Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Interactivity #4


The construction of Box-Plots is an important topic in higher level High School mathematics. I chose this lesson because it fulfilled some common core standards for Statistics and made use of online technology. However, I feel that there are some technologies that are more beneficial to teachers and students that could have been implemented into this lesson plan. 

The original curriculum goal is to introduce the topic of graphically representing data through box-plots and using quartiles. Yet, it seemed to focus more on the study of pre-constructed box-plots rather than emphasizing student interaction with them, creating a gap in the curriculum goal itself, teaching strategy implemented, and need for technology. Although there was a project where the students would gather data and eventually construct their own boxplot, student’s ability to recognize one and construct one would be flawed; the students must be able to notice the purpose and effects of different types of data on the box-plot before they are able to construct their own. 

Therefore, they can accomplish this better understanding with the new introduction of interactive technology I provided. The students are able to organize and preserve their data more efficiently through a Google Spreadsheet and input their data in a TI-83 calculator, which is easier to use and more accessible that a computer-generated activity page. To improve the teacher’s method of providing or modeling examples (instead of giving the students online pictures of pre-constructed box-plots) I will use a Smartboard to allow the students to see how manipulating data can skew the box-plot. By interacting with data, students will be able to retain the knowledge and purpose they discovered. 

Lesson Plan:

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