For this assignment I wanted to look at an area of Math that students in grade 5 find challenging. I decided to look at how to teach the concept of angles in numeracy using the T GEM approach and combine that with coding and art. You can teach students about what angles are but how do you have them apply that knowledge, share it, reflect and adapt. This lesson assumes a basic understanding of Hopscotch which is a free blockly based coding app for ipads. Once they understand the basics of angles they can start to work that into creative play through the creation of Art. Math and Art often go hand in hand with digital creation and I thought this lesson might be a good example of that platform. I created a short guide on wix.com which you can get to here.
References
Khan, S. (2010). New pedagogies for teaching with computer simulations. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20(3), 215-232.
Hi Nathan,
I’ve also found that grade 5 students are challenged by the concept of angles, and I appreciate the variety of activities and experiences for students that you’ve included in your T-GEM plan. I think that the incorporation of technology with aspects of art and kinesthetic movement opportunities will appeal to learners of various interests. The use of the comment section within the students’ digital portfolios offers a nice option for providing and sharing peer feedback. As a side note, I also really enjoyed exploring the other sections of your wixsite, particularly those on the Raspberry Pi and Makey Makey. I’m moving back into the classroom in September (after spending the past 3 years as a Phys Ed specialist), and I’m excited about working with new computing and programming opportunities with my students.
I’m curious to know more about Hopscotch. I’ve worked with Scratch previously, and I’ve found that the drag and drop functionality of the programming works extremely well for elementary students. Hopscotch seems to function in a similar manner, and I’m wondering what your general feedback might be on Scratch vs Hopscotch as an option for students in grades 3/4/5.
Thanks for your ideas around this!
– Allen.
For an overarching complete program you can’t do any better than Google CS First (Scratch) in the classroom. It is a full course in Scratch in which you can take any component and teach it to your students.
Hopscotch is great if you have ipads, there are lessons you can run through individually http://hopscotch-curriculum-files.s3.amazonaws.com/Hopscotch%20Curriculum%202015.pdf
but Hopscotch would be something I would use occasionally. Hope that helps!
Hi Nathan,
I, too, find that my math students often struggle with angles and shapes. I like your wix T-Gem very much. Easy to understand and very interesting way to get students to look at coding and understand numeracy. Like Allen, I thought the hopscotch program was a fascinating tool. I will definitely look at Scratch and Hopscotch more after this. But I was wondering, from your teaching experience with the program, how did the students like the application? Did they all like it, or found it challenging, or was it a mix?
Thanks for this.