Sense-Making Math Makes Career Ready Coding
Little did I know this simple program would completely change the way I taught math moving forward.
Since this date, Mike and I started seeing more and more connections between math and computer science. We saw great benefits to implementing code, not only in a school setting, but specifically within the math classroom. We began implementing a coding lesson into each of our math units. What we were realizing is that we could get students to better understand core math learning targets while also building literacy in computer science. What is even more important is kids loved it!
Here are a few of the major benefits we have found as we have started doing this work:
1) From Memorization to Making Sense of Math
As you look at the picture below you will see a very common test question, promoting computation and memorization of a formula. There is little to no understanding of what the problem is asking and definitely not a strong understanding of the structure of the shape. By taking this test question and breathing life into it using code, students are able to create a 3D structure of a rectangular prism by creating the square base and then extruding the sides of the prism to create a 3D shape. From the lesson, they better understood congruent and parallel bases and could 3D print their result from Beetleblocks to explore surface area and volume.
2) Mathematical Modeling
When students are coding in math, they are taking a prompt or goal, receiving and manipulating user input, and ending with a result that gives the user something in return. This program and process is mathematical modeling in its finest as students use graphs, formulas, tables, and different mathematical structures to create a model for a real world situation or problem.
3) Test Ready to Career Ready
With the many standards we are required to teach as math teachers it can many times feel as if we are teaching to the test. When we take a step back and think about what skills will serve our students in the 21st Century, the math skills matter, but there should be a large focus on the 4 C’s: critical thinking (being a problem solver), communication (being able to understand and communicate ideas), collaborator (being able to work with others), and a creator (producing high quality work). If you think about the way your classroom runs currently, are you providing opportunities to foster the growth of these skills? Implementing code into your math classroom can help students become career ready in a technology driven world all while learning the required math concepts.
4) Consumption to Creation
I have found in my few years of teaching, that students are so used to listening to their teacher talk, take the needed notes, and then do the practice that resembles the practice done in class that day. This model does not foster creativity or creation. By implementing code into your classroom students are able to have another way of showing you proficiency over a concept that allows them to be creators and take ownership over their learning. Look at the example below, a typical KUTA Worksheet (consumption) to a graphing calculator in Scratch (creation). Both of these tasks allow students to demonstrate their knowledge of graphing a line in slope-intercept form, however one promotes a much stronger sense of creativity as students create a program that is meaningful to them. The grapher lesson was created by a math teacher in my district, Will Abbott, as he has shared in the joy of giving these opportunities to students.
5) Dependent Learners to Persevering in Problem Solving (Growth Mindset)
As a math teacher, or just teacher in general, one thing we struggle with on the daily is getting our students to become dependent learners who can persevere through tough problems. However, many of us have a hard time with letting our students go through productive struggle. If we give students problems worth solving, they should not be solved right away. Coding allows students to work through a large problem and see at the click of a button if their solution works or not. Coding promotes attention to detail, debugging, and problem solving.
As Mike and I started seeing more benefits with this work we decided to create a website, csandmath.org, to house our resources and help other teachers do similar work. Our website contains lessons for math teachers to help use code to teach math. Everything on this website is free and is created by teachers. There are student guides and worked out teacher solutions, all tied to the math standards. We also have a weekly blog that releases lessons and tips for implementing this kind of work. We have created most of our current lessons using Scratch, but plan to add more lessons using Beetle Blocks and Python in the coming months.
A few of our favorite lessons are:
- The Graphing Calculator: takes equations in slope-intercept form and graphs them
- Coin Flip Simulator: Simulates a coin flip, calculating the experimental probability after each random flip
- Playful Polygons: a program that draws polygons and helps students see the structure in the angles of each polygon depending on the number of sides
It can be a scary thing to try something new in your classroom, however, when it is advantageous to students it is worth the risk. You do not have to be an expert at coding or math to try this work. Your students will pick it up if you give them the opportunities within your curriculum. They will thank you for ages to come, as they leave school ready to thrive in a 21st Century World.
Ashley Tewes
Advanced Algebra and Algebra 1
Chippewa Middle School, North Oaks, MN