The Math Department Adapts to A New Way of Teaching and Learning
This is part of an ongoing series about how Eaglebrook teachers and students are adapting to a new Distance Learning model.
In this new time of Distance Learning, Miles Harlow’s mathematics classes have been balancing between utilizing online resources while trying not to lose the hands-on physical manipulation and technical mathematics that his classes, especially his geometry class, would do in person.
In the first few weeks of distance learning, Mr. Harlow was able to lay the groundwork for larger-scale projects that are more interactive than standard worksheets. Mr. Harlow is using the Desmos graphing software with his algebra class, and some online investigations that are easy to build using the software. “We played a 'polygraph' game in algebra class where students guess which graph their partner selected out of ten potential graphs by only asking questions about the growth factor, the asymptotes, the domain/range, and the y-intercept. This seemed to be engaging and built out the vocabulary for the chapter,” said Mr. Harlow.
In Mr. Harlow’s Fourth and Fifth Form algebra classes, they have been studying exponential growth. Students are learning how to write their own exponential functions given data, graphs, or real-world scenarios. Students learned about the technical portion of exponential growth. They then began an exponential, linear, and quadratic growth group project. To prepare for that project, the class focused on completing more technical problems. One assignment was a 10-word problem about everything from Mr. Harlow buying a boat, to Mr. Trimback Rios’s hair loss. “These assignments were designed to make students write their own formulas and remember all the rules and help them move between data, graphical representation of the data, and algebraic representation of the data,” said Mr. Harlow. His classes are now working toward a larger scale project since they covered linear models, quadratic models, and exponential models.
In geometry, Mr. Harlow has been able to get more creative. His students worked to define tessellations and complete the math behind determining if polygons can tessellate. They then drew their own and created one using the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics digital version online. Lastly, they located three versions of tessellations in art from around their house. “This moved into a couple of classes on transformations and similar polygons where we used both the Desmos geometry platform and the Geogebra graphing software and brought us to scale drawings,” said Mr. Harlow. The class then worked on a project with the premise that Mr. Chase is donating Eaglebrook land to the city of Greenfield and each student is designing the park and drawing a scale model. Although doing it from a distance, students are still able to engage in the material and complete meaningful assignments.
Please look for more in our series highlighting Distance Learning at Eaglebrook in the coming days and weeks.
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271 Pine Nook Road | P. O. Box 7 | Deerfield, MA 01342 | 413-774-7411
