I went to a private school (not a lot of funding) throughout middle and high school and no technology besides graphing calculators were implemented in the classroom. Throughout my experience at Doyle Middle School I was able to see Geometer’s Sketchpad which is a great tool when teaching transformations. I taught the students translations, dilations, translations, and reflections.
I noticed when teaching them the properties of transformations began to jump out at me, and my understanding deepened because I was able to see a shape on a graph and manipulate it. The students expressed how seeing the pre-image and the image of the transformation up on Geometer’s Sketchpad helped them to visualize and have a greater understanding of the transformation taking place. I also liked how precise the computer was when showing these transformations because when doing them by hand they can become distorted.
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3 comments:
Jon,
Wow, thats great! I also taught transformations in the tenth grade at Shen. I know the students were very bored and they would have loved to use geometers sketch pad. It is much better to allow students to see how a graph can change then to just explain it. Believe it or not, I don't even know where the computer lab in Shen is because my teacher never came close to using it. Is that how you showed the students the different transformations (through a computer lab?) Were they allowed to do the transformations as well? I bet the students probably responded well because they could easily undertand what is happening when a point or a shape goes through a specific transformation. Also, I know exactly what you mean about distorted graphs. My students turned in horrible graphs! You should have seen some of the parabolas I got for homework!
Geometers Sketch Pad sounds like a great teaching tool!
Trina
Jon, I also used geometer's sketchpad at Doyle. I thought it was very helpful for the same unit. I also thought that the students really responded well when they say this. I was able to use it on the Mimioboard, which is a lot like the SmartBoard, so the kids could use it interactively. I think they liked it because it was different than their day to day paper and pencil work. Incorporating different activities into lessons is important.
Jon, I wanted to comment on your post because you mentioned how using the graphing calculator helped you, as the teacher, understand the topic more thoroughly. Isn't it exciting when that happens?
I had a few experiences like that at Shaker High. I felt much more confident teaching the subject once I learned how to integrate the graphing calculator.
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