WWD Help Desk Pro
Lou's Math Lessons
These following
lessons have been classroom tested with hundreds of students. These are a few of
the lessons I've developed and refined as a classroom teacher with 12 years of
experience using technology in my classroom everyday, both computers and
graphing calculators. These are lessons for computers, many requiring only a
spreadsheet program, as I have discovered that this is a valuable, often
untapped resource in developing abstract thinking. To lend credibility I
have had most published in major journals. If you are interested in training
seminars for teachers you can contact me at lfeicht@feicht.com
or worldwebdynamics.com. Feel free to copy and use the lessons but please give
credit as you would when copying any published material.
- Matrix / Spreadsheet /
Transformation Lesson, Grades 8-adult,
Contains student worksheets, activities, solutions and teacher instructions. Matrix and
addition using a spreadsheet; suitable for a single computer and LCD or whole class lab
investigation. Keywords-matrices, matrix addition, matrix multiplication, geometric
transformation, translations, slides, rotations, reflections, flips, composition,
spreadsheets. (Microsoft Encarta Lesson Collection Winner, Learning & Leading with
Technology, April 1999, ISTE)
- Matrices / 3-D Surfaces, Contour Maps, Grades 7-Adult, Grades 7-adult, contains student
activities and teacher instructions. A series of hands-on and computer lessons designed to
develop students conceptual understanding of 3-D graphs and real world math applications.
Keywords-topographical, contours, maps, surfaces, spreadsheets. (February 1999. The
Mathematics Teacher, Reston, VA)
- Parametric Equations, Maple and TubePlots, Grades 9-Adult,
contains student activities and teacher instructions. An engaging activitiy in which
student "piece together" relations to form letters and words.
Keywords-functions, relations, inverse functions, curve fitting, computer algebra system.
(November, 1997. The Mathematics Teacher, Reston, VA)
- The Brick Problem (Counting Consecutive Integers) or Combinations of
Two Things at a Time, Grades 7-adult,
contains student worksheets, activities, solutions and teacher instructions. An
in-depth explanation of several strategies of a common problem used in preparation of CIM
assessment and problem solving. Keywords-counting, combinations, tables, patterns,
generalization, regression, spreadsheets.
-
Using A
Spreadsheet to Find A Pattern,
Grades 6-Adult, A short version of the brick problem above. Also relevant to the Handshake
Problem, combinations, and regression. (a variation of this lesson is in press, Learning
and Leading with Technology, April 2000)
- Simulating Random Events On a Spreadsheet, Grades 9-Adult, contains student activities and teacher
instructions. Teacher instructions on how to dynamically model random events on a
spreadsheet including a histogram that changes with each data set. Keywords-probablity,
modeling, simulation, spreadsheets, histogram, distribution.
- Making Charts, Do Your Students Really Understand the Data?, Grades 7-adult, activities and teacher instructions.
Making charts using computer spreadsheets is now becoming a common activity. When teachers
and students move beyond the mechanics of the spreadsheet, they can begin to focus on the
analysis and interpretation of the data. Here is a simple way to begin. Keywords-charts,
graphs, spreadsheets, data, analysis. (Teaching Mathematics in the Middle School,
Sept 1999. Reston, VA)
- Monte Carlo Simulations and Geometric Probability, Grades 7-adult,
contains student worksheets, activities, solutions, and teacher instructions. A
problem used in preparation of CIM assessment and problem solving. This lesson however
attempts to build conceptual understanding through increasingly difficult problems, rather
than doing a single hard problem. Keywords-geometry, probability, monte carlo, simulation,
modeling, random.
|
