So far I have continued to find resources for real-world applications. I have developed a mini-project for my students where they will have to choose from a list of real-world problems (the list will be made by me), or they can present a real-world problem to me. With those problems, the students, in groups, will research the problem and attempt to use the mathematics they have learned in class to find a solution to the problem. At the end, the students will present their findings and their methods to the class. The mode of presentation will be up to them; this is because according to the course text it is important to provide multiple sources of media for those that learn differently. Well I am applying that idea with their presentations. I will let them pick a source of media that they believe will help others learn better.
I have been finding a few resources, but most are for minimal information. I have been having troubles finding math forums that seem useful. To test my game plan, I have been applying it to students that I tutor over the summer. The students seemed to like having the real-world problem at the beginning of the week. Of course, I only see them twice a week, so during the second meeting we go over their progress on the problem. I have learned that if you can find an application that the students think is interesting, then the students have fun finding the answer to the problem. I have started asking my tutees to think about topics that would be of interest to learn about the mathematics involved. Because of my tutoring experience, I don't believe that I will need to change my game plan for the start of the school year. I plan to survey to my tutees about their experience with the real-world problems and its affect on their learning.
The only question that has arisen is whether my focus on real-world applications interrupt my ability to teach the basic skills, or will it distract the students' learning of the basic concepts?
To answer this question, I will have to use multiple assessment formats that we learned about this week. I plan to use a mixture of three of the four formats: forced-option for basic knowledge of concepts, open-ended for higher understanding and application of real-world problems, and performance-based to see if their misunderstanding is with the concepts or the real-world application. I would use project-based to assess their understanding of larger amounts of material.
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Erus,
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you have been able to work with the students you tutor to explore the different aspects of your GAME Plan. As I read through your blog post you made me realize that, yes, it is possible to show students how the mathematics skills you are exposing them to are used on a daily basis in “real life”. Had math teachers integrated these types of projects into the math classes I was enrolled in throughout school, I would have had a great appreciation for the subject. You might want to take a look at Joseph Scott’s Week 4: Discussion post, he has some great ideas on how to incorporate different types of assessments into the math classroom.
While reading your post, I was actually doing work for my GAME Plan. One of my goals is to show other teachers how to incorporate the learning/teaching tool, Diigo (diigo.com) into their classrooms. I hope you do not mind, but I used your blog and applied Diigo’s highlighting and floating-sticky notes (a commenting tool), to your work. I will include the comments that I made in this post. If you are a Diigo-user, you can also visit the Walden Grad Students page (http://groups.diigo.com/group/waldenu-gradstudents) and view my comments there. I will soon be posting an explanation regarding Diigo on the “Technology in Action Learning Tools” wiki (http://technology-in-action-learning-tools.wikispaces.com/).
The comments I created using Diigo include:
Highlighted section: “I will let them pick a source of media that they believe will help others learn better.”
Comments: This is a great way to incorporate technology into a mathematics course. Often, assessments tend to be forced choice, but by creating a problem-based, authentic assessments, students will be able to apply many of the 21st century skills that they will utilize after graduation.
Having students create a Prezi (prezi.com) would be a new and exciting way for students to present the information from the project-based assessment to the class.
Highlighted section: “I plan to survey [give] a survey to my tutees about their experience with the real-world problems and its affect on their learning.”
Comment: A tool that may be useful in analyzing students' perspecives of these projects is SurveyMonkey (http://www.surveymonkey.com">http://www.surveymonkey.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.surveymonkey.com). The surveys are easily created and the results can be formatted in graphs, charts, etc. In fact, perhaps using SurveyMonkey within the class integrated into one of the authentic-assessments might be a second way to utilize this free and user-friendly learning/teaching tool.
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ReplyDeleteErus,
ReplyDeleteI think you are on the right track as to effectively assess your students. "Using only traditional paper/pencil tests or just authentic activities does not provide a complete picture of a student understanding of technology" (Engstrom, 2005, p. 32). It is important for students to be exposed to various methods of assessments. I also think you made a great point in letting them choose the presentation that works best for them.
As for your question, if applied effectively, your real world applications should enrich your students' learning rather than distract. Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2009) stated, "technology typically increasing both their motivation and their learning" (p. 51). Furthermore, they mentioned that current research has demonstrated that "learning is more successful when it is situated within real-world tasks or simulated in a problem-based learning environment" (p. 35). When engaged in this type of learning, it increases the chances that the students will be able to apply their new found knowledge to similar situations.
Meghan
Erus,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.edutopia.org/start-pyramid
I found this article in Edutopia. It is a feel-good, inspirational article about real world math application. It is a short article. When I am feeling "ify" about a lesson, I often go to Edutopia to re-center myself. Your question about having time to teach basic skills is a valid one. Teaching basic skills may be a process that you have to do with a handful of students. Are your text book on line? Our teachers have the ability to give chapter test online. Here is an example. All the students take a chapter 1 math test on line. 9 out of 27 students completely tank it. 9 out of 27 need a little help, and the other 1/3 are ready for an in depth math project. A pre-assessment like this could really help you determine who needs basic math lessons and who does not.
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your words and your suggestion. Also I don't mind you adding my blog. Thanks for telling me though. I wish you luck on your game plan. Let me know if I can help out.
Meghan,
Thanks for answer to my question. I always struggle with the depth of my lessons. I always worry that if I focus on the application, the students will not notice the mathematics involved.
Sonia,
I really like your idea of a pretest. I would probably make an online test that the students will have to take via a program called eCart. It would be nice especially for the students who need remediation on the material. Also, thanks for the suggestion about Edutopia. It was nice motivating quick read.