Lillie
At 07:38 PM 2/27/98 -0800, The Old Pro (Jim C. Gajniak) wrote:
>>Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 19:39:58 -0800
>>To: RWW Taylor <RWTNTS@RITVAX.ISC.RIT.EDU>
>>From: "The Old Pro (Jim C. Gajniak)" <jgajniak@ix.netcom.com>
>>Subject: Re: [MATHEDCC] Graph paper--use it (or not)
>>
>To RWW Taylor and to others on this list:
>
>At the high school where I teach
>Algebra and Geometry, our schools provide
>graphic calculators only for the "higher level" classes.
>
>For Algebra and Pre-Algebra classes, Scientific calculators
>are provided to calculate square roots, trig ratios,
>to add or subtract, multiply or divide fractions,
>to change from standard number notation to "scientific
>notation", etc.
>
>
>I guess I'm old fashioned and slow to change; in Algebra-I and also in
>Pre-Algebra, I require the students to:
>
>(1) start with some equation which I provide
>(2) develop an x-y data table of "values"
>(3) choose 8-10 "x-values" with 4 or 5 negative x's.
>(4) manually plot the 8 or 10 points from the data table
>(5) connect the points to get a straight line or
> a parabola
>(6) then, make some conjectures about the equation
>and try to see if or how the equation gives any hints
>about what the shape and/or the location of the function
>will be.
>
>I believe that it's still
>OK for today's students to begin to "feel" and to "see"
>how certain equations give certain plots, and to
>be able to construct/draw the graphs independent of the
>graphic calculator.
>
>>From time to time, when I've allowed students to draw the
>graphs on lined paper, most of the time, what
>they "draw" is fairly removed from what the actual
>graph looks like; so I keep returning to graph
>paper.
>
>In California, our State Math Framework, recommends the use of graph paper
>for high school Algebra (now called "Integrated Math"); I'm not sure what
>percent of our teachers
>use graph paper, but I think that I will poll our
>15 teachers and report back on what they are doing.
>
>The question I have for readers of this list; do you
>think it's OK for students to use Graphic Calculators
>while they are in high school???
>
>Regards,
>
>The Old Pro
>
>
>
>
>>
>>At 10:02 AM 2/25/1998 -0500, you wrote:
>>>
>>> I would like to ask a question concerning current instructional
>>>practices among the individuals contributing to this list. Specifically,
>>>to what extent and in what ways do you use _graph paper_ in conjunction
with
>>>teaching of graphing?
>>>
>>> While some of my colleagues here at NTID believe strongly in having
>>>students "develop a feel" for plotting points by actually setting up axes
>>>on a sheet of graph paper and marking down points with given (or
determined)
>>>coefficients, and some still have students carry out the plotting of (say)
>>>a parabola point by point, I myself have not touched graph paper (nor
>asked my
>>>students to) for some years now. The explorations that can be carried
>out with
>>>a graphing calculator (which we require of all our students), combined
>with the
>>>experience and insight to be gained from producing an acceptable _sketch_
>(on
>>>plain paper) of what one sees in the calculator window -- a report of what
>>>_ought_ to be showing if the calculator could produce a perfect graph --
>>>together allow me to get at all the areas of understanding that I used to
>>>depend on the use of graph paper to develop in students.
>>>
>>> In fact I now find the use of graph paper (or the use of lined
>>>notebook paper functioning as "half-graph" paper) to be _limiting_. I
>find it
>>>much more satisfactory to have students practice setting up approximate
>(but
>>>fairly accurate) scales of their own, and estimate positions of points and
>>>shapes of curves "by eye", rather than having them automatically follow
the
>>>blue lines.
>>>
>>> But I've always been the radical in this department! Every department
>>>needs one, but also needs a degree of control. I've had to retreat in
>the past
>>>from positions I've taken and experiments I've tried, and in general am
>happy
>>>to bow to wisdom from my colleagues. Perhaps I have gone off the deep
>end here
>>>again. What is your take?
>>>
>>>RWW Taylor
>>>National Technical Institute for the Deaf
>>>Rochester Institute of Technology
>>>Rochester NY 14623
>>>
>>>>>>> The plural of mongoose begins with p. <<<<
>>>
>>>P.S. I have no financial stake in this issue, having long ago sold off
>>> all my stock in graph-paper-printing comapnies. :-)}
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>>>
>
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Lillie R.F. Crowley
Professor, Mathematics
138 Moloney Building
Lexington Community College
Cooper Drive
Lexington, KY 40506-0235
(606) 257-2797 Phone
(606) 257-4988 Fax
lillie@pop.uky.edu e-mail
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