As Big As Can Be
The introductory videos introduce students to a complete unit of work, a study of quadratic functions. The unit starts with a geometric optimisation problem (paper folding) that prompts students to ask the question “is that as big as can be?” …
Category:
Replacement Units, Videos for Learning
Technology:
CLASSPAD 300/330, CLASSPAD FXCP400, FX100AU, FX82AU, FX9860GAU, FXCG20/50AU
The wind in your sails (ClassPad)
This is a replacement unit to facilitate the teaching and learning of right-angle triangle trigonometry. The students begin by ‘learning’ how to sail a boat and then engage with various aspects of sailing and as a result learn about the fundamental trigonometric ratios. The unit comes with pre-made ClassPad Geometry files that enable the students to sail virtual boats, collect data on their sailing and through this learn about trigonometric ratios. The unit includes traditional learning and problems as well as some not so traditional learning.
Category:
Replacement Units
Technology:
CLASSPAD 300/330
A prime experience (ClassPad)
Many students know what a prime number is, but outside of that and perhaps prime factorisation what else do they do (in school) with these amazing creatures? This unit charts a path for students through the prime’s landscape along which they discover sexy primes (among others), prove and generally get to behave very much like a mini-mathematician. Workshops on this unit have been offered in a number of states previously. We do not think you will have seen a tried and proven learning sequence like this before.
Category:
Replacement Units
Technology:
CLASSPAD 300/330
Describing change (ClassPad)
This replacement unit introduces algebraic models (linear and simple exponential) to describe change in the world around us. The fitting of models to bivariate data is approached via the underlying properties of constant additive or multiplicative change. The unit contains a wealth of data drawn from a range of aspects of the modern world. Extensive notes are provided on the use of ClassPad technology. A .vcp file contains all unit’s data in a Spreadsheet, and also as Statistics variables.
Optimisation (ClassPad)
When studying quadratic functions/calculus, do too many of your students find ‘optimisation questions’ hard? Have you ever wondered why? The booklet you can download here is the unit of work that supports the ideas presented in a number of workshops during 2011 and 2012 that outlined why students find the ideas hard. Basically, traditional teaching-and-doing approaches fail to focus on what is really happening: the measurement on one dimension and the subsequent calculation of other dimensions. Also, algebraic simplification turns out to be the devil – the patterns in the symbols are lost and so generalisation is not ‘seen’! The approach in the booklet supports the idea of each student developing a calculation and then comparing and contrasting to it other’s calculations – it is in this that the symbolic patterns appear and the generalisation literally reveals itself.
Category:
Replacement Units
Technology:
CLASSPAD 300/330
Logarithms – when adding is multiplying (9860)
This unit aims to provide a simple/useful way to thing about logarithms when first meting them.
We use two examples of “hard” to graph data (due to the extreme range in the values) to alert students to the idea of thinking about a number as its power, as opposed to its absolute value.
The rest of the unit aims to establish a way to think about calculating with logarithms that will set a sound foundation for later on and that builds on their knowledge of ‘indices’ from previous years.
Describing change (9860)
This replacement unit introduces algebraic models (linear and simple exponential) to describe change in the world around us. The fitting of models to bivariate data is approached via the underlying properties of constant additive or multiplicative change. The unit contains a wealth of data drawn from a range of aspects of the modern world. Extensive notes are provided on the use of 9860 technology. All of unit’s data is provided it g1m files, ready for file transfer.
Optimisation (9860)
When studying quadratic functions/calculus, do too many of your students find ‘optimisation questions’ hard? Have you ever wondered why? The booklet you can download here is the unit of work that supports the ideas presented in a number of workshops during 2011 and 2012 that outlined why students find the ideas hard. Basically, traditional teaching-and-doing approaches fail to focus on what is really happening: the measurement on one dimension and the subsequent calculation of other dimensions. Also, algebraic simplification turns out to be the devil – the patterns in the symbols are lost and so generalisation is not ‘seen’! The approach in the booklet supports the idea of each student developing a calculation and then comparing and contrasting to it other’s calculations – it is in this that the symbolic patterns appear and the generalisation literally reveals itself.
The wind in your sails (9860)
This is a replacement unit to facilitate the teaching and learning of right-angle triangle trigonometry. The students begin by ‘learning’ how to sail a boat and then engage with various aspects of sailing and as a result learn about the fundamental trigonometric ratios. The unit comes with pre-made 9860 Geometry files that enable the students to sail virtual boats, collect data on their sailing and through this learn about trigonometric ratios. The unit includes traditional learning and problems as well as some not so traditional learning.
Logarithms – when adding is multiplying (Classpad)
This unit aims to provide a simple/useful way to thing about logarithms when first meting them.
We use two examples of “hard” to graph data (due to the extreme range in the values) to alert students to the idea of thinking about a number as its power, as opposed to its absolute value.
The rest of the unit aims to establish a way to think about calculating with logarithms that will set a sound foundation for later on and that builds on their knowledge of ‘indices’ from previous years.
Category:
Replacement Units
Technology:
CLASSPAD 300/330