When teaching any subject, I think students respond extremely well when technology is incorporated in the lessons. In the case of teaching geometry, there are some amazing software programs that actively engage the students and create a fun environment for learning. Two of these programs are The Geometers’ Sketchpad and LCSI’s MicroWorlds.
Geometer’s Sketchpad is a program that allows students to work with a variety of geometric concepts. They can construct polygons and angles, transform them, explore congruency and similarity, learn about parallel lines, discover classifications of polygons, and much more. Pictures can be imported and manipulated in geometric ways, such as reflection and rotation. What’s great for teachers is that there is a large selection of videos and tutorials online, which give many ideas on how to utilize the software and incorporate it into lessons. Licenses for Geometer’s Sketchpad can be purchased in various increments: $70 each for 1-4 licenses, $30 each for 5-19 licenses, $25 each for 20-49 licenses. You can learn more about this program at http://www.dynamicgeometry.com/.
MicroWorlds is another great tool for teaching geometry, as well as other subjects. This program allows students to program a “turtle” to draw, and by doing so, students are learning about the properties of various polygons. One example of this would be asking students to program the turtle to draw an equilateral triangle, which would require the students to have an understanding of the properties of such a triangle. The cost for this program is about $100 for a single license. If you’re interested in learning more about the program, you can go to http://www.microworlds.com/.
In one of my classes for my math specialty, I had the opportunity to work with both of these programs. What was amazing to me was that it didn’t seem like “math”, it was just plain fun! I would jump at the chance to use either or both of these programs with students, as I think they would enjoy them immensely. Not only are they fun, they allow students to be actively engaged in their learning, which in turn will help solidify their understanding of the concepts being taught.
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These were some great software packages that engaged students and challenged them to advance through the lessons. When I used them with my own kids they didn’t realize that they were using math skills to solve problems nor did they realize that they were building more complex math concepts to attain more difficult challenges. I think more software needs to be design in this way. Actually, on second thought, if we wanted to have the students at the highest level of math and science we should introduce it in an online gaming format through the Xbox. Kids wouldn’t realize that they were involved in cooperative learning with other kids from all over the world in order solve complex problems, involving math and science, order to achieve victory in a virtual world. This would give them a place to apply what they learned in school to “their” real life applications.
These are some awesome tools for teaching kids! I would just eaten this up as a kid. It is great that you had the experience to see how children responded to these, and it's encouraging how much they seem to have enjoyed it.
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