The Appropriate Use of Technology

Under the NCTM algebra standards, I have selected a lesson called Barbie Bungee by Samuel Zordak. In this lesson, students will use rubber bands and a Barbie doll to simulate bungee jumping. The students will collect data, design a scatterplot on Excel with a line of best fit, and predict the number of rubber bands needed for jumps at any given distance. Since the height of the doll’s fall is directly proportional to the number of rubber bands used, the students will realize that this is a linear relationship.

Samuel first explains the main idea and purpose behind this lesson and then clearly states 3 objectives using bullet points. After listing the materials, the author goes into the instructional plan. The first thing he does is critical for the success of this lesson and is an excellent teaching strategy. Samuel asks the class a couple questions to capture their attention. He asks, "Do you think the length of the cord and the size of the person matters when bungee jumping? Would it be smart to lie about your height or weight?" To further increase the student’s interests, Samuel shows the class a video or two on bungee jumping so that students who may not be familiar with the activity understand what it is. I also noticed that in a way he challenges the students with this lesson by asking them to see how close they can get the doll to the ground without touching. This almost makes it like a competition and gets the students excited to build it and try it out.

Before students begin, the teacher models how to tie slip knots and double-loops in the rubber bands. Once the data is collected, the teacher reminds the students to check for outliers as these may have come from errors in their data collecting. The outliers should be tested a second time for accuracy. Samuel goes on in his lesson plan and lists questions for students including reflection activities such as journaling. He provides a rubric with 5 categories to help with the grading. The NCTM standards are offered in the end along with a section for the teacher to reflect on and options for extensions of the assignment.

The main problem that the students are trying to solve is the relationship between the number of rubber bands and the maximum height at which the Barbie should be dropped. By doing the experiment and plotting the data on an Excel spreadsheet, they will see that they can predict the number of rubber bands needed for any height and the maximum height if given the number of rubber bands. There is a linear relationship between the two and that is the main lesson. Students become familiar with how to use Excel to go from a chart to a graph and draw the line of best fit.

This lesson had an excellent “grabber” at the beginning to interest students, adequate background information, materials, specific instructions, and the “wow” or “Aha!” moment came at the end when the students realized they could make predictions based on their findings. The journaling and student reflections are an important part of this assignment as the students are asked to think critically about the data and what it means. Perhaps the students could make a prediction at the start of the assignment as to what will happen.

Standards, Standards, Everywhere

I thought we would find more standards involving linear equations or at least more details on the CC standard. The CC standard was a bit more vague than the NCTM standard. When I read the NCTM standard, I immediately knew how we were going to structure our lesson to meet this standard. The CC standard is so broad that you could miss out on making an important connections between the equations and how changes to their properties transform their corresponding graphs or tables. The CPM was more similar to the NCTM in that it states the specific skills that students will learn in regard to linear equations. I feel like I will look more to the CPM for specific help than the other two. CPM has 7 bullet points regarding linear equations, NCTM has two main references, and CC only has one.

Task 1-3 - educ 533- Best Practices Research

Research on Best Practices in Education

Block Scheduling - I experienced block scheduling for the first time this past school year and I thought it was great. As the NEA website suggests, "Students have more time for reflection and less information to process over the course of a school day." This is a major pro in my mind for having a block schedule. With the current 7 period schedule, I find that students are overwhelmed with the information they learn in up to 7 classes in one day. In addition, the 7 period schedule seems to decrease what the teacher and students are able to accomplish in the classroom and therefore the teacher must schedule more homework to make up for the lost time. I also liked that the block schedule gave teachers more contact time with students for individualized instruction.

http://www.nea.org/tools/16816.htm

Cooperative Learning - The idea that students sit in teams and help each other learn seems like a great way to teach. For one, students often explain concepts in a language that is easy for their peers to understand. As I do my practicum in the middle school, I see students sitting in groups of 4 and there are specific rules posted on the wall for group work. The most important rule is that no one is finished until all group members completely understand the assignment. The other rule I liked is that no one is allowed to ask the teacher a question unless all group members are confused as well. Students will experience tremendous growth from this arrangement as they learn to struggle through problems and work in teams.

http://www.nea.org/tools/16870.htm

Research on Best Practices in Instruction

Math Power Hour - This one caught my attention because it was submitted by an elementary school near my hometown in Walnut Creek, CA. The school was able to raise state math scores from 85% passing to 100% passing and 35% Commended level performance to 43%. The school gave the students an assessment at the start of the year and a list of missed objectives was generated. The students were then placed into small groups based on the areas they missed for a weekly "power hour" where the teacher spent the entire hour working on mastery of those skills. I like this because the new principal saw that this was a problem and he did something about it. This method worked really well! I would consider this "deliberate practice" because they are working on specific areas with the intent to raise scores. It's shocking what happens when you actually teach to the student's needs.

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/bestprac/bpc_instruction.html

Reinforcing effort and providing recognition (Marzano) - Studies have shown that a little praise for legitimate effort goes a long way in building confidence in students and motivating them to learn. Teachers should show students the connection between the added effort and the quality result. This is something that may seem obvious, but not enough teachers praise their students when they do things well. Especially at the middle school level, students are so fragile at this point that they are deeply affected by feedback from the teacher.

http://www.slideshare.net/Lorrene/marzanos-best-practices-and-instructional-strategies