Welcome this second of a four part series intended to provide Math teachers with some outstanding PBL resources. Hope uou enjoyed Part One. First, to ensure you do not miss one of these valuable posts or other resources covering PBL, Digital Curriculum, Web 2.0, STEM, 21st century learning, and technology integration, please sign up for 21centuryedtech by email or RSS. As always, I invite you to follow me on twitter (@mjgormans). Please give this post a retweet and pass it on. Have a great week – Michael Gorman (21centuryedtech)
When facilitating Project Based Learning (PBL) workshops across the country I often have math teachers eagerly ask for additional math PBL resources. They want material that might provide a further idea, a scaffolding lesson, footprint, or even an entire plan for a PBL unit. In meeting these teachers’ needs I have spent hours in research. I am pleased to share with you these twenty-two sites that I am certain can help facilitate Math PBL. Of course I have many things I would like to discuss in regards to Math and PBL… but I will save that for a future post. I hope you enjoy these twenty-two resources that are a part of this four part series. Is there something that should be added? Let me know! Please return, share, and provide a retweet.
Feel free to look at prior article: Part 1
Part 2: Math and Project Based Learning… 20 Amazing Resources
Michael Gorman (21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)
CIMS Industrial Mathematics Projects For High School Students – The WPI Industrial Mathematics Project for High School Students developed over twenty industrial mathematics projects for high school students. Best of all these were drawn from a variety of real-world situations. These engaging projects are available for every level of high school mathematics, from Algebra to Calculus and Statistics. The length and scope of these projects is very flexible. Each project contains enough material for a major, semester-long endeavor, but its component parts can be used in a shorter project of for scaffolding activities. Explore the project database which contains downloadable versions of each of the projects, ready to be assigned to students.
TEDed Math – The TED-Ed commitment to creating lessons worth sharing is an extension of TED’s mission of spreading great ideas. Within the growing TED-Ed video library, one can find carefully curated educational videos, many of which represent collaborations between talented educators and animators. This platform also allows users to take any useful educational video, not just TED’s, and easily create a customized lesson around the video. This link brings you to some amazing Math lessons that can be used for a footprint of a PBL Unit of a scaffold activity.
Mathematical Moments – Authenticity is important in Math PBL. It seems that Math educators are always looking for ways they can show how math is used in the world around us. Discover a site that will help you achieve this goal of real world application. The site is cleverly titled Mathematical Moments and it is well worth the time! It contains free printable posters that are 8.5″ x 11″ PDF documents. These informational posters are available on many different topics in science, nature, technology, and human culture. As you take a closer look many of these posters note that many have a link to some short feature podcast interviews with experts in the field. These posters and podcast could spark the idea for a PBL math unit that brings authenticity into your math teaching.
The PBL Academy – The PBL Academy at Indiana University provides outstanding project based learning instruction, structure, and on-going support for K-12 educators. The provided link focuses on the numerous Math Projects hosted at the Academy. You will find them in the Math Matters Area. Each project is developed by participating teachers. Along with the elements of PBL, each project must also address an actual local ‘need’ which may include an on-going business process or an enhancement of a municipal program, etc. Of course these ideas can be adopted and assimilated into just about any community. When landing on the site you can sign up or log in as a guest.
Real World Math – This site contains a collection of free math activities for Google Earth designed for students and educators. There are some outstanding connections to PBL! As you know, mathematics is much more than a set of problems in a textbook. Students will find that in the virtual world of Google Earth, concepts and challenges can be presented in a meaningful way. While this link will take you to the PBL section be sure to explore other areas of the site that can be used as you scaffold existing PBL units.
Next Post… Part Three, as we continue our PBL Math journey. Sign up now!
cross-posted at 21centuryedtech.wordpress.com
Michael Gorman oversees one-to-one laptop programs and digital professional development for Southwest Allen County Schools near Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a consultant for Discovery Education, ISTE, My Big Campus, and November Learning and is on the National Faculty for The Buck Institute for Education. His awards include district Teacher of the Year, Indiana STEM Educator of the Year and Microsoft’s 365 Global Education Hero. Read more at 21centuryedtech.wordpress.com.
