Help me give my students a live design experience conducted in the spirit that a wrong answer is better than no answer and that problems are solved with persistence and imagination.
Hi! I have been teaching 8th-grade math at a neighborhood school for 7 years now. I teach 2 classes of high school algebra to 8th graders and 3 classes of pre-algebra to the rest of the 8th grade. Many of the students have been in classes together since kindergarten. We have a great family community and I have taught many siblings. Our student population is very diverse with over 60 countries represented. Some of my students are English Language Learners, diverse learners, or on track to take accelerated math classes in high school.
My Project
ENGINEERS TEACHING ALGEBRA is a live design experience conducted in the spirit that a wrong answer is better than no answer and that problems are solved with persistence and imagination. Students will design a traffic pattern.
The pace and emphasis adapts to a range of skill levels: given gifted students the emphasis is not on algebra but on higher levels of engineering analysis; given struggling students the pace is slower and the objective is to make algebra practical and meaningful; heterogeneous classes self-pace within this range.
Math is not a subject, it's a necessary language. Algebra, from the Arabic al-jabr means reunion of broken parts. Algebra supports STEAM in the way it bridges disparate academic fields and opens doors to a diverse, hi-tech economy.
Objectives: To demonstrate the everyday value of algebra; to give students a fun and engaging engineering experience; to encourage the pursuit of advanced math and science studies.
Age and Skill Levels: The program is best for 8th graders whether they're strong or weak in math; it's appropriate for 7th graders accelerated in math. Applied math content includes manipulating fractions, ratios & percentages; estimation by proportional reasoning to verify computed results; developing algorithms for variable inputs; applying traditional problem-solving techniques including understanding the problem, analyzing and interpreting data, testing solutions, and learning through trial and error. Students are encouraged to approach a problem in the spirit that a wrong answer is better than no answer and that success is a product of persistence and imagination. Engineering activities are challenging, relevant, and fun.
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