STAGE 3 WACE COURSE

STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING OF DIFFERENTIATION A. ORTON (1983) ! The article focuses on the degree of understanding attained as well as the common errors or misconceptions held by students concerning differentiation and other related topics in calculus. Sixty students were selected from the sixth forms (ages 16-18) of four schools and 50 other students (ages 18-22) were selected from two colleges where they were training to become teachers of mathematics. The study involved the utilisation of a clinical interviewing method where students were rst presented with tasks largely involving limits, area and integration. This was followed by a second interview with tasks involving rate of change, differentiation and applications of differentiation. Both sets of tasks tested the understanding of certain algebraic skills or processes but the article focuses only on students understanding of differentiation and associated background mathematics such as rate of change. It should be noted that despite the relative age of the study, it is believed that its results are very valid and warrant due consideration in the teaching of differentiation. Besides being a well cited study (Tall, 1991; Asiala, M., Cottrill, J., 1997; Rassmusen, C. L., 2001; etc) the tasks utilised in this study closely resemble content covered in the 3BMAT unit1 and as such may give signicant insight into the misconceptions formed by students when learning this topic. This awareness of student misapprehension is essential in improving the quality of teaching as shown by the Teaching of Mathematics Observation Schedule (ToMOS) 2 which identies addressing common student misconceptions as one of the practices of highly effective teachers. ! Results from the study were analysed by bringing appropriate subdivisions of the tasks together and labeling them as items, each item relating to just one aspect of differentiation or rate. A selection of the tasks concerned with differentiation was detailed in the article and has been included in the Appendix to this paper as well. These results were tabulated 3 and descriptions of the main items from tasks along with the mean scores of the sixth formers and college students, computed and compared across the items, were included. From this analysis, it is evident that similar levels of successes and failures were exhibited by both groups of students on most of the items. This could signify that certain facets of differentiation were equally difcult for both groups, a particularly critical result which may indicate a general difculty for students and a need to focus on these areas. In particular, items concerned with the understanding of differentiation (such as differentiation as a limit and use of -symbolism) were particularly challenging for both sets of students. It should also be noted that the mean score achieved by the group of college students were lower for both these items 1.14 and 1.40 compared to 1.88 and 1.52 by the school students. Since responses to all items were assessed on a ve-point scale (0, 1, 2, 3, 4), these results show a severe lack of mastery and prompts questions about the quality of future mathematics educators and the prolonged effects of misconceptions in differentiation which, however, will not be address in this paper. Another area
1 2

School Curriculum and Standards Authority (2012) Mathematics Syllabus Louden, W., Rohl, M., Hopkins, S. (2008) Teaching for Growth: Effective Teaching of Literacy and Numeracy. WA: Wren Press 3 A, Orton. (1983). Students Understanding of Differentiation. Table 1: Some differential and rate items and mean scores

of difculty observed was in items related to graphical approaches to rate of change. Whilst students scored a mean of around 2.0 for items related to rate of change from a straight line graph and average rate of change from curve, the school and college students attained a mean of only 0.88 and 1.18 respectively when responding to tasks related to rate, average rate and instantaneous rate. ! Most misconceptions held by students around differentiation could be due to the lack of

emphasis on the meaning of differentiation and its components during the teaching and learning of this topic. Orton (1983) observes that some students are introduced to differentiation as a rule to be applied without much attempt to reveal the reasons for and justication of the procedure. As observed in practicum schools, this practice remains today and may be largely due to the time constraints experienced by teachers in school as well as the complexity of explaining the procedure. Besides this, testing and the importance of examination results may also have been a motivating factor for teachers to omit elaborations on the meaning of differentiation. From the Curriculum Council syllabus documents 4 and past examination questions, it is evident that the procedure knowledge of differentiation is the necessary skill for students taking 3BMAT. In fact, the general derivative result may be used without justication which may have led to teachers spending less time talking about the reasons for the procedure as well as students neglecting to try and understand such justications. This trend is also evident from the brevity of questions and discussions on such concepts in the beginning of Chapter 2 in the Unit 3B Mathematics textbook 5 compared to the application questions later in the chapter. It is acknowledged that such constraints give valid reasons for teachers to disregard introducing such complex explanations when teaching differentiation, however, this understanding relates to all later application and may be particularly valuable in helping students decode the questions presented to them. By developing a thorough understanding of differentiation, students would be have a better grasps of the individual concepts such as the relationship between the gradient of a curve at a point and the gradient of the tangent to the curve at a point. This would better equip them to address novel problems where interpretation of the questions require a better grasp of the phrases and language associated with differentiation concepts. ! Another main area of difculty for students related to the symbols and language used in

the tasks. The two lowest scoring response items involved the use of -symbolism and the distinction between average rate of change over an interval and rate of change at a point. In fact, the study reports that in response to Task D2 (see Appendix), students revealed many misunderstandings and the overall level of understanding was very poor. For example, seventyone students could not correctly explain the meaning of

y . x

Those who gave responses

mistakenly associated it to rate with responses such as rate of change at a point or small rate of change. These misconceptions can again be related to the an incomplete introduction of the

4 5

School Curriculum and Standards Authority (2012) Mathematics Syllabus Sadler, A.J. (2009) Unit 3B. Sadler Family Trust

topic leading to students not being able to relate the different components involved in differentiation to a graphical representation that would have helped them to distinguish the symbols and their meanings. Alternatively, the study suggests that poor understanding of the symbols may also be attributed to the use of standard symbols such as h and k instead of x and y in external examinations. It further goes on to suggest that symbols should be carefully introduced over a period of time. This is particularly noteworthy for teachers as the presentation of mathematics is often symbolic however explanations are usually delivered orally. As such, teachers should not assume that an understanding of the use and meanings of symbols will be acquired by students passively but instead plan to actively teach such meanings. This means that besides modeling the use of these symbols, teachers should explicitly explain their meanings and ensure that they are introduced and featured as a part of the lesson. ! Other ndings of the study which has been adopted into the following lessons include the use of graphical work and electronic calculators. As discussed earlier, graphical representations allow students to better understand the procedure of differentiation especially for concepts such as the limiting chord. Communication of the concepts using graphs of functions and table of values (of gradient of secant as it approaches the tangent) adds an extra avenue for students to interpret the meaning of differentiation. This practice of using multiple representations is recognised by ToMOS 6 as another practice employed in high quality teaching. Additionally, the use of electronic calculators and other technological tools means that these graphical representations can be quickly obtained and easily manipulated to observe change over various points. These activities also serve to engage and motivate students, an important element in building their understanding of the topic. Also discussed in the article were algebraic errors committed by students when performing quadratic expansions. This is not of grave concern but should be noted to students in order to prevent such errors. It is also important to acknowledge that some educational implications of the study were not discussed in this paper due to word limitations and the impractically of implementing the discussed suggestion. Despite this, such suggestions are not dismissed and are, in fact, seen as valuable for teachers consideration. For example, the study proposes that the foundations of calculus need be returned to and developed anew at various times throughout the students mathematical education. It describes approaching differentiation informally before the age of 16 and using technology as well as investigatory work to build students understanding of differentiation. This proposal is meaningful and has not been dismissed due to a lack of merit but rather due to the nature of this paper which considers the implementation of three consecutive lessons at Year 12 level. Thus, several suggestions such as this are unenforceable.

! In implementing these suggestions across the three lessons, assumptions such as an allocated time of 55 minutes per lesson was made. Students were also assumed to have middle to high mathematical ability. It is evident from the pacing of the lessons that emphasis has been placed on thoroughly understanding the justications for using the differentiation
6

Louden, W., Rohl, M., Hopkins, S. (2008) Teaching for Growth: Effective Teaching of Literacy and Numeracy. WA: Wren Press

procedure. In contrast, the application of the general derivative result is introduced at a considerably quicker pace. This may be adjusted accordingly from formative assessments during the lesson, however, the study suggests this should not present any difculties. In fact, both sets of students scored above 3.5 (out of 4) on tasks related to carrying out differentiation. As such, it may be justiable to spend more time introducing and properly explaining the language and concepts related to differentiation instead of focusing on the procedural skills of differentiating. ! In Lesson 1, students required prior knowledge of limits is rst accessed and assessed. They are then encourage to think about limiting chords using an investigatory activity, as suggested by the article. By allowing students to work in pairs, greater engagement and interest can be generated. This also leads to a richer discussion as students would have shared responsibility over answers and would therefore be less reluctant to volunteer answers. The use of teacher modeling when differentiating by taking the limit of

y2 y1 also gives a clear x2 x1

indication of the quality of work expected. Communicating in verbal and written form the explicit quality responses required is also established in the ToMOS 7 schedule as a teaching action present in highly effective classrooms. Modeling of the differentiation process would also include graphs and tables as discussed above. Another important aspect of this process is the introduction of standard symbols such as h and k to students and focusing on their use so that it may be linked to the use of use of -symbolism in the next class. Other representations such as those involving function notation would also be discussed with students so that distinctions in writing and similarity in meanings can be drawn. The use of a table of values is also critical in helping to point out the difference between average rate of change and instantaneous rate of change. By linking this to the graph used for the modeling process students can see how rates of change may be obtained from graphs. Due to the limitations of time, students would only complete one exercise question but the discussion would also address issues of substitution in functions and related understanding of functions and graphs. As discussed earlier, these are usually not examined in the 3B Unit and as such focus has been placed more on emphasizing meaning then procedural skills. ! Lesson 2 focuses on the concepts involving the signicance of rates of change as well as

introducing differentiation from rst principles. Since students have been introduced to differentiation by taking limits, this lesson on differentiation by rst principles should reinforce their understanding as the two are essentially the same. A drawback of this, however, is that being presented with almost similar non-examined material may serve to disengage students from the lesson. As such, the use of technology is introduced at various points of the lesson as it has been observed to be an effective tool in helping students learn and breaking the monotony of classwork, thus helping students stay focused. The motivation exercise is also planned such that students only spend an average of about a minute predicting gradients for

Louden, W., Rohl, M., Hopkins, S. (2008) Teaching for Growth: Effective Teaching of Literacy and Numeracy. WA: Wren Press

each graph. This quick pacing is aimed at keeping students engaged and the immediate feedback received by using the calculus applet would further assist this purpose. As discussed above, the applet allows students to compare results across many points quickly without tedious computations. Another key feature of this lesson is the use of -symbolism when introducing rst principles. Through the teacher demonstration, links can be drawn between this representation and the other standard symbols used. The student exercise is also designed to further consolidate students understanding of the various symbols. Again, attention is drawn specically to the function notation of differentiation as well as

dy . The closing activity utilises dx

the calculus applet which allows students to extend their understanding of differentiation and assist them in the formulation of their journal entries. By exploring these ideas on the applet again, students would gain a clearer picture of what they have and have not fully understood. ! The nal lesson in this sequence does not conclude the chapter, a point of signicance

when considering the reasons why several of the other suggestions within the article were not implemented in this lesson sequence. This third lesson begins with a quick motivation activity on meaning of symbols. This activity focuses students thinking on the meanings of each symbol instead of just its usage. A thorough understanding of the meanings of symbols would assist students in using them appropriately when presenting work, a necessary skill for showing quality work. By having students check and discuss their answers with their peers, students are exposed to communicating meaning in mathematics through both verbal and written forms. The discussion of ideas with other has also been suggested to help clarify thinking and may be crucial in students gaining a clearer understanding of the concepts taught. As previously stated, the procedure of carrying out differentiation is reported to be relatively easy for students as well as commonly examined. In light of this, Lesson 3 introduces the general result of the derivative quickly with a teacher presentation and some examples of questions from this area. Although students have learnt rst principles, it is not seen as valuable for students to proof the general result of the derivative. Instead, this result can be checked and conrmed against work done on differentiation in previous lesson. Despite the perceived lack of difcultly, the importance of the procedural skills are not neglected as seen by the time and amount of work expected from students in applying the general result. The investigative activity at the closing helps student check their understanding of using the general result as well as lays the foundation for future lessons in anti-differentiation. This way, Ortons (1983) suggestion of approaching the teaching of calculus through rst introducing concepts before returning and developing them anew has been integrated into these lessons on a smaller scale. By later revisiting the meaning of symbols toward the summary of differentiation, teachers can further develop students understanding as well as correct lingering misconceptions. The investigative activity may also be referred to when introducing anti-differentiation.

Date:

Class/Group: Year 12 3AB

Time: Room:

Lesson: Differentiation

3BMAT Calculus (1.3) Lesson Outcomes

Students should be able to: 1. Distinguish average rate of change and instantenous rate of change 2. 3. 4. Find the gradient of a curve at a point using the limiting value of

y2 y1 x2 x1

Relate the concepts limiting chords, gradient of a curve at a point and gradient of the tangent to the curve at a point Use the appropriate mathematical conventions of f(a), f(a+h) and h 0

Prior Learning
Students should have a general understanding of gradients and how it is computed. They should also be able to compute limits and generate diagrams using graphics calculators. Students should also be familiar with rates, functions and substitution to nd the value of a function at particular points. Lesson Steps: TIME 10 mins ACTIVITY Motivation: Simple limits Students to complete a quick recap exercise on limits. Solutions to be briey discussed on the board. Introduction to differentiation Students to work in pairs and consider the question of limiting chords or the secant on a circle. Students to note down difference in the x coordinates as the secant approaches the tangent from both directions. Discussion A whole class discussion on the results from the activity to be held. Links between the limiting chord, gradient of a tangent and secant, and gradient of a curve to be made MATERIALS Worksheet 1

10 mins

Worksheet 1

10 mins

15 mins

Differentiation by taking the limit of

y2 y1 x2 x1

Teacher to model a specic example of nding the gradient of a curve at a point by using the limit of y2 y1 as x2 x1 . ~use the x2 x1 function notation~ ~explicitly point out rate of change average or instantenous~ Teacher to demonstrate and discuss the general case of the derivative at a point a as the small difference h approaches zero should also be introduced ~talk about mathematic conventions~

5 mins

Student exercise Students to complete Question 1 of Exercise 2A from Sadler book Discussion (Closing) Answer to be discussed as a class (how did you get y for Point Q) and discussion of the validity of the answer to be held. Students to check against a graph of the function and the tangent line drawn on their graphics calculator

5 mins

Evaluation of Student Learning:

Self-Evaluation/Reection:

REFERENCE: Sequences booklet (CBC Fremantle) Sadler, A.J. (2009) Unit 3B. Sadler Family Trust.

Date:

Class/Group: Year 12 3AB

Time: Room:

Lesson: Differentiation

3BMAT Calculus (1.3) Lesson Outcomes

Students should be able to: 1. Predict the gradient of tangent to a curve or shape of the region surrounding a particular point on a curve based on given information 2. Differentiate a function from rst principles 3. Distinguish between average rate of change and instantaneous rate of change 4. Use the appropriate mathematical symbols and language to describe differentiation (e.g y )

Prior Learning
Students should have an understanding of gradient of tangent to a curve and gradient of a curve at a particular point from previous lesson. They are also expected to be familiar with the concept of limits, limiting chords and functions. Students should also have sufcient mastery of using graphics calculators. Lesson Steps: TIME 5 mins ACTIVITY Motivation Students predict the slope of the tangent at different points along curves such as a parabola, sine curve, exponential and hyperbola (as drawn on the board) Calculus applet Using the calculus applet, students can work in pairs and explore the derivate at a point. They should explore also points where limits do not exist (such as at x=0 on the hyperbola function) and consider how the gradient of tangent to a curve is related to the nature of the curve at that point Differentiation from First Principles Teacher to demonstrate differentiation from rst principles on the board. Using diagrams on the board, the concept should be linked directly back to taking limits learnt in the previous lesson. Teacher to demonstrate and discuss the general case of the derivative at a point x as the small difference x approaches zero should also be introduced ~talk about mathematic conventions~ and mathematical language and meanings of symbols used should be explicitly explained 15 mins Student exercise Students to complete part (a) of each question in the given exercise. They are also encouraged to share and discuss their solutions with each other MATERIALS Worksheet 1

10 mins

Worksheet 1 http:// calculusapplets.com/ derivpoint.html

15 mins

10 mins

Closing: Extension and journal Students to explore the difference between average rate of change and instantaneous rate of change using the applet whilst comparing it to the questions using terms such as increase. Additionally, students to use the derivative function applet and consider the values of f(x) at various values of x Students to write observations, concepts understood and concepts which still present ambiguity to them in their journals

Evaluation of Student Learning:

Self-Evaluation/Reection:

REFERENCE: Sequences booklet (CBC Fremantle) Sadler, A.J. (2009) Unit 3A. Sadler Family Trust.

Date:

Class/Group: Year 12 3AB

Time: Room:

Lesson: Differentiation

3BMAT Calculus (1.3) Lesson Outcomes

Students should be able to: 1. Differentiate a function in the form y = ax n 2. 3. 4. Apply the general result of derivatives to nd gradient of tangent to a curve at a particular point Find the coordinates of the points on a curve given the gradient of the curve Find the equation of the tangent to the curve at a particular point

Prior Learning
Students should have an understanding of all concepts presented in previous lessons on differentiation including differentiation from rst principles, taking limits, gradient of tangent to the curve, gradient of a curve at a particular point, functions and using graphics calculators. They should be familiar with surds and indices. Lesson Steps: TIME 10 mins ACTIVITY Motivation: Meaning of symbols Students are given 5 minutes to write down quickly the meaning of each symbol given on an activity sheet. They may then turn and compare their answers with the person sitting next to them and discuss any discrepencies. Notes may be used for the checking process and students to be told that the question will be revisited at the end of the chapter 10 mins Derivative of y = ax n Teacher to give the general result of the derivative and model steps as well as presentation of nding the derivative of a given function Examples of nding the derivative at a point, nding the point given the gradient and nding the gradient function to be shown on the board ~special note of negative case~ Worksheet 1 MATERIALS Worksheet 1

20 mins

Student exercise Student to complete exercise using the general result Extension exercise (Closing) Student to match function on the investigative activity and then suggest possible functions for the last derivative Suggestions to be collected on the board and students to comment on why the function is not unique. Students may use tools such as graphics calculators to draw these functions or discussions of curve transformations maybe included to discuss validity of suggestions

10 mins

Evaluation of Student Learning:

Self-Evaluation/Reection:

REFERENCE: Sequences booklet (CBC Fremantle) Sadler, A.J. (2009) Unit 3A. Sadler Family Trust.

STAGE 1 WACE COURSE

TEACHERS APPROACHES TOWARDS WORD PROBLEM SOLVING: ELABORATING OR RESTRICTING THE PROBLEM CONTEXT DEPAEPE, F., DE CORTE, E., VERSCHAFFEL, L. (2009) ! The article focuses on teachers approaches toward word problem solving and distinguishes between a paradigmatic and narrative orientation. Results of this study was generated by analysing video recordings of word problem lessons in two Flemish classrooms across a seven month period. Here, word problems were dened in a broad sense as verbal descriptions of problem situations wherein one of more questions are raised the answer to which can be obtained by the application of mathematical operations to numerical data available in the problem statement. 1 Analysis of the results were done by classifying the approaches observed in the classroom as either one of ve paradigmatic interventions or one of seven narrative interventions.2 A paradigmatic approach towards a word problem is based on a focus on mathematical models and structures that are universal and context free. The narrative mode, in contrast, deals with situational aspects of the word problem and focuses on context-sensitive explications. As the study aimed to consider the degree to which the paradigmatic and narrative interventions were reected in the teaching of each word problem, the frequency and time spent on both approaches during the entry and exit phases of the problem solving process were recorded. 3 It should be noted that whilst the study was conduct in sixth-grade classrooms, the results are believed to be valid for secondary students and worthy of consideration, particularly for the Stage 1 level course discussed in this paper. This is supported the by Curriculum Council syllabus document that species the extraction of information as well as the carrying through of deductive reasoning following word problems as behavioural criteria in its grade descriptors.4 ! Results from the study suggests that rich instruction can only be achieved if both modes are paid attention to. They cite Chapman (2006) 5 in stating that a simultaneous emphasis on universal and context-free mathematical structures and models (a paradigmatic approach) and on contextual element of the realistic situation to which the word problem refers (a narrative approach) is not only desirable but also realistic to obtain. However, it is evident from the tabulated results that the paradigmatic approach is more dominant then the narrative approach. In fact, both teachers spent twice as much time on paradigmatic interventions then they did on narrative interventions. One suggested explanation for this was the time pressure faced by teachers to complete the curriculum. This lends itself to focusing on the mathematical structure required to solve the problem instead of the context in which the problem is placed. Another possible reason for this disproportionally is the nature of the problems themselves. The
1 2

Verschaffel, L., De Corte, E. & Greer, B. (2000) Making sense of word problems. Lisse: Swets and Zeitlinger Depaepe, F., De Corte, E. & Verschaffel, L. (2009) Teachers approaches towards word problem solving: Elaborating or Restricting. Table 2: Paradigmatic and narrative interventions towards word problem solving distinguished in the present study 3 Depaepe, F., De Corte, E. & Verschaffel, L. (2009) Teachers approaches towards word problem solving: Elaborating or Restricting. Table 3: Analysis of the frequency and time spent on the paradigmatic (P) and narrative (N) interventions during the entry and exit phases of the problem-solving process 4 School Curriculum and Standards Authority (2012) Mathematics Syllabus 5 Chapman, O. (2006) Classroom practices for context of mathematics word problems. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 62, 211-230

research literature reviewed in this study suggests that the nature of the problems to which students were exposed in regular mathematics classrooms could be solved by simple and straightforward applications of the basic operations and problems that closely related to students experiential worlds were extremely rare. While these reason may likely account for the lack of narrative interventions, it does not absolve teachers from the responsibility of presenting both approaches. In fact, this lack of emphasis on the narrative approach may be the source of students inability to successfully apply their school mathematics to real-world problems.6 The article cites Schoenfeld (1991) who asserts that many students have developed an approach to problem solving, whereby they ignore essential aspects of reality and whereby the mathematical actions they perform are based on a supercial analysis of the numbers and keywords provided in the problem text. This has been observed in practicum schools where students solving linear programming problems focus merely on the procedure and ignore the context in which the problem is set. As a result, their approach has sometimes led to senseless solutions such as the production of a fractional unit of cars. ! In implementing the following lesson sequence, several assumptions were made including an allocated time of 55 minute periods. Additionally, students were assumed to be following the 1BC curriculum which had no external examinations and as such the teaching plan closely followed lessons set out in the Nelson Workable Maths for WA-WACE 1BCMAT 7 text which was utilised in a practicum school. These lessons on calculating blood alcohol levels were chosen due to the nature of the problems presented. Besides being highly applicable to senior secondary students who were just beginning to drive, all problems in this chapter were presented as word problems and required students to extract and interpret the given information. With reference to the 1BC unit content set out in the curriculum syllabus, these lessons cover several areas including interpret data; calculation of fractions, decimals and percentage in context; use of calculator to calculate fraction, decimals and percentages; and one step recursive rule patterns. The pacing of the lessons is considerably slower and teacher modeling of necessary solution steps is emphasised due to the lower mathematical ability of the students. It should be noted, however, that this assumption is drawn from an experience at one practicum school and pacing may need to be revised for students with stronger foundational knowledge on this course. Additionally, this lesson sequence can also be modied to be used in other years when the subject matter concerned is applying formulas or fractions, decimals and percentages. For example, the activity presented in the last lesson may be adapted for a Year 8 class. ! For the rst lesson, a mental activity involving nding percentage of a quantity was used to assess students mastery of the required prior knowledge for this lesson. If students did not demonstrate the required level of mastery, a review of the topic may be necessary before continuing. It is also important to explicitly teach the calculator skills required for nding percentage of a quantity during the discussion of solutions. The use of calculators is later

Boaler, J. (1993). The role of contexts in the mathematics classroom: do they make mathematics more real? For the Learning of Mathematics, 13(2), 12-17 7 Thomson, S. & Forster, I. (2009) Nelson Workable Maths for WA-WACE 1CMAT. Nelson Cengage Learning

assumed, particularly when carrying out the blood alcohol content (BAC) activity. An opening discussion of alcohol and driving introduces the context of the problems to students as well as making it relevant to them. Making connections between mathematics and real-life situations is important for enhancing student engagement and understanding. Due to the level of mathematical ability of the class, it is important that teacher modelling of the calculation of BAC is done in a highly structured manner with each step explained. Both the paradigmatic and narrative approaches can be employed during this presentation. Teachers may supplement their presentation of the mathematical structure involved in calculating BAC in males and females with the consideration of why the BAC rates differ. This can also lead into a discussion of the feasibility and validity of solutions obtained from the question. Other narrative interventions include considerations of the alcohol content in various items. Furthermore, the question may need to be reworded before a paradigmatic intervention of addressing the underlying mathematical structure can be clearly seen. It is important to remember that while the study concluded that teachers were more dominantly paradigmatic, it did not suggest an eradication of such strategies. Educators should be aware of both approaches and use them simultaneously in their discussions. By opening the discussion to both paradigmatic and narrative approaches to the questions, students who are less condent in their mathematical ability are given more opportunities to contribute. Teachers quality of teaching is subsequently raised by encouraging clarication through questions and responses, actions demonstrating the good practices of responsibility and respect in their teaching. 8 ! Lesson 2 is concerned with the calculation of BAC after a rest interval. The lesson

begins again with simple mental questions as this demonstrated in the rst lesson. This is mainly to maintain the structure of the lessons as it has been observed that students with lower mathematics respond better to highly structured lessons. Additionally, beginning with simple and achievable questions have also been linked to higher student engagement and motivation. A quick review of the method of calculating BAC is done before the teaching of new content. This allows the teacher to informally assess students understanding of the previous lesson and clarify any misconceptions. Following this, a discussion of dissipating BAC is held and students are asked to predict the BAC level after a time period before checking it against the rate presented by the teacher. Narrative approaches to questions on dissipating alcohol could include the reliability of a xed rate for all individuals. Other considerations could include suggestions of reasons why such a rate should be equal or unequal for males and females. Once again, the lesson is structured such that the teacher models the method of using a mathematical structure to calculate the new BAC which is later applied by the students. Through this, the teacher communicates explicitly the expected quality for responses from the student. Quality is one of the teacher actions identied by the Teaching of Mathematics Observation Schedule (ToMOS) as an indicator of highly effective teaching.9 Since this lesson marks the end of teacher presentations on the topic, the discussion and review at the end of the lesson is highly valuable to consolidate students understanding. Here, teachers may present
8

Louden, W., Rohl, M., Hopkins, S. (2008) Teaching for Growth: Effective Teaching of Literacy and Numeracy. WA: Wren Press 9 Louden, W., Rohl, M., Hopkins, S. (2008) Teaching for Growth: Effective Teaching of Literacy and Numeracy. WA: Wren Press

the paradigmatic approaches necessary extracting relevant information and suggest of typical schemes which students may use to present this solutions. Other narrative discussions which build on students real-life experiences may also be discussed. These should be summarised so students can apply their understanding to other questions and situations involving BAC. The provision of a clear summary is another practice associated to high quality teaching.10 ! The nal lesson of the sequence centers around an activity where students must apply

their knowledge of BAC to solve the given problem. This activity requires students to use both paradigmatic and narrative approaches to problem solving. Clue sheets distributed to students contain a mix of both relevant and irrelevant information and a clear structure of arranging and interpreting data is necessary. These necessitates the use of paradigmatic approaches. However, many other real-life contexts such as convenience, suspension of license for some drivers and other factors demand that students take explicitly into account the realities of the problem context. These warrant narrative approaches to solving the problem. As a result of the nature of the activity, the resulting discussion is expected to be rich in both paradigmatic and narrative approaches.

10

Louden, W., Rohl, M., Hopkins, S. (2008) Teaching for Growth: Effective Teaching of Literacy and Numeracy. WA: Wren Press

LESSON PLANS

Date:

Class/Group: Year 11 1BC

Time: Room:

Lesson: Calculating BAC

Lesson Outcomes
Students should be able to: 1. Find the average weight of uid in a person 2. Find the amount of alcohol present in a drink 3. Calculate the BAC of an individual immediately after consumption

Prior Learning
Students should have a basic understanding of applying formulas by substituting variables according to the situation given. They should also have an understanding of basic mathematical operations such as multiplication and division, nding percentage of a quantity and nding a fraction of a quantity Lesson Steps: TIME 10 mins ACTIVITY Mental Students to complete mental questions written on board. Answers discussed as a class Introducing BAC Discuss alcohol and driving with the students. Introduce BAC and consider safe levels Calculating BAC Teacher to demonstrate method of calculating BAC for males and females using examples on the board -give mathematical structure10 mins Practice Question Students to attempt question 7 of exercise 2.08 on calculating BAC for males and females same weight and alcohol consumption) 10 mins Discussion Class discussion of solution to practice question. Review of the necessary steps to calculate BAC and consider the feasibility of solutions obtained MATERIALS

10 mins

15 mins

Evaluation of Student Learning:

Self-Evaluation/Reection:

REFERENCE: Thomson, S. & Forster, I. (2009) Nelson Workable Maths for WA-WACE 1CMAT. Nelson Cengage Learning

Date:

Class/Group: Year 11 1BC

Time: Room:

Lesson: Dissipating BAC

Lesson Outcomes
Students should be able to: 1. Calculate the BAC of an individual given an interval after consumption 2. Calculate the time needed before BAC reaches safe level 3. Utilise methods of repeated subtraction or multiplication to calculate BAC

Prior Learning
Students should have a basic understanding of applying formulas by substituting variables according to the situation given. They should also have an understanding of basic mathematical operations such as multiplication and division, nding percentage of a quantity and nding a fraction of a quantity Lesson Steps: TIME 10 mins ACTIVITY Mental Students to complete mental questions written on board. Answers discussed as a class Review of BAC Steps of calculating BAC reviewed and clearly written on the board Discussion of dissipating BAC Class to discuss what happens to amount of alcohol in the blood given a rest interval. An example from previous lesson to be selected and students asked to predict the BAC level after a time period Teacher to present rate of dissipation of alcohol in blood. A whole class discussion on how the new BAC can be calculated to be held (logical that female and male dissipate at same rate?) 5 mins Calculation of dissipating BAC Teacher to demonstrate method of calculating new BAC - give mathematical structure 10 mins Practice questions Students to attempt questions in Exercise 2.09 Discussion and review Solutions to practice questions to be discussed and a summary of calculation of BAC to be written on the board MATERIALS

5 mins

15 mins

10 mins

Evaluation of Student Learning:

Self-Evaluation/Reection:

REFERENCE: Thomson, S. & Forster, I. (2009) Nelson Workable Maths for WA-WACE 1CMAT. Nelson Cengage Learning

Date:

Class/Group: Year 11 1BC

Time: Room:

Lesson: BAC Activity

Lesson Outcomes
Students should be able to: 1. Find the average weight of uid in a person 2. Find the amount of alcohol present in a drink 3. Calculate the BAC of an individual 4. Extract appropriate information from word problems

Prior Learning
Students should have a basic understanding of applying formulas by substituting variables according to the situation given. They should also have an understanding of basic mathematical operations such as multiplication and division, nding percentage of a quantity and nding a fraction of a quantity Lesson Steps: TIME 5 mins ACTIVITY Groupwork Students to be seated of groups of four or ve and activity materials to be distributed BAC Activity Teacher to explain the activity and suggest possible structures for extracting information Discussion Students to present their solutions and discrepencies as well as reasonings discussed MATERIALS

30 mins

15 mins

-consider other things, feasibility, how close it relates to them 5 mins Closing Students to clarify any part of the topic where ambiguity persists or discussion from above extended

Evaluation of Student Learning:

Self-Evaluation/Reection:

REFERENCE: Thomson, S. & Forster, I. (2009) Nelson Workable Maths for WA-WACE 1CMAT. Nelson Cengage Learning

LESSON PLANS