Math in Project-Based Classrooms Amy Callahan 11 th Grade Math

Elements to consider when designing a math project Skills that will be learned Content that will be learned Grade-level-appropriate content Relevant to students (not just you) Ability to differentiate The “hook”

Where do math projects come from? Way 1: Project idea comes first, then decide what math goes along with it Radio Books Colleagues Students Art Other

Where do math projects come from? Way 2: Math idea comes first, then decide what project might expand upon it –Finding centroids of shapes in Calculus – making mobiles –Volume of solids – making 3D animals –Circles, tangents, arcs – gothic architecture

Project Sample 1: IOUSA (evolved from Maxed Out) Where the Project Came From –Elizabeth Warren’s story on NPR Project Goals –All students learn about credit cards –All students learn about exponential growth and decay –Students further pursue knowledge in the financial area of their choice (more varied than Maxed Out from the previous year)

IOUSA Project Outcomes –All students educated about basic finances –All students are more aware consumers –All students able to share knowledge with a relevant audience (plan audience ahead of time)

IOUSA Why this project worked –Relevant to 17 year-olds –Student choice in product –Content could be varied by group –Grade-appropriate math –The hook: no one is looking out for you but you, credit cards, etc. are out to get you!

Project Sample 2: Elections Where the project came from –Election year Project Goals –Students think across math, humanities and science –Students deepen their understanding of the hot button political topics –Students gather, analyze and interpret data in numerical and graphical form –Students become involved in the community

Elections Project Outcomes –All students more aware of politics –All students able to graph and interpret data –All students more familiar with the election process

Elections Why this project worked –Relevant to students since it gave them a voice in the elections –Student choice in their research question –Connected students to the community –The hook: your chance to have a voice in an election you are affected by, but can’t vote in

Project Sample 3: Casino Where this project came from –Previous experience with probability in a Forensics project, wanted to deepen students understanding of probability Project Goals –Students deepen their understanding of permutations, combinations and probability –Students create their own casino game that uses the odds to make their game tempting but still profitable

Casino Project Outcomes –Students gained experience in probability –Students gained confidence in doing really hard math (even hard for me at times!) –Students less likely to gamble!

Casino Why this project worked –Challenged students mathematically –All different levels and types of math –Encouraged creativity –Students had fun balancing making a profit versus making customers –The hook: learn to gamble (and really learn why not to), be savvy about perceptions

Project Sample 4: The CONCEPT(ual) ART Project Where this project came from –Students expressed a desire for art; my personal passion for conceptual art (Sol Lewitt, Mel Bochner, etc.) Project Goals –Students use geometric thinking to design a piece of art –Students use precise language or diagrams to give explicit instructions –Students gain an appreciation for the arts

CONCEPT(ual) ART Project Outcomes –Students improved their visual thinking skills –Students improved on organizing their thoughts –Students had fun painting, but in a mathematical way

CONCEPT(ual) ART Why this project worked –Hands-on, but also minds-on –Students motivated by art (self-reported) –Choice in design –Differentiated math

Biggest Math Project Mistakes Hands-on, but not minds-on –Students build a boat for geometry class, but never measure anything The timeline/ amount of content –Doing a six week project in six days, or vice versa No variety in the math or product –All students are calculating the exact same thing with the exact same result The level of math –You teach 12 th grade, but your students are doing a project measuring the ratio of trees to people

What about math outside of projects? ALEKS Interact Math Exeter Teacher-made practice Honors Work (upper grades)

Continuing Struggles Balancing projects (real world learning) and skills (procedural fluency) Standardized Tests Preparing for college, but also life beyond Math is separate now, making sure not to lose connectivity

Resources My Website: – Jesse Wade Robinson’s Website: – *For more student work, please view Class of 2011 DP’s at: (approximately half of these students are mine)