#coordinateslider

[mathbymaking-blog]

This is how my project turned out. Couple of issues, but it is a working prototype. I was able to test it out, as well as my ability to conduct a teaching experiment.

[mathbymaking-blog]

Methods

Assuming I get a decent print... or even if I don’t... I intend to test my slider on my high school students. The upcoming testing schedule is actually pretty convenient. I should be able to film teaching episodes as part of a teaching experiment. Like I said, I haven’t been able to get a good print... I think at this point I’ll just shoot for the first iteration or two of my project. I may not get as far as I initially intended, but I’ll at least be able to conduct a teaching experiment, get a feel for that, and the whole transcription bit (maybe), and give my slider a trial run at the same time.

It’s crazy how sitting down to write really does help my thinking... I’m only just now realizing that I was always trying to print the later iterations of my project (the more complex ones)... at least that’s what I’ve been focusing on lately. I’m going to go request some prints now then :o)

[mathbymaking-blog]

No updates/changes to my project as of yet. Though I’ve decided my dissertation will focus on the ideas I’m exploring now... the coordinate plane. Student understanding of coordinates has been a particular area of interest of mine for some time... when latitude and longitude get introduced, when the cartesian plane gets introduced... how teachers teach it and how it may be contributing to student misconceptions... I’ve prepared and delivered presentations to test my ideas with other educators... years ago I thought about creating a manipulative, but I guess I didn’t have a means to do so. In my other coursework, we are reading a dissertation that also focuses on coordinate systems. Given my existing interest, the tools that are at my disposal, and the light being shed on the subject by others (my understanding is the research is not terribly extensive at present), I think the course is clear... create manipulatives to guide students in the developing an understanding of coordinate systems.