NSN 96 Home Page || Agenda ||
Daily Summaries || Bounce
NSN 96 Home Page || Agenda ||
Daily Summaries || Bounce
First, we had an open discussion about our experiences with Bounce, and applications to the classroom. Here are some notes:
- It's a very open-ended, exploratory program. It's different from most classroom activities in that it's not a topic-based piece. Instead, it creates the opportunity for discovery on many different levels.
- How would we use this in the class? What are the logistical difficulties? Pairing kids effectively, and structuring (or not structuring) the activity so that everyone got something out of it. How to reach struggling students? Different kids will get different things out of it; some will gain better understanding of positives & negatives, prime numbers, etc. while some might just benefit from the systematic exploration or recording skills that are required.
- With Bounce, the students don't need to figure out exactly what the teacher wants them to do, or what "the answer" is. They can do whatever they want with it!
- The effect is two-fold. First, it can draw on mathematical experience and make kids apply past knowledge to a new environment (eg negative numbers or slope). Second, it's a good way to introduce new mathematical concepts (eg quadrants).
- It is DOING mathematics.
The next activity was to read through the observations that the other group posted a day earlier. Each pair was asked to send a response to one of those postings.
The rest of the day was dedicated to the Bouncing Ball Investigation 2, which is explained in a Claris Works file that our groups dowloaded from the Web. (To do this, you'll have to configure your Web browser to use Claris Works as a helper application. MIME Type = application , MIME Subtype = x-cwwp , Extension = cwwp , Application = Claris Works , File Type = CWWP , Launch Application.)
Eric Sasson
[Privacy Policy] [Terms of Use]
Home || The Math Library || Quick Reference || Search || Help
The Math Forum is a research and educational enterprise of the Goodwin College of Professional Studies.