1 Web for Mathematics Education & Ohio Resource Center Support for teachers Mike Mikusa & Paul Wang Kent State University

2 What is WME? W eb for M athematics E ducation Available for use in classrooms by teachers to facilitate their teaching and their students’ learning. These pages include: text, pictures, interactive tools, an assessment system, and other features. Student lesson.

3 What is WME continued WME lessons provide a context where students can explore an idea, make conjectures, and justify their conjectures; and provide teachers a way to capture some of the student thinking. Teachers can add questions for students to complete in WME. Responses are collected immediately.Responses

4 Topic Modules (units) We are developing topic modules (units) that focus on “big ideas” in mathematics. We have made a few for 7th grade. To make these modules more “teacher friendly” we are going to pull together several teacher resources in addition to lessons. (Assessments, Research on the topic, tips on implementing the lesson, etc.)

5 Ohio Resource Center: Partners ORC already has peer-reviewed lessons that exemplify best practice. Assessments (ODE and NAEP) Teacher resources (Research, & tools) Link to Centers of Excellence for lesson facilitation and PD. Common goal: To improve Mathematics (Science, Language arts) teaching and learning.

6 Working together WME has the capabilities to deliver best practice lessons (from ORC), useful tools, and an integrative assessment system. The modules created using the WME system will be peer reviewed (ORC review board) and hosted online at ORC for teachers to use. Centers of Excellence will recruit teachers who use the modules to discuss issues of teaching and learning.

7 Pilot tests have shown success The two 7th grade teachers an 8th grade teacher and a 6th grade teacher have been using WME lessons. Several graduate students and both Mathematics Educator and Computer science professors have been providing support and collecting data.

8 Teachers involved in the pilot made the following observations : “ One of the great features of WME is its customizability. As a teacher, I found I was never quite satisfied with the examples in many textbooks because they didn't necessarily help the kids to become more sophisticated mathematical thinkers.” “Being able to customize modules like those in WME allows a teacher to sequence examples that help students to work toward generalization of an idea, and to be able to do this with the engaging and useful tools and modules on WME is terrific for students and teachers alike.”

9 Students using WME have said:  I kind of didn’t like the first page but after I started understanding it, it became fun.  I liked the colors; it was cool.  I liked the demo you could do for the inequality graphs  Cool  It made me think  The picture of the tall and short man. Cool.

10 Advantages of WME Compatibility – Any standard modern web browser can access WME pages. Interoperability – The Web system can be used by any school with a web server via internet or intranet. Pages can be customized to a specific school, individual teachers, and their individual classes.

11 Advantages of WME Customized tools available for specific tasks– No need to learn entire software packages. Customized tools Units, lesson pages, and research-based tasks ready made; also modifiable. Web has unlimited access to up-to-date information, and “real world” data to capture student interest.

12 Advantages of WME WME pages arouse curiosity about mathematics help to motivate students and keep them actively engaged in the mathematics that teachers need them to reflect on during class.curiositymotivate actively engaged

13 WME – Proposal Create a research-based WME module (grade level to be determined) using ORC “best practice” lessons to pilot. (Work to getting this ready by fall). Identify teachers who would pilot the WME module and associated resources. (Fall 2006). Gather data in conjunction with Centers of Excellence partners. (Fall 2006). Evaluate and develop additional modules. (depends on resources available)