Use of ICT in the mathematics classroom
You have finally managed to book a computer room, but what do the students do once you get there? This list contains a range of ideas to help teachers ensure students have a worthwhile mathematical experience in the computer room. Based principally around the use of spreadsheets as all schools will have access to relevant software, there are also ideas relating to the use of other mathematical software and hand-held technology.
Secondary Mathematics with ICT: a Pupil’s Entitlement to ICT in Secondary Mathematics
This BECTA report includes a variety of ideas with links to relevant websites. The report indicates six areas where ICT can be used to enhance mathematics learning:
Learning from feedback
Observing patterns
Seeing connections
Developing visual imigery
Exploring data
'Teaching' the computer.
Where Does Your Money Go?
In this activity from stats4schools, students investigate how families spend their money using a Family Spending report.
The areas of mathematics covered include:
Plotting appropriate graphs using ICT
Interpreting data from tables and graphs.
Functional skills include:
An understanding of where the average family spend their money including looking at the cost of living. Students should also begin to consider personal finances and how to manage money.
The data stops at 2002-3. There is scope to look at inflation, using compound interest to attempt to bring the data up to date.
Boxes
This Study Plus unit from the National Strategies develops an understanding of volume and surface area of 3D objects through exploring nets.
There are opportunities for practical work in all of the lessons.
The unit looks at
Perimeter and area of simple compound shapes.
Calculating the volume of a cuboid.
Visualisation and use 2D representations of 3D shapes.
Construction of functions arising from real-life problems.
Plottng and interpreting graphs arising from real situations.
In addition, there are opportunities to develop visualisation and problem-solving skills and to use ICT.
The spreadsheet incuded in this package shows how dynamic graphs, linked to a table, can be used to aid problem solving.
Fee Fi Foo Fum
This lesson from CensusAtSchool, suitable for year 8, develops the concept of ratio. Students investigate the Golden ratio by experiment and use of a resource sheet. The resource includes an excel help sheet.
The activity covers the following areas:
Solving problems involving ratio and proportion.
Solve a problem by gathering, analysing and interpreting information.
Calculate simple ratios.
Present and interpret a solution in a real-life context.
Fractals
This National Strategies Study Plus unit has been designed to cover a number of areas of mathematics, particularly work with number and algebra. It also addresses a range of learning styles along with links to literact and ICT through the use of spreadsheets.
Using the topic of fractals, students explore the patterns and sequences generated from the perimeters and areas of the von Hoch Snowflake.
Curriculum areas covered include:
nth term of a linear sequence.
Fractions: adding, subtracting, simplifying, multiplying a fraction by an integer.
Use of index notation.
Hard To Teach - Secondary Maths Using ICT
A 27 minute long video from Teachers' TV that follows the work of three teachers using ICT to teach different mathematical topics.
Year 9 girls are are given interactive software to help them visualise and explore what is going on inside three-dimensional shapes.
A year 8 class use handheld computer devices to look at quadratic number sequences.
A year 9 class use dynamic software to investigate circle theorems.
Teaching and Learning Mathematics Through ICT
This collection of resources from the National Strategies includes resources for activities and lessons that make effective use of ICT in teaching and learning secondary mathematics. The resources include the use of spreadsheets, programs, dymanic geometry software, video and internet research. All activities are complete with teachers' notes, further ideas and the relevant software or files.
A large variety of ideas, not confined to spreadsheets. However, why not have a look at the following resources which do make use of a spreadsheet?
Number - Sum and product
Rules of arithmetic and inverse operations.
Solving simultaneous equations.
Factorisation of expressions.
Algebra - Fibs and truth
Use letter symbols to represent unknown numbers.
Simplify expressions by collecting like terms.
Use simple formulae.
Statistics - Two dice and more dice
Estimate probabilities by collecting data.
Compare experimental and theoretical probabilities.