Review and Synopsis of Dan Meyer’s Video on Real World Math
Article by Bernard Parisi
In this today's video we hear from Dan Meyer of Stanford University and Education Week. In this video Dan uses a video camera to document common math word problems in such a way that the question never needs to be asked. Instead students are shown a situation and on their own wonder about the outcome. It is then up to them to use problem solving techniques and math to get to their own conclusion. I find that this is by far the best way to engage student's in the content and found Dan's methods for involving students actively in the problem solving process great.
As you watch the video you may be wondering about the web tool Dan uses during his basketball example. This is a web applet I have used very regularly called GeoGebra. It is a great tool that allows anyone to graph functions on a coordinate plane using their computer. The best parts about this applet are that it is free to use with no ads, and it never needs to be downloaded. It can be ran from any computer through a web browser. The software also allows for the creation, measurement, and construction of geometric figures for geometry teachers. I will speak much more about GeoGebra, but for right now I encourage you to look at http://www.Geogebra.org for more information.
During his second example we see a great example of how to explain a simple vector velocity problem. When posed with the question of paddling down a river, against a current, and trying to determine the boats actual velocity it can be difficult to see how this works. Most of my students have never paddled in a canoe even though we live right by the water. Dan however finds the great analogy of walking up and down escalator. This example shows students very clearly what is being demonstrated by the original boat problem, but in a way that is 100% more engaging. Who hasn't wanted to go the wrong way up an escalator?
I really enjoyed how he focused in on questioning techniques for different learners as he discusses this problem. Questioning is a crucial aspect of learning mathematics and it is far too often overlooked. We should be constantly be thinking about what we are asking our students and how we are asking them, before we can evaluate the answers they give us in class.
Finally we see an example of a filling problem with a hose and a fish tank. Where Dan focuses on the student's ability to look at a problem and discuss what information they would need to solve the problem, rather than a text book problem where the information would be given to them. This leads to greater student involvement and therefore more fun.
http://youtu.be/jRMVjHjYB6wI hope that you enjoy this video as much as I did.
Bernard Parisi is a mathematics educator and blogger. His interests include the inclusion of technology and social media in the 6 - 12 classroom as well as problem solving strategies.