STEM LESSON PLAN

-


Introduction

My class is IB Studies grade 12 group that I taught. The topic is Probability and Statistics. This is a mixed ability class from multiethnic backgrounds. We have free internet, and all the kids have a laptop. The economical background is mixed among the students, so some have the latest gadgets while others have secondhand ones. The lesson is for 60 minutes, and I keep the 1st and last 5 minutes as a buffer. For this lesson, I integrated Math and Computers for the topic of Statistics or Measures of central tendency. As the backgrounds are in multiple economical spaces, I would like the kids to survey the number of families that live within their household income in our state, New Delhi. The objective is to generate some reflection and empathy among the kids for the diversity in economic backgrounds in the national capital. This work is in groups of 5 to encourage empathy in the kids for each other.

Objectives of the Lesson

In this lesson, the students are expected to:

● Find out their household income from their parents.

● Research using internet the number of families in New Delhi that live within the same monthly income.

● Organize data in groups and convert it using a frequency table on an excel sheet.

● Find mean, median and mode of the data using the computer software.

● Draw reflections from the measures of central tendency.


Lesson Introduction (5 minutes)

“There is enough evidence that multimedia presentations capture the attention of students and that students are more likely to recall information acquired from video clips than when they listen to teachers or read it in textbooks”, (Goundar, 2014). I will show a small video capturing life in New Delhi in its various zones, the economically high and low ones. This is to get the attention of the kids. Following this the lesson objectives will be emailed to the kids in detail with expectations around (a) sensitivity to each other, (b) teamwork, (c) division of work, (d) mathematical concepts and (e) focus on technology.
 
Lesson Development
  • Brainstorm: Students working in groups will brainstorm (Brewer, 2020) their knowledge about New Delhi and the diversity of household incomes. Then they will check their understanding by actually performing internet research on the same. They will pool in the data received and put it in an excel format using a frequency table.
  • Investigate: Students will then investigate the right program on the computer to (a) present the data in graphs, (b) find mean, median and mode of the same, and (c) mark the measures of central tendency on the graph.
  • Apply: Students will apply this knowledge to divide the city into zones as per the economic status to have a detailed view of the capital. They will use a computer-generated map of the city for the same and also investigate and apply relevant computer programs for the same.
  • Create: Students will then create a way to take this information to general public and government bodies to ensure that there is enough attention given to the zones that are in the low economical area in the city.
  • Reflect: Students will reflect over their work with the peers for its social impact and think of ways it can be taken forward. They will give a reflective note on the impact on their own selves of the findings on the city they live in and any empathic discoveries on the other families living within their own income level.
Extension
As an extension, each group will present their findings to the class. This is for the group to have a healthy discussion as the findings in each group, especially the plan to involve the government are discussed. This is the time for the teacher to be aware and gently nudge the students to avoid insensitive comments, if any are raised. The teacher can also help in sharing more computer programs and bring in greater empathy to the diversity in city and its impact on the livelihoods.
 
Assessment
The assessment in the class is the (a) program developed, (b) mathematical accuracy of work, (c) collaborative learning and (d) group presentation. In addition, as an individual task, the students will work at home to further customize the program developed and fine tune it for scale.

Conclusion
The purpose of integrating technology into learning a subject is to enhance the experience of education and also bring in empathy gained by exposure to reality of life (Mehmet & Bilge, 2016). I truly hope that the lesson would fulfill this objective in its entirety by bridging the economical and achievement gap in the students (Cheng, 2018).


Reference

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Judge a man by the questions he asks!

-
Image
Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. (Voltaire) All our lives, we have been told that our smartness is measured by the answers that we have. And here comes Voltaire who says the opposite! My initial reaction is, ‘What does this mean?’ However, since it is Voltaire that says it, I think it must have some meaning and I dig deeper! As a listener, I may learn more by the questions I ask instead of by the quiet judgments I make. As a reader I may gain more by my questioning the text instead of believing what I read blindly. As a human being, I may contribute more to society by questioning the traditions than blindly following them. “The questions do mean a lot in life, not just for the sake of saying it, but for the sake that they define where your life is headed and how you are going to shape your life”, (Inspire99, 2019, para. 5) . As I read this blog piece, I felt pieces dropping in my mind and a change in the way I approached questions. Questions as a way to ...
Read more

Free Maths Resources

-
Image
PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY FILE.  Download only. Others need them too.  Click on each link to get the folder.  Algebra Geometry Numbers Probability Space Statistics or Data Handling Transformation Trigonometry Cross Curricular Games Creative Ideas Thinking Questions Good Websites Senior school Mental Maths Mixed Worksheets Book Links
Read more

Use body to make numbers

-
Image
  "Use your bodies and make the figure of 8". Not that great, but they tried. Activities such as these are taught for the pre-primary kids to do. They learn through their bodies. Primary teachers enjoyed it thoroughly!
Read more