Students have been known to complain that algebra isn鈥檛 relevant to anything they are interested in or plan on doing in life. A new multimedia project created by a New York public television station aims to convince them otherwise鈥攁nd to give teachers new opportunities to teach high-level reasoning skills.
You could think of 鈥�,鈥� produced by WNET鈥檚 THIRTEEN, as a kind of educational reality show, with especially strong hints of 鈥淭he Apprentice.鈥� The single-episode program, as well as the companion website, features three short video segments designed to provide an introduction to teen-favored industries鈥攎usic recording, fashion design, and video game development. In the course of discussing their chosen occupations, the professionals featured in each video offer examples of how they use mathematical knowledge as part of their creative processes.
Then comes the 鈥渃hallenge.鈥� At the end of each segment, the pro gives a pair of two-student teams a specific industry-related algebraic problem to solve. The videos show the teams working through the problems and then presenting their solutions. The idea, of course, is that other students can play along in their classrooms.
The program, which aired in the New York area this spring, has been distributed to public television stations nationwide. But it is also available for free in its entirety鈥攁nd perhaps in a more useable form鈥攐n the website at . In addition to the videos and the challenges, the site includes lesson plans and classroom activities. All the materials are designed for middle and high school classrooms.
Pedagogically, 鈥淕et the Math鈥� is based on the idea that students need to be able to see the applicability of mathematical knowledge to situations that have clear resonance for them. 鈥淭he most important component of this is really to help students understand the importance of algebra and how it鈥檚 used in real-world contexts,鈥� says Deborah L. Ives, a veteran math teacher who is the lead content advisor for the project.
Ives, a mathematics instructional leader in Morristown, N.J., also stresses that 鈥淕et the Math鈥� reflects a recent call by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics for teachers to help students develop stronger 鈥渞easoning and sense-making鈥� skills.
As defined in a 2009 NCTM report, 鈥淩easoning involves drawing conclusions on a basis of evidence or assumptions. 鈥� Sense-making involves developing an understanding of a situation, context, or concept byconnecting it with existing knowledge.鈥�
Ives says most math teachers today understand the need to help students develop such critical thinking skills, but often lack applicable materials. That鈥檚 what this helps address, she says of 鈥淕et the Math.鈥�
