4. Art matters: Looking at mathematics through personalized projects

Art matters: Looking at mathematics through personalized projects

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

* Educators use multiple learning and teaching approaches. Multiple Learning Approaches

My professional development plan includes integrating mathematics into the classroom using projects that are associated with academic content. This week my students have been taking finals for the third nine weeks. In the math class, every topic is tested on a different page. I coded the number of students who scored higher than 70 on each test and calculated the percent within each class for each of the topics. In addition, I found the overall average of the averages. Data are shared in the table below.

8^th grade topics n = 95

	Volume	Scatter Plots	Scale Factor	Composite Drawings	Transformations
Standard	77.3	86	82	78.2	82.3
Inclusion	58.2	69.6	62.1	63.6	77.5
Math I	84.1	92.6	87.1	81.7	N/A
Standard	75.7	79.1	55.8	70	86.4
Mean for All Classes	73.8	81.8	71.8	73.4	82.1

While we did projects associated with each of the topics listed, scatterplot and transformation projects had the highest personal connection and the highest amount of choice.

For volume, we examined how the volume of a cone and the volume of a cylinder with the same size base were related. This project involved water cups in the shape of cones, paper cylinders, and popcorn. In groups of three, students estimated how much popcorn cones could fill a cylinder. This activity also reinforces that relationship between the circumference of the base and the surface area of the cylinder. It allowed students to work collaboratively and I found them working quite well on the project.

For scatter plots, my students selected ten favorite foods they believed were healthy and ten favorite foods they believed were unhealthy. They researched the number of calories and grams of salt in each, created a spreadsheet using Google Sheets, sorted the data, created a graph of the data, then moved the data to Google Drawing to insert an estimated line of best fit. They saved the Google Drawing as a jpeg and inserted the image into a Google Doc. Finally, they reflected on their findings. This was an individual project.

For scale factor, students watched a great cartoon called “ScaleElla” from MathSnacks.com and completed interactive worksheets associated with the film. Based on the projects associated with these topics, scale factor involved the least amount of engagement. While it was entertaining, I was surprised the students did not retain more information.

Using Google Drawing, students created their own composite drawing and calculated the area. They also used graph paper to illustrate “nets” of the various polyhedrons. A guest speaker provided them with the training of how to use the Google Drawing tool.

For transformations, students had the choice to either create a dance that illustrated their knowledge of reflections, rotations, and translations or they created visual art of each of the transformations using colored pencils and markers. If they created a dance, they were able to work in small groups. The art products were all individual.

In algebra, we launched cannons (pom poms from straws) to illustrate quadratic equations and M&M rolls to illustrate exponential decay as a pre-activity to teaching them details about these types of functions. Illustrating quadratic equations was conducted in groups of four. The M&M activity was conducted in pairs. In both activities, students had to analyze their findings. Both were used to introduce students to quadratic and exponential functions. After the activity, one of my students said, “I really like that we actually do things other than just taking notes and practicing problems in math.” I tell you, art and engagement are wonderful tools for learning.

Advice

1.     I have had students create projects at home and on their own. What I find is that there are quite a few students who are not encouraged to complete work at home. For this reason, I include class time to work on parts of the projects so they can receive a passing grade for this part of the class.

2.     Student interaction and participation are tools that allow students to create information. The project does not have to be as detailed as the scatterplot experience, but it is important that the project relates to standards and their interests. I find that students love working in groups, but they do not always produce good work in that setting. (:

3.     Only one of the projects required students to use technology, but these skills will also help them when they get into high school. I have a teammate who allows them to compose writing using Google Docs and am thinking I will have my students create projects together.

4.     Be sure and monitor how students perform on assessments related to interventions. Even if you give a “unit test,” you can separate out how many students successfully completed that portion of the teaching.

5.     It is also possible to use projects to assess students’ 21st-century skills. Collaboration, technology integration, problem solving can all be assessed easily through projects.