Case Study: Gizmos Help Interpret Real-Life Math Concepts

Honora Rainville, a mathematics teacher at Abington High School in Abington MA, uses ExploreLearning Gizmos in all her classes. Rainville appreciates how Gizmos give her students an opportunity to explore challenging math topics from a visual perspective and also likes how the Assessment Questions accompanying the Gizmos provide for student accountability.

“ The interactive approach of the Gizmos really helped the students grasp the concepts. When I teach I like to touch varied learning styles and I think ExploreLearning helps to connect those aspects of teaching and learning. ” – Honora Rainville

In the Computer Lab with an LCD Projector and Screen

Rainville had success using Modeling Linear Systems - Activity A with her high school geometry students.

“ I find it very important to be able to relate slope and y-intercept to real life concepts rather than just the mechanics of writing and graphing equations. [The students] also needed to ‘see’ what I had been talking about when I taught the solution of systems of equations, rather than just hearing the mantra ‘the solution of a system of equations represents the point where the two lines intersect. ”

After using the Modeling Linear Systems Gizmo to introduce the concept via her LCD projector, Rainville then had the students work individually at their own computer in the lab. Discussion among students was encouraged.

Rainville's approach is supported by the research that finds that students learn effectively and efficiently when new concepts are first introduced directly to them, and they are allowed to then explore and practice applying the concepts on their own.

“ The Modeling Linear Systems Gizmo, both Activity A and B, gave the students a good opportunity to see the relevance of slope and y-intercept of a graph to speed and starting points as well as actually seeing the point of intersection as being the solution to the system of equations. In this case, it was where the cat caught the mouse. It was fun! ”

Gizmo Exploration Guides and Assessment Questions: Mindful Student Interaction

After allowing her Geometry students to "play" with the Gizmo and familiarize themselves with its workings, Rainville turned to the Exploration Guide that accompanies the Modeling Linear Systems Gizmo to better focus their interaction with the Gizmo.

“ I always have the students do the Exploration Guide before doing the assessment questions. I found that otherwise many of them missed a lot of what the gizmo had to offer. ”

Thumbnail above of a typical Assessment Results screen.

Additionally, Rainville incorporates the Gizmos' Exploration Guides and Assessment Questions into homework assignments:

“ … when giving Gizmos for homework, the students had to pass in a copy of answers for the Exploration Guide and also submit their answers to the Assessment Questions for me to view. They knew they would see some of these things on tests, as well. ”

And to make it that much easier for students to see mathematical concepts from the Gizmo represented on a test, Rainville made use of the screen capture feature built in to all Gizmos.

“ I also used a screen capture to put two questions on the test of this topic. I really liked that! [The screen capture feature] gave me the opportunity to really assess what the students had learned from the Gizmo. ”

Using Gizmos with Different Kinds of Students

At Abington High School, Rainville has found that Gizmos are equally effective with struggling students as they are with advanced students.

Making use of her high school’s computer lab, Rainville had success using several of the integer-based Gizmos with a class of low ability pre-algebra students.

After introducing the Gizmos with the projector, Rainville and her co-teacher in the math lab worked individually with students using the integer-based Gizmos. The students, previously struggling to understand the abstract concepts first encountered in pre-algebra, found the hands on approach helpful to understanding.

For example, when studying the adding and subtraction of integers, the pre-algebra students use the Gizmos to manipulate the sliders and see a real-time number-line representation of their of the the addition or subtraction. the results of their actions as each of the multiple representations updates in real-time.

“ I found it interesting that some of the students who did not do well in the classroom setting (be it lecture or hands on activities), did well with the Gizmos. That is why I try to bring in varied teaching activities so I can grab as many kids as possible. ”

Likewise, Rainville's more advanced students in her upper level Pre-Calculus course found the Gizmos helpful.

Gizmos provide teachers with a ready-made path for harnessing the power of visual imagery in instruction. (Stock photo)

Rainville expects her more mathematically advanced Pre-Calculus students to "be able to grasp abstract concepts," and "emphasized that the gizmos were meant to give them an alternate approach to topics … and to have some fun [with the new] topics."

“ The interactive approach of the gizmos really helped the students grasp the concepts. ”

Resources

• The Modeling Linear Systems - Activity A Gizmo
• The Modeling Linear Systems - Activity B Gizmo
• Site Tour: A Teacher's View
• Why Gizmos Work: Research Evidence
• Using the Gizmo Screen-Capture Feature
• Sign Up for a 30-Day Free Trial

Do you have a Gizmo success story? Let us know: support@explorelearning.com