The Technology Enhancement
Knowing my students and what resources they have inside versus outside of school, I know that to get them to engaged with technology is a huge component. The technology that I bring into the classroom needs to be accessible and eye catching for my students.
At first when I was thinking of this problem, I wanted to use the iPads that my school had recently purchased. I started investigating a variety of iPad applications that dealt specifically with word problems and found that none of them really assisted with my new pedagogy of having a constructivist classroom. All of these applications help students practice word problems, but they don’t give students the support that they need.
I then thought back to my high school curriculum and how we had a Problem of the Week, or a POW, every week that was due the following Monday. These problems required quite a bit of problem solving, but posed questions that helped students problem solve and discover the answers independently. Although this is a great resource, I want students to have video visuals, a technology component, and the ability to work with others to come to a conclusion together. As a high school student, I remember finding POWs very stressful to complete on my own and gave up most of the time.
Then I found Dan Meyer.
Dan Meyer is a high school math teacher based in California, that has inspired several math teachers in his TED Talks. Meyer believes that we need to rethink the math classroom and provide opportunities to make math problems fun, challenging and thought-provoking.
On his blog, Meyer provides several real-world problems that are engaging and student-centered. He provides videos for each of the three acts that he discusses: describe or visually show the situation using as few words as possible, have the student look for resources and tools to help solve the problem, and finally resolve the problem. What’s great about this method is that it shows students a problem visually before suggesting a question that needs to be answered. All the problems that are posed are applicable to any student of any age.
At first when I was thinking of this problem, I wanted to use the iPads that my school had recently purchased. I started investigating a variety of iPad applications that dealt specifically with word problems and found that none of them really assisted with my new pedagogy of having a constructivist classroom. All of these applications help students practice word problems, but they don’t give students the support that they need.
I then thought back to my high school curriculum and how we had a Problem of the Week, or a POW, every week that was due the following Monday. These problems required quite a bit of problem solving, but posed questions that helped students problem solve and discover the answers independently. Although this is a great resource, I want students to have video visuals, a technology component, and the ability to work with others to come to a conclusion together. As a high school student, I remember finding POWs very stressful to complete on my own and gave up most of the time.
Then I found Dan Meyer.
Dan Meyer is a high school math teacher based in California, that has inspired several math teachers in his TED Talks. Meyer believes that we need to rethink the math classroom and provide opportunities to make math problems fun, challenging and thought-provoking.
On his blog, Meyer provides several real-world problems that are engaging and student-centered. He provides videos for each of the three acts that he discusses: describe or visually show the situation using as few words as possible, have the student look for resources and tools to help solve the problem, and finally resolve the problem. What’s great about this method is that it shows students a problem visually before suggesting a question that needs to be answered. All the problems that are posed are applicable to any student of any age.
On Meyer’s blog, he has an archive of these three act math problems that include lesson plans and videos to help guide students, as well as extensions for students that are still curious about the central question being posed. What’s even better is that Meyer has all of these aligned to common core standards.
I plan to integrate this into my routine by having students spend one or two classes working in groups to find a solution to a problem perhaps once every two weeks. Students will watch the three act math problem videos as a class, and in their groups they will answer the questions that are posed by the lesson. Once we come back as a class, my students will discuss in an open forum with myself merely acting as a facilitator, before moving on to the next stage of the problem. I am excited to see the various methods that students will come up with for the second act. With many of these scenarios, there isn’t one correct way to solve the problem posed. |