Workshop presentation from CMA E-Learning in Mathematics conference on Thursday 23rd October, 2014. Using virtual manipulatives (aka interactive applets) for rich maths investigations.

1. Workshop
Rich activities using applets
Stephen McConnachie

2.  Ran a trial with my Year 9 class
 Design:
◦ Made a quick applet with Excel
◦ Wrote investigative questions
◦ Stuck it in a forum on Moodle
Action Research Project

3. The Applet

4.  What do you notice? What combinations work?
 If you have three sets of three numbers (eg 1, 1, 1, 2, 2,
2, 3, 3, 3) what rules do the numbers have to follow?
 If you have one set of three numbers and then three pairs
of numbers (eg 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4), what rules do the
numbers have to follow? Is this even possible?
 If you have one set of three numbers and six different
numbers (eg 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), what rules do the
numbers have to follow? Is this even possible?
 Other combinations? What about 9 different numbers?
 Anything else you notice?
The Questions

5.  “Make an extension level, where there are
certain rules you have to use which
makes finding things harder, or a problem
which we can use the magic square to
help us.” – year 9 student
The Feedback

6.  “I think it was a good design because it
wasn't too complicated and I would've
been able to understand it even if it
hadn't been explained before we started
doing the activity.” – year 9 student
The Feedback

7.  “The Excel tool… was easy to use and
really easy to pick up even if you weren't
very good with computers. It wasn’t hard
so everyone could use it.” – year 9
student
The Feedback

8. The Feedback

9. Too easy Perfect Too hard
The Feedback

10. Where can I find them?!
 NLVM – National Library of Virtual
Manipulatives
 NCTM – National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics
 nrich
 learnalberta.ca
 Interactivate
 calculusapplets.com
 Wolfram Demonstrations Project
Applets

11.  Take / Embed / Create an applet
 Write investigative questions
 Go
How to do it:

12.  Adapt an existing lesson plan from
Nzmaths
 nrich already has interactives embedded
into lessons with investigative questions
◦ Use these as-is
◦ Use these as a guide / template to build your
own
 Get students to write investigative
questions
Ideas

13.  Find an applet
 Write some investigative questions
 Share it
Your turn