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Newsletter Volume 2 |
Fall 1997 |
ACEPT Summer Math/Physics Workshop
Teresa LeybaDepartment of Mathematics
South Mountain Community College
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Newsletter Volume 2 |
Fall 1997 |
During the month of June I participated at Arizona State University in the ACEPT Faculty Workshop. The ACEPT Workshop was a way to bring together educators of varied disciplines to communicate and collaborate in the most effective ways of integrating mathematics, physics and technology. The great variety of the educators who participated in the workshop proved to be a powerful element of the Workshop, by providing insights into the nature of how one goes about teaching different subjects.
The educators represented elementary school teachers, junior high, high school, community college instructors and university professors of science and mathematics. Our goal was to develop and test activity modules which integrated key concepts in math and physics. Our modules were also to include the use of a graphing calculator (TI-83) and Calculator Based Laboratory (CBL). The modules consisted of both a student activity guide and an instructor guide. Once completed we were then to create Web pages for our modules, so that they would become accessible to all who have access to the Internet.
Terry Leyba, SMCC math instructor, sets up two TI-83 graphing calculators that are linked to motion sensors.
The workshop started with an introduction to the inquiry-based style of learning and how this style can be used in science and math courses. We were also given material on the new standards for both mathematics and science and insights into how best to implement some of these standards. We grouped ourselves in groups that consisted of math and science educators (teachers and faculty), as well as undergraduate and graduate pre-service teachers.
Our task of creating our first module was to begin. We had been given the information that we needed on the technology and how to use it, the inquiry method, and access to all the supplies we would need to create an activity that was physics based with an emphasis on mathematics. We were given two days to create our first module. The task seemed daunting, but with the various backgrounds of the group members, we were able to create an activity that could be used in courses not only at the university and college level, but when modified could fit the high school or junior high school science and math curriculum.
We spent the next few days presenting and testing the activities that each of the groups created. This gave us the opportunity to debug our modules while also having the opportunity to use the technology on a daily basis. By the end of the program we had all gained proficiency on the graphing calculator, the CBL unit and a variety of calculator programs that were necessary to run the activities.
We finished the workshop by creating Web pages for the Internet. This required knowledge in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). One afternoon was devoted to instruction on HTML. The various backgrounds of the group members proved to be useful as at least one member from each group was familiar with HTML and creating Web pages.
Jennifer Heidema, STEP REU, Nancy Topoozian, Willis Jr. High, and Rick Ramirez, Collaborative Peer Teacher for Phoenix USI set up their motion detector on a frictionless track.
As a mathematics instructor at South Mountain Community College I teach Theory of Elementary Mathematics (MAT 156). This is a course required for all elementary education majors. By having participated in the ACEPT workshop I now see more clearly the need to have integrated studies that emphasize inquiry learning, hands on learning and applied mathematics through the use of technology such as the graphing calculator and CBL. I intend to share this knowledge with the pre- service teachers that enroll in my class by using some of the modules that were created in the Summer ACEPT workshop as the foundation for the curriculum for MAT 156. These modules will serve the students well in that the students will see mathematics from an applied perspective while also using the latest technology in teaching and learning mathematics.
There are differing opinions of the new standards in mathematics and science and their effectiveness. As educators we need to be aware of the standards and the differing opinions. It is my belief that in order to keep pace with a rapidly changing, technologically advanced world we need to prepare our students for change by emphasizing problem solving skills through the use of available technology and for those schools without the benefit of the technology, through hands-on learning. The modules that were created in this Summer workshop not only emphasize problem solving, technology, and hands-on learning, but also the benefit of seeing mathematics and science together rather than as two separate entities.
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