In what ways would you teach an LfI-based activity to explore a concept in math or science? Draw on LfU and My World scholarship to support your pedagogical directions. Given its social and cognitive affordances, extend the discussion by describing how the activity and roles of the teacher and students are aligned with LfU principles.
I would like to start off by saying how much I enjoyed this week, especially the working with the article Learning-for-Use: a framework for the design of technology-supported inquiry activities written by Daniel Edelson (2001).
The LfU model provides students and educators with a framework with the aim of supporting deep and robust learning experiences. The framework follows four central principles: importance of construction and modification of knowledge structures, goal-directed knowledge construction, environmental/circumstances of knowledge construction effects future retrieval, and knowledge must be constructed in a form that supports use before it can be applied. To achieve these principles, the LfU outlines three fundamental steps toward knowledge application; motivation, knowledge construction and knowledge refinement.
As I read through the example provided by Eldelson, The Create-a-World Project, I started creating my own project along the margins of my paper. His paper focuses on the inquiry process in science classrooms but I wonder if I would be able to implement similar steps in math. I wanted to focus on math because I already feel that I have been successful in integrating inquiry into my science curriculum; however, I feel that I am still struggling to provide these deep learning experiences for my students in math. Reflecting on my own learning experiences in math, the content for this project would focus on probability in upper elementary grades.
To motivate my students and have them excited to learn about probability, I would like to begin with a card trick. One of those card tricks that have students scratching their head, questioning how it is possible but simple enough that students would be able to figure out how it was achieved. Without providing any answers, I would assign each students into a small group, provide each group with a deck of cards, and have them work together to recreate the trick. As students develop their communication skills and begin the inquiry process (questioning and exploring), I would observe and find the misconceptions that my students have. The second stage in the LfU model is knowledge construction and linking new knowledge to existing knowledge. During this phase I would introduce my students to important terms, address the misconceptions I had observed, and we would work through the steps of probability. Additionally, I would like to have students simultaneously adding to a thought blog as a way of incorporating technology to record students learning process. The final step is knowledge refinement and reflection. In this stage I would reintroduce students to the existing card trick (maybe a new one?) and have them apply the information they have learned to work through a new problem or create one of their own.
This is only the skeleton of a unit, but the readings this week are making me very excited to try it out. Any suggestions on how to add to these ideas? In what ways could I use more technology (or is it necessary)?
Edelson, D. (2001). Learning-for-Use: a framework for the design of technology supported inquiry activities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38(3), 355-385.
Hi Shayla
I like the fact that you mentioned you liked this week’s content. From what I have read in everyone’s post that there seems to an aha moment — now I see where this is all going. I also like your idea of using card tricks.
I wonder if you could share some of your card tricks.
A good next step might be to think about your aha moments. When did they happen and what was going on at the time?
Christopher
Hey Shayla,
I really enjoyed your thoughtful post this week! I always love hearing about ways math teachers are incorporating more inquiry-based activities into classes. As you alluded to, science tends to take precedence here, perhaps because there are so many opportunities to incorporate discrepant events into those lessons. Or so it would seem. Clearly your great idea for card tricks in math class to teach probability stands to debate that notion, suggesting that perhaps there is just as much potential in math class for inquiry-based activities as any other; all that’s really missing is the time and effort on the part of the teacher to choose a relevant topic, decide on a concept, design it thoughtfully and give it a shot.
I was wondering how your thought blog looks… you mentioned students joining up in groups. Would they complete the blog in groups as well? Would they be WordPress style, or completed all in one place using something like Google Docs where all students can see and comment on all students’ work in one place? In any case, I think that the blog could be incorporated into the refinement and reflection phase, in addition to simply acting as a record of their progress/learning. Now that I’m considering this, as a reflection activity students could be asked to check out the blog of one or two other students, read through it and comment on what was different about their experience versus their classmates’ experience? Maybe this would not only reinforce the activity but also help extend their understanding by considering various points of view, as each student’s experience will have been slightly different… just a thought 🙂
On a somewhat-related note, your mention of probability activities reminded me of my two favourite probability scenarios:
The Birthday Problem: https://youtu.be/KtT_cgMzHx8
The Monty Hall Problem:
•Numberphile Explanation: https://youtu.be/4Lb-6rxZxx0
•Animated Explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhlc7peGlGg
•Try it Yourself!: http://www.mathwarehouse.com/monty-hall-simulation-online/
I’d love to see an LfU-inspired lesson on probability designed for either of those! If anyone can find one that’s already made I’d love to check it out! 😀
Hi Scott!
Thank you for the scenarios! As for the blog I think my ideas was to have each student create their own blog and then comment on others (like you had stated). From my experience, students can become wrapped up in what others are saying and feel that they were supposed to follow the same process. By asking students to write their own before reading others, my hope is that students will be more authentic in their description of their own thinking.
Hi Shayla,
I really like the prompts that you’re using for the inquiry; the tricks will certainly get students’ attention, and I’d be curious to hear what the discussion generates. As for incorporating more technology- I think you’ve answered your own question. If it’s unnecessary to enrich the inquiry, then I’d be tempted to think it’s being used as ‘add-on’. I like the way you’re suggesting a thought blog, because it makes the thinking visible and allows the students to track and follow their own learning/misconceptions. That might be all you need to make this a rich inquiry.
Thanks for sharing!
Amanda
Hi Amanda!
So true! The more I think about it I agree that maybe there doesn’t need to be more technology. As had been stated, technology needs to be used with a purpose, not to use it just for the sake of using it.
Hey Shayla,
I really like how to applied the planning framework of LfU to a math lesson. While I was exploring the different science resources, I did catch myself thinking “but what about math!?”
I love the hook of the card trick! Highly engaging, cooperative-problem solving. A few years ago I was in a school where the teacher based their whole probability/statistics unit around a bag of skittles. Students each got a bag, and over the course of a week they graphed the colors of their own bag, compared with others and drew class-wide conclusions. Not initially quite as team focused as your plan, but something to think about if you needed to add a different element.
I did this exact thing! 😀 (OK not exactly… I used M&Ms…)
Hi Caleb!
I have used skittles for my graphing units as well and just never considered it for probability. Thank you for the suggestion!