget. Students do not always have to be under a specific budget for every PBL.
It appears that math is the main focus of both PBL's. I think the math expected is fair for the ages of the projects. The math from "Operation: Redo Zoo" may be a little higher then the grade level selected but it could be adapted for younger ages.
I thought the assessments in "Lounging Around" were very good at focusing on what needed to be evaluated. However in their overall rubric I thought they had too much in it. This is probably because they had so many standards and objectives covered but I feel there is too much detail within the rubric. For "Operation: Redo Zoo" I was very impressed with their assessments. I liked they were checking their math skills along the way with the PBL and the final rubric seemed to cover all the areas necessary to tell how well a student understood the project.
I thought this PBL followed what I understand to be a PBL pretty well. The question was an interesting topic for middle school students. It also was very open ended and allowed the students to direct their learning. It seemed like there were a lot of standards and objectives covered in one project. I know it is important to have multiple standards and objectives but it seems like almost too much. If all those standards are being covered and the students are really understanding them it seems like the project would probably take even longer.
The second PBL I read was titled "Operation: Redo the Zoo". This PBL was set for 5th and 6th grade students. This PBL lets students redo the zoo. They are given a set budget and timeline of creating the new zoo. Many different subject areas are covered with this PBL and standards. There will be a large use of technology including TV, VCR, Excel, and Word. There are mini lessons as well to supplement the project.
This PBL was a little more involved then I originally thought PBL's should be. Detail is very important but I thought their problem had too many guidelines for the students to follow. I also did not like the question they gave students because some students may not have ever been to the zoo and animals are not necessarily a common interest in students. I think a better topic could have been picked for the age group selected. Or there should be a field trip scheduled to the zoo before the PBL is assigned.
Both PBL's focused on the students following a budget. While this a good topic to cover I think they could have come up with some more creative ideas. Both also used mini lessons to supplement their projects which I think is a good idea. Both were connected to the real world in some way however I think "Lounging Around" was better applied to something they may have to do themselves one day.
From "Lounging Around" I would try to take away some of the objectives and standards. If they are not directly assessed in the rubric then I don't see there being a need for them. From "Operation: Redo Zoo" I would give the students a different problem involving the zoo. Maybe they could create the most eco-friendly zoo possible with no need to follow the budget. Students do not always have to be under a specific budget for every PBL.
It appears that math is the main focus of both PBL's. I think the math expected is fair for the ages of the projects. The math from "Operation: Redo Zoo" may be a little higher then the grade level selected but it could be adapted for younger ages.
I thought the assessments in "Lounging Around" were very good at focusing on what needed to be evaluated. However in their overall rubric I thought they had too much in it. This is probably because they had so many standards and objectives covered but I feel there is too much detail within the rubric. For "Operation: Redo Zoo" I was very impressed with their assessments. I liked they were checking their math skills along the way with the PBL and the final rubric seemed to cover all the areas necessary to tell how well a student understood the project.
PBL Review: Step 2 (article: How to Buy a Car 101)
"How to Buy a Car 101" from Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School was a very interesting article. In the article the PBL assignment of buying a car is assigned. Students were told Mr. Jones needed to buy a car but he could only spend a certain amount of money a month. He also needed a dependable car because he drove a long way to work each day and his wife wants a car that looks nice. The students had to take this information and research to find Mr. Jones a car. The students were given 2 weeks to complete the project and then presented their choice to the class in a powerpoint. Local car dealerships also came to the school and showed students possible cars they may want to choose. This helped to make the PBL come even more to life for the students and peek their interest. The teacher was also able to cover 4 state standards from this one assignment. The article also felt the most beneficial aspect of the PBL was being able to draw students into the problem who normally get bored and detached from problems in the textbook. The article also gave tips for teachers who are doing a PBL for their classroom for the first time. It suggests that is a good idea to make an example of the final product so that you as a teacher understand the process. It also says to involve students in the making of the units for the future. If you ask what they are struggling with they will be able to help come up with ideas to help themselves. And finally the article says to not do the project for the students. PBL's make the teachers take a new role in the classroom and you have to try the best you can to let the students do the learning without taking it over from them.
I really liked this article and activity. I thought the activity was very interesting, especially for middle school students. They are beginning to get to the age of almost being able to drive so their interest in cars is increasing and this is a possible situation they could one day be in. Some ways I would maybe improve the activity is to try and have the students try and contribut more to the making of the problem, and also not to show them an example. I think it is a good idea for the teacher to do the problem themselves but they should not show it to the students. By doing this it takes away from the students own originality and almost makes it easier for them to complete the PBL. It was good that the teacher gave the students a set deadline for the PBL and it seems the teacher did a good job of sitting back some and letting the student direct the classroom more for the project. The teacher was able to point the students in the right direction for resources and this helped the students to be successful. I think this was a very strong activity for problem-based learning because it used a real-life situation, made the students figure out what they knew and needed to know, truly figure out the problem, find numerous cars that could be a solution, and then decide on the best one for the problem. There is no set right or wrong answer but the students can still be successful for the project.
Flores, C.A. (2006). How to buy a car 101. Mathematics teaching in the middle school 12(3), 161-164.
I really liked this article and activity. I thought the activity was very interesting, especially for middle school students. They are beginning to get to the age of almost being able to drive so their interest in cars is increasing and this is a possible situation they could one day be in. Some ways I would maybe improve the activity is to try and have the students try and contribut more to the making of the problem, and also not to show them an example. I think it is a good idea for the teacher to do the problem themselves but they should not show it to the students. By doing this it takes away from the students own originality and almost makes it easier for them to complete the PBL. It was good that the teacher gave the students a set deadline for the PBL and it seems the teacher did a good job of sitting back some and letting the student direct the classroom more for the project. The teacher was able to point the students in the right direction for resources and this helped the students to be successful. I think this was a very strong activity for problem-based learning because it used a real-life situation, made the students figure out what they knew and needed to know, truly figure out the problem, find numerous cars that could be a solution, and then decide on the best one for the problem. There is no set right or wrong answer but the students can still be successful for the project.
Flores, C.A. (2006). How to buy a car 101. Mathematics teaching in the middle school 12(3), 161-164.
PBL Review- what is it and where do I use it?
Problem-based learning deals with a poorly structured problem that is related to current events or student interest. Students are to figure out what they know about the problem and what they need to find out about it. From this point the students try to really define what the problem really is. This is a very important thing for the students to complete because if they don't truly understand the problem they won't be able to complete it or come up with sensible solutions for it. Students should then conduct research and begin to come up with many different solutions to their problem. Then the group should reason what solution is the best for their problem.
Problem-based learning can be used in any classroom. It helps students acquire factual knowledge, become good at general concepts in the classroom, and learn ways to solve a problem that can be applied throughout their life. Completing problem-based learning problems helps students to become better problem solvers, and be active learners. Rather than having a teacher lecture and tell them what to know and find out the students do that on their own. By having the problem apply to real-life situations helps the students be more invested in the problem and really want to find solutions. It is important for the teacher to act as a facilitator for the students. The teacher should not be giving the students answers but pointing them in the right direction of where to find the answers. PBL's also help students learn how to work in groups. Since the problem is so poorly presented all students in the group are going to have to do research to try and find out what the question is really wanting to know.
Problem-based learning can be used in any classroom. It helps students acquire factual knowledge, become good at general concepts in the classroom, and learn ways to solve a problem that can be applied throughout their life. Completing problem-based learning problems helps students to become better problem solvers, and be active learners. Rather than having a teacher lecture and tell them what to know and find out the students do that on their own. By having the problem apply to real-life situations helps the students be more invested in the problem and really want to find solutions. It is important for the teacher to act as a facilitator for the students. The teacher should not be giving the students answers but pointing them in the right direction of where to find the answers. PBL's also help students learn how to work in groups. Since the problem is so poorly presented all students in the group are going to have to do research to try and find out what the question is really wanting to know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)