TechQuest Project Description

Identification of the Problem of Practice:

I am in my third year of teaching secondary Mathematics here in Michigan. This year’s junior class is required to successfully complete four years of high school Mathematics. They are expected to pass Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and an additional mathematics credit. I am sure you have heard the old house analogy when someone was speaking of the scaffolding present in the curriculum. Students do need to build on prior knowledge to climb through the content. The core content of algebra requires students to represent functions in a myriad of ways. Students begin with linear functions and advance to quadratics and beyond. The concept of a function is integral to the mastery of knowledge in secondary and post-secondary Mathematics.

In chapter six of their math standards, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) states “Functions are one of the most important mathematical tools for helping students make sense of the world around them, as well as preparing them for further study in mathematics (Yerushalmy and Shternberg 2001). Functions appear in most branches of mathematics and provide a consistent way of making connections between and among topics. Students’ continuing development of the concept of function must be rooted in reasoning, and likewise functions are an important tool for reasoning. Thus, developing procedural fluency in using functions is a significant goal of high school mathematics. (41)”

Students begin to question how the content covered relates to their own lives as they progress through these courses. The content requires students to master skills and knowledge that the students feel have little or no relevance to their own lives. I feel that the compelling problem of practice that I want to address in this TechQuest is: How can I help students identify the function that is best suited for modeling a given real-world situation? This is Algebra I content expectation A2.4.1, but is a core content piece throughout Algebra II, Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus Courses. Students learn in various ways and I am searching for some technology that will help me incorporate many different pedagogical strategies. In their book Technology and to Support Learning, Bransford and Cocking state “Technology can help create an active environment in which students not only solve their own problems, but also find their own problems (Bransford 195).I am hoping to find technology that helps me create an active situation where real student learning can take place. In my own experience, I have developed related lessons that students can master the content temporarily, but cannot reproduce the content later down the line. For example, the student may be able to complete similar tasks during an Algebra II course, but will experience difficulty with a related activity once they have entered Pre-Calculus and are taking a pre-assessment. I want my students to have a memorable experience that will generate real learning related to this subject matter.

Additional Research and Resources:
In addition to the pedagogical research that I have listed above, I am using the following resources to help aid in my TechQuest: (this is not a final list of all the research that I am using to develop my TechQuest, but is what I am currently exploring)

Online Function Related tools:
http://www.geogebra.org/
http://www.ct4me.net/math_manipulatives.htm
http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/sectionHome/tutorials.html
http://www.fsmq.org/resources/using-algebra-functions-and-graphs,83,MO.html

Pedagogical research related to using technology with functions:
http://mathforum.org/~pcmi/technology11.25.09.pdf
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Assessing+Students

Established Lesson Plans: http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/freefall/resources.html

Plan for Implementation:
During this course: The following steps will be taken during this course:
Research (Technology and Pedagogical): I am currently researching various technologies to employ to help solve this problem of practice. I believe that it will not be just one piece of technology that will lead me to the development of an effective pedagogical tool. I know that I will use some form of database/spreadsheet software and am leaning toward using Exel, but Google Document’s version could potentially win out in the end. In addition, I am investigating the use of GeoGebra as a graphing tool as well. I have used many of the applets before, but I will devote time to learning how to program for this software as well. I believe that I should use readily available technology that is at no additional cost to the district or me. I am hoping to develop a creation component for the students as well. I want to explore the concept of students using Google Form to create assessments for their peers that gets to the heart of function model identification based on real-life scenarios described.

Development: In the next few weeks, I hope to begin the development of the lesson plan that incorporates the above technologies. I will continue to tinker with the lesson plan and develop the technology in tandem with research –proven pedagogical strategies to create a memorable experience for the students.

After this course: I hope to address the following issues:
Implementation using a Focus Group: I want to implement the lessons within a focus group of mathematics teachers and a focus group of high school students. I will give the focus groups assessments at the end of the lesson to collect for analysis.
Reflection: I will collect data and analyze the assessments from the implementation. I will reflect upon the lessons and the use of technology attempting to address this particular educational need.

Address Issues: I will address any issues with my TechQuest lessons and make changes where they need to be made.

Re-implement the lessons: I will attempt to use these lessons again after I have made the necessary changes. I have always viewed education as necessarily malleable, and that we have to adjust the lesson continuously to serve our students.

The four common places of education:

Teacher: This TechQuest addresses the concept of the teacher in a plethora of ways. I, the teacher, am responsible for the creation of the lessons that incorporate several different pedagogical strategies with current technology. The teacher is also responsible for the implementation of the technology as well as subsequent reflection.

Learner: Student learning is at the focus of any implementation of technology into the classroom. It is said that technology becomes a tool when it helps address an educational concern or problem of practice. The TechQuest will be developed with the learner in mind. It will attempt to create a memorable experience in which the students will create an artifact to showcase their learning as well.

Subject Matter: The TechQuest helps to address the overarching concept of functions within the realm of high school mathematics.

Setting: The TechQuest will be implemented in secondary Mathematics classrooms and will range from Algebra I to PreCalculus.