Entry #6

Davis, D., Herron-Thorpe, F. L., & Olson, J. C. (2010). Shrinking your class. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 15 (7), 386-391.

The authors of "Shrinking Your Class" wanted to convey that a math/engineering project that required students to "do" math helped them to retain their learning and collaborate with their classmates, while being genuinely interested in the task at hand. The National Science Foundation Grant brought fifty toys and two engineering graduate students into a middle school math class in an effort to enhance the students' mathematical learning by using an engineering context. The students were learning about scale factors in a unit called Shrinking and Stretching. The students first measured and explored the toys and to discover different scaling factors. Then a classroom discussion about equations involved and the authors note that the students were developing their understanding of ratios, scale factors, fractions, measurement and arithmetic as a result. The students were provided with materials to construct scale models of themselves for one day, and a spend a second day making scale models of objects that would create a cohesive diorama. The authors discuss that the project was successful in creating an envisioning scene for the students. Time was a constraint because some were not finished after the two days. The teacher commented that the students vividly retained what a scale factor was and how to obtain it months later. The students learned to collaborate, felt ownership over their work and enjoyed the task while applying and solidifying mathematical principles that were applicable to engineering design.


Tasks that allow students to "do" math should be frequently used in school classrooms. One reason is that students aren't as focused on learning the mathematical skills themselves as they are completing the task that requires them to use those skills. In baseball and softball, when players are trying to make long throws, they are taught to aim beyond their target so that their throw will actually get to their target. The same principle applies as students who see learning the mathematical skills as the end goal may give up too soon. But when students are motivated to achieve a different goal, using their math skills as a means, they will still learn the math even if their end goal isn't completely achieved. A second reason for "doing" math is that students seem to enjoy their learning more and can use their creativity. In middle school especially, students' minds are still cognitively developing and their curiosity needs to be nurtured. In the article, the authors note that the students became genuinely interested and concerned with successfully participating in the activity. From my own experience, "doing" math fosters a positive and excited outlook toward continued learning which helps me perform better in my classes. A third reason in support of "doing" math is that students retain the information better. Students have a descriptive image of which they can remember what they learned. The teacher in the article points out that her students remembered how and what a scale factor was months later. Thus these types of hands-on mathematical tasks which allow students to "do" math are valuable to students and should be more frequently implemented.