Broadening the scope of a Maths module for student Technology teachers Sue Milne, Sarah Honeychurch, Niall Barr Presented at Moodlemoot Edinburgh 2014 www.moodlemoot.ie

1. Broadening the scope of a Maths
module for student Technology
teachers
Sue Milne, Sarah Honeychurch & Niall Barr
University of Glasgow
sue.milne@glasgow.ac.uk
sarah.honeychurch@glasgow.ac.uk
niall.barr@glasgow.ac.uk

2. Maths Module
• For student Technology teachers
• Varied Maths background
• Used CALMAT software for 15 years
• Revision of Scottish Higher, sufficient for
course

3. Why rebuild this module? 1
• 10 topic tests
• Attendance mandatory until tests competed
• Race to finish!

4. Why rebuild this module? 2
Low motivation:
• Done this already...
• Relevance to teaching?
• Relevance to Technology?
• Relevance to teaching Technology?

5. Why rebuild this module? 3
Technology!
• CALMAT software is server based
• CALMAT now obsolescent/obsolete
– Only runs on old Windows machines
– Doesn’t run on phones, etc.
– Not available off-campus
• Can’t use it via Moodle
• Awkward administration

6. Stage 1 - Ensuring access
• Moodle 2 course
– News forum
– Course info,...
• Topic format
– Online resources linked from Moodle
– Learning resources uploaded
• ...but what about assessment?
• CALMAT has
– Mathematical input
– Randomised maths expressions
– Multi-part questions
• Can we replicate that?

7. Stage 1 – Sustainable Assessment
Questions and tests rewritten
• Sustainable format QTI 2.1
• External Tools using LTI
• Formative assessment
– Single randomised questions
– Randomised Mock Tests
• Summative assessment
– Topic Tests with random parameters
• Results in gradebook – easy access for everyone

8. Stage 2 – Motivation 1
Topics forum
• Intention:
– Discuss the hard bits
– Notify about bugs in questions (and the fixes)
• Reality:
– Bug log!
– “New features” messages

9. Stage 2 – Motivation 2
Topics Wiki
• Intention:
– Contribute ideas
– Alternative explanations
– Examples in context

10. Stage 2 – Motivation 2
Topics Wiki
• Reality – year 1:
– ...blank page effect!
• Reality – year 2:
– Topics “seeded”
– Groups assigned to topics
– Worthwhile contributions!

11. Wiki Contributions 1
Fractions –
alternative
explanation of
addition and
subtraction

12. Wiki Contributions 2
Powers -
using links
to external
materials

13. Wiki Contributions 3
Pythagoras – recognising background and applications

14. Project
4 groups of 6 students
Relate Maths to
• Other course modules
• Teaching

15. Project Outputs
• Presentation
• Resources –
– Shared with rest of
class via Moodle
forum
– For classroom use, out
in schools
• …added to e-portfolio

16. Stage 2 – Motivation 3
“Quirky Maths”
• Links to sites exploring aspects of Maths
– Related to design
– Humorous
– Unexpected applications
(Jim Connor)

17. Mahara
Introduced at the start, linked within Moodle...
...used as wrap up at the end