Oct 30 2008
Living in a Microworld
Listen to my podcast or read below:
As part of my immersion activity with Nigel, we looked at Microworlds and in particular the implementation of SimCalcs MathWorld in a Mathematics classroom. Another example is ThinkerTools which looks at Newtons laws of motion (discussed here).
MicroWorlds are seen by Jonassen as beneficial for students as they are an active learning environment which contain simulations of real world situations which the students manipulate.
Jonassen provides the example of students matching the velocity and displacement to motion. It can also be highly interective, with the right equipment, students can even model their own movements.
Research has also statistically examined the benefits of MathWorlds. It has been shown to improve Algebra results, in particular in more difficult concepts, and motivate students (Trotter, 2007). Overall, I see these as an interesting area to try to utilise next year to help improve student learning and engagement. Surely it is more motivating to learn algebra in real world simulations than on a blackboard:
Original Photography: ‘088/365 More maths today’
Made available under Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Available at: www.flickr.com/photos/26604660@N08/2938100285
Whilst MathWorlds is one example, there are surely numerous alternate software available on the world wide web. I found ThinkerTools (KLA: Science) in minutes.
There is a free 120 day trial for MathWorlds for those interested.
Trotter, A. (2007). Project on Algebra Software Seen to Show Promise. Eduction Week. 27(5), 10. Retrieved October 23, 2008, from ttp://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au
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