PERCEPTIONS OF MATH

By Mr. Jose Vilson IS 52

INTRODUCTION

"I hate math. It's boring."

"I love math. I really get it."

Question: why do students think math is or isn't relevant? Today, we're going to explore whether attitudes about math leads to student success. Also, do students generally value math or English / language arts more and why? With the shift in focus from manufacturing jobs to tech and finance jobs in America, our public policy has focused on ramping up our math and science classes. How do we tackle the attitudes and perceptions the general public has about math and math education?

TASK

1. Your task is to survey a class (not this one) on whether students think math is relevant to their daily lives, and present on your findings for each class. We have two overarching questions:

a. Do kids think math is relevant to their lives?

b. How can we it better for students?

2. You will create two internet memes from your survey results

3. You will create a PowerPoint presentation with at least ten slides

Words to Know:

Innumeracy - unfamiliar with mathematical concepts and methods; unable to use mathematics; not numerate.

Internet Meme - a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.

PROCESS / RESOURCES

1. Have the class that you've selected take this math anxiety test.
http://www.mathpower.com/anxtest.htm

2. Ask these follow-up questions to each of them:

a. Why do you think you got the score you did on the survey?

b. Who was your favorite math teacher and why?

c. What would make math class more relevant to you?

3. Use the public policy analyst to analyze the problems with innumeracy (Start here):

a. Define the Problem

b. Gather the Evidence

c. Identify the Causes

d. Evaluate an Existing Policy

e. Develop Solutions

f. Select the Best Solutions

4. Create two Internet memes, one positive and one negative, using quotes from the survey. Select only appropriate images for your memes.

5. Put all these in a PowerPoint with at least 10 slides. Here's an example of how to create your PPT. The first should be an introduction of your group. The second should introduce your class (grade, when you surveyed them). The third through the sixth should include your findings, including a bar graph or a pie chart showing the survey. The next few can use quotes from students who had positive or negative things to say about math and why. The last few can be dedicated to your own conclusions and your group members answering the questions.

RESOURCES

Americans Grade Math As The Most Valuable Subject

Nicholson Baker Argues that Algebra II Shouldn't Be a Required Course

How to Get Involved in the Teaching Movement That Could Transform Education

EVALUATION (c/o http://www.bie.org/tools/freebies/middle_school_presentation_rubric)

PRESENTATION RUBRIC
	Below Standard	Approaching Standard	At Standard	Above Standard
Explanation of Ideas & Information	uses too few, inappropriate, or irrelevant descriptions, facts, details, or examples to support ideas	uses some descriptions, facts, details, and examples that support ideas, but there may not be enough, or some are irrelevant	uses relevant, well-chosen descriptions, facts, details, and examples to support claims, findings, arguments, or an answer to the main question
Organization	does not include important parts required in the presentation does not have a main idea or presents ideas in an order that does not make sense does not have an introduction and/or conclusion uses time poorly; the whole presentation, or a part of it, is too short or too long	includes almost everything required in the presentation moves from one idea to the next, but main idea may not be clear or some ideas may be in the wrong order has an introduction and conclusion, but they are not effective generally times presentation well, but may spend too much or too little time on a topic, a/v aid, or idea	includes everything required in the presentation states main idea and moves from one idea to the next in a logical order, emphasizing main points in a focused, coherent manner (CC 6-8.SL.4) has an effective introduction and conclusion organizes time well; no part of the presentation is rushed, too short or too long
Eyes & Body	does not look at audience; reads notes or slides does not use gestures or movements lacks poise and confidence (fidgets, slouches, appears nervous) wears clothing inappropriate for the occasion	makes infrequent eye contact; reads notes or slides most of the time uses a few gestures or movements but they do not look natural shows some poise and confidence (only a little fidgeting or nervous movement) makes some attempt to wear clothing appropriate for the occasion	keeps eye contact with audience most of the time; only glances at notes or slides (CC 6-8.SL.4) uses natural gestures and movements looks poised and confident wears clothing appropriate for the occasion

CONCLUSION

Innumeracy may be one of the most serious issues facing students in the 21^st century. With the growing number of jobs needing students who know their math, it's not just about "hating math," but closing doors to future opportunities in tech and finance, among other topics.

STANDARDS

Math - 7.SP.A.1 - Understand that statistics can be used to gain information about a population by examining a sample of the population; generalizations about a population from a sample are valid only if the sample is representative of that population. Understand that random sampling tends to produce representative samples and support valid inferences.

Math - 7.SP.A.2 - Use data from a random sample to draw inferences about a population with an unknown characteristic of interest. Generate multiple samples (or simulated samples) of the same size to gauge the variation in estimates or predictions. For example, estimate the mean word length in a book by randomly sampling words from the book; predict the winner of a school election based on randomly sampled survey data. Gauge how far off the estimate or prediction might be.