Summary for Middle Schools

 

Overall experience:

All of the participants in Project Akron Web felt this was a positive experience, worthwhile and beneficial for the students.  The following suggestions are to be taken into consideration when planning and implementing these lesson labs:

Procedures used in implementing lesson plan:

• Planning and preparation are extremely important.
• Explicit directions, previously taught knowledge and skills, and review of prior knowledge are necessary.
• Allow significant time to practice any new skills prior to teaching the lesson.
• Flexibility also needs to be present during the lesson.
• Technology was not always available, so the lesson lab has to be adapted to work with the available technology. 
• The lesson should also be adapted to varying levels of objectives. 

Problems faced in teaching lesson:

• Lack of technological resources.
• Different calculators have different functions. Ideally all students should work with the same calculator/software, and with a lesson that uses that particular technology.
• Lack of technological support can occur.
• Students sometimes feel embarassed when technologically challenged! 
• Lessons do not tie into the current curriculum.   
• Some students use a calculator as a crutch, not a tool.
• Students want to use technology but do not have full conceptual understanding of the topics.

Mathematical Responses and personal reactions:

• Students responded positively to surveys and thanked their teachers for creating and carrying out the lesson. 
• Some students generated their own exercises, which was a positive activity that showed the students' interest in the IB lessons.
• Students were generally interested in group work and technology.
• Students were excited and gained confidence using the calculator; they were excited that they were able to solve the problems.

Assessment:

• Student generated problems were used as board work and on quizzes.
• Teacher-generated oral assessment was used.
• Students assessed the finished work themselves.
• Student assisted reteaching was beneficial in determining ownership.
• Goals were met over both the long and the short term.

Suggestions:

• Expand lessons to include ones with more elaborate problems.
• Have students work in pairs.
• Have more precise time guidelines. 
• Consider how much time you spend on each part of the lesson. When do you move on? 
• Make more generic instructions not dependent on a certain or specific technology. 
• More preparation should be made before taking the students to the computer lab.
• Reteach the skills learned in these lessons at a later time, at a more advanced level.
• Basic math concepts should be introduced before the lesson lab is implemented. 
• Alter labs to accomodate disabled students, as well as varying levels of student learning.