In your inquiry e-folio write a brief description of the Jasper series highlighting your impressions of the series. Try to suspend judgment and consider instead what questions this TELE raises for you as an instructor and what questions the series raises for you as a potential TELE designer.
The Jasper series is a series of problems that are set in the context of a realistic story. Students watch the story, which contains tidbits of information throughout, and then have to solve a problem at the end. The questions are realistic and require the students to work through a number of smaller problems to find a solution. It is my understanding that there are then further questions to extend or follow-up on the topics.
I think that this type of learning would be engaging for students, and would give them an opportunity to develop practical skills. For example, they would have to learn how to gather information and break questions into smaller parts – or find the pieces that they are missing and need to fill in to be able to complete the question. The style of the questions promotes collaboration and group work and as there are many pieces to the puzzle, learners at all level would be able to contribute. Having the information sprinkled throughout the story would also teach the students to pay attention to details and to watch for clues. Reading is not really required which levels the problem-solving playing field and lets the students concentrate on the problem at hand. Too often, as a math teacher, I hear, “I hate word problems” and then see students shut down and quit trying before they even begin. The Jasper series creates more authentic and challenging “word” problems than any textbook, but presents them in a way that students wouldn’t see as a “word” problem. The Jasper series seems to skip the “word” problem part and gets straight at the heart of developing problem solving skills that are practical and authentic.
Although I think the Jasper series would be useful and engaging, it did raise a few questions. There were a few logistical things like gallons vs. litres and some of the prices/content were dated. Newer versions might have attended to some of these issues. If the class were watching the videos as a whole, it would be difficult for them to go back and look for the clues that they had missed. Having the series online and letting students watch them (or even access them online after watching as a whole class) in small groups would allow them to move at their own speed and move back and forward throughout the story as necessary. In newer versions, it might be interesting to create interactive stories – let students decide whether or not Jasper chooses to do A or B and then have the story unfold depending on his choice. This would give students ownership and could also let them see the consequences of certain actions – like buying too much ice cream might mean you don’t have enough money to buy gas to get home.
I would also look at the series and try to extend it to a wider range of age groups and topics. I think it could be useful in higher grades, too, if the stories and math content were age and skill level appropriate. I could see where this type of story would be very useful in “trades” math classes – it could potentially increase engagement and develop those very practical skills that those class are aimed at without the stigma and struggle of reading through long text-based scenarios.