MATH+WORDLES

Mr. Jeff Miller, 7th grade math teacher, and I worked together during the first rotation. As I soon found out, Mr. Miller was correct when he told me that integrating technology into his curriculum would be somewhat difficult since the students must first learn the rules of math before PBL and computers can be integrated. My weak math background is also a deficit in our designing activities wherein students are using technology.

The rules of exponents, scientific notation, and the Pythagorean Theorem were taught during these past six weeks. Daily I received lessons along with the children, and I must say that Mr. Miller's method of subtle repetition and development of a unique rapport with his students through his quick wit and sense of humor has encouraged and emphasized engagement. As I watched daily, I was amazed at how Mr. Miller's use of the overhead to demonstrate the rules, his nightly homework to practice the rules, and his scaffolding off of previous knowledge has kept all students on their toes.

I made it a point of checking with students periodically, asking them to tell me what they learned and checking their nightly practice grades. It seemed as if nearly every student had mastered concepts taught.

My job has consisted of trying to locate support material for Mr. Miller to use in review of all the taught concepts. Using YouTube I have found several videos that he has shown his students for review before a test, for support of a concept in a humorous way, for showing them that there are different ways to solve the same problem.

Prior to the first formative assessment, students reviewed the terminology accompanying the concept taught--exponent rules. The Web 2.0 tool called Wordle was used with students reviewing the terminology of exponents in preparation for the next day's formative test. A few of the Wordle printouts were put into iMovie and appear below so that you can review them. The link to the left that is entitled Math Review Videos contains a musical video that reviews the rules of exponents and was shown at the same time that the students prepared the Wordles.

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