The mathematics of fountain design: a multiple-centres activity
-
Marshall Gordon [1]
-
[1] The Park School of Baltimore. USA
-
- Localización: Teaching mathematics and its applications, ISSN 0268-3679, Vol. 32, Nº. 1, 2013, págs. 19-27
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
-
Resumen
Teachers of mathematics recognize the difficulty of reaching every student when the range of student abilities puts a considerable strainon the classroom discussion and time. In a response to the porblem, students are grouped so that those with greater mathematical aptitue help those who have difficulties. While this approach is to be appreciated, it tends to mean that the more able students have less opportunity to explore further their own initiatives in mathematics, while those who have m ore difficulties find themselves on the receiving end with little opportunity to be in the role of enriching the mathematics experinece for everyone, including themselves. A "multiple-centre" approach is designed to overcome these problems. In this variation of differentiated instruction, all students get the chance to engage the material from a vantage point and at a level they find interesting and challenging as a consequence of theri selecting extension of hte teacher´s initial focus problem. This article will present some findings of 11th year (roughly Fifth Form) average mathematics students at a US Independent School in transforming the standard quadratic equation to represent fountain parabolic trajectories,whic was the teacher's focus problem, along with some multiple-centre investigations they chose. A further set of opportunities with commentaries providing additonal centres for student inquiry are included.
