Journal Articles

Taking It to the Next Level: Students Using Inductive Reasoning
Jaclyn M. Murawska & Alan Zollman

     This article talks about using a geoboard activity along with an inquiry continuum to promote the use of inductive reasoning among students. On the continuum the lowest level is confirmation inquiry going higher to structured, then guided and the highest level open. For this activity in the first three levels the students are given the question that they must answer about their geoboards and in the third level they must come up with their own questions to investigate. As you progress through the activity the students receive less support in working with the question at hand. This increases their ability to reason inductively without overwhelming them.
     I liked the idea of starting at the first level and working your way up the continuum throughout the lesson in order to really support your students learning and to slowly back off without giving students too much all at once. I think that the idea of using the continuum for instruction in math is beneficial to students and can be used for various different lessons and concepts. I also liked that they talked about not only teaching one standard in the lesson, but rather teaching standards that are connected or linked with each other. They go hand in hand and work well with each other. I like the general idea behind the lesson and the specific activity described in the article and would more than likely use it in my own classroom.

"I Don't Really Know How I Did That!"
R. Scott Eberle

     This article explores using tessellations as a valuable learning tool in geometry. With these pattern blocks students can explore mathematical complexity, symmetry, validity, uniqueness, units, surprise, and connections. The activities described in this article seemed endless. It talked about having students create patterns with one shape and multiple shapes. It talked about challenging them to create patterns that had reflective lines of symmetry and rotational symmetry. The article also talked about how students like to make connections to real world objects that they recognize when they are working with the pattern blocks. This can be a good thing, but it can also block their creativity of they focus on that too much.
     I think that these blocks are good for a variety of different ages and allow for a wide variety of activities that students can learn from. In the younger grades you can introduce these blocks and have students start looking at the number of sides and corners that shapes have. You can have them start creating patterns that continue in one direction. Then you can begin looking at angles and patterns that extend on forever in all directions as the students get older.