Building Bridges: Analogies and Media in the Secondary Mathematics Classroom

Submission Type

Event

Expected Graduation Date

2013

Location

Lower Level, Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University

Start Date

4-20-2013 9:00 AM

End Date

4-20-2013 10:00 AM

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

Students enrolled in high school mathematics courses are there to complete graduation requirements and not because of an interest in the subject matter. When students are asked about math, one hears terms such as “boring," “uninteresting,” and “hard." As a new math teacher, increasing student engagement is critical to successful teaching. Analogies and social media within everyday lessons is one approach to connect mathematical concepts to students’ lives. With this qualitative self-study, I explored how to incorporate analogies and social media into the mathematics classroom and how students responded. Data for this paper was collected in an Algebra II classroom using field notes, test comparisons, and student reflections. The findings indicate incorporating analogies and social media in the classroom keeps students engaged longer and increases their participation. This study supports creating connections between mathematics and student interest and prior knowledge in order to increase student engagement.

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Apr 20th, 9:00 AM Apr 20th, 10:00 AM

Building Bridges: Analogies and Media in the Secondary Mathematics Classroom

Lower Level, Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University

Students enrolled in high school mathematics courses are there to complete graduation requirements and not because of an interest in the subject matter. When students are asked about math, one hears terms such as “boring," “uninteresting,” and “hard." As a new math teacher, increasing student engagement is critical to successful teaching. Analogies and social media within everyday lessons is one approach to connect mathematical concepts to students’ lives. With this qualitative self-study, I explored how to incorporate analogies and social media into the mathematics classroom and how students responded. Data for this paper was collected in an Algebra II classroom using field notes, test comparisons, and student reflections. The findings indicate incorporating analogies and social media in the classroom keeps students engaged longer and increases their participation. This study supports creating connections between mathematics and student interest and prior knowledge in order to increase student engagement.