Math Training Module: Using the Internet in Support of GED Math Instruction

Session Three: Geometry, Spatial sense, and Measurement
1. Exploring Websites

Procedure

1. Ask the participants to think individually and to generate a list of real life situations in which we use geometry, measurement and spatial sense. Allow 3-5 minutes.

2. Ask participants to share their ideas. Write them on the flip chart. Review the list and ask them if learners should have a chance to generate such a list before beginning a lesson on geometry, spatial sense and measurement. Why?
Allow 5 minutes.

3. Make the following points:

• There is a disconnect between the math we learn in school and the math we use everyday. Learners frequently see no relevance between the isolated formulas of class and anything they need in life. Helping learners see the relevance helps them understand why they need the skill
• Measurement is used in every facet of life but many schools stop teaching it in early elementary grades. As a result many adults have long forgotten the “rules.” Helping adults build understanding of measurement concepts makes the “rules” less important.
• Geometry helps learners analyze the characteristics of two- and three-dimensional shapes. Coordinate geometry teaches learners how to specify locations and describe spatial relationships.
• Measurement is a tool to be used in all of these investigations. Without a sense of measurement it’s impossible to make sense of space because there are not numerical benchmarks that have meaning.
• Geometry is useful in solving problems in other areas of mathematics and in real-world situations.

4. Ask participants to explore the websites listed on Handout 3a from the perspective of a teacher planning a lesson on geometry or measurement. Ask them to select three (3) websites to review and answer the questions that follow. Let them know that they will be asked to share their findings with the group. Allow 60 minutes.

5. After 60 minutes, take a 10-minute break.

6. After ten minutes, tell everyone that for the next 40 minutes they will be sharing impressions of websites. If possible, project each website so that everyone can see it during the presentations. Begin with the Coordinate Graphing website. Ask anyone who chose to review that site to share his/her impressions with the group. Invite others who also reviewed it to add their comments, to agree or disagree with the first speaker, or to give a different perspective.

To the Trainer:
If possible get a discussion going as different individuals share what they found on the websites. Did they learn anything they didn’t already know about teaching geometry or measurement? How much of the web content do they think they, as teachers would attempt?

7. Continue in this way through all of the websites. Because you can allow only 40 minutes for this debriefing and sharing activity, you will need to watch your time to ensure that you get to cover all the websites.

8. Wrap up this section by asking for any questions or comments.