Ontario News from ExploreLearning : Ideas

Fuel Economy - MPG and L/100 km

I came across Brian Dunning's blog post this morning and it inspired me to draw a few connections between the way we communicate units. The first week of my Grade 11 Physics course has always had 2 objectives: build relationships and classroom culture and delve into real world communication of physics/math thru units (and unit conversions). What struck me about this blog post occured on my way back from dropping my kids off at school while passing the GM dealership advertising "Gas Pain? 60 MPG, 2012 Chevy Cruze".

The question that came to mind first was...

"Come on, really? How can it be that much better than my Honda Fit?" then I asked myself...

"Why are they using MPG in Canada?",  "How many people are mislead by such advertising?" and then...

"How many people even have an inkling of the real meaning (for me that would be $$ per kilometer)  between 40 MPG, 50 MPG and this fantastical claim of 60 MPG?" How would the numbers change if the sign was quoting L/100km?

Here is what Brian had to say,

The salient difference between the MPG and L/100km is not merely that one is metric and the other is not; it’s that they are multiplicatively inverted from one another. One gives fuel per distance, while the other gives distance per fuel.

When we talk about a car’s fuel economy, what we want to know is how much fuel does it use, not how far does it go. MPG answers the latter question, while l/100km is what gives us the answer we want. When we talk about a car that gets great fuel economy, we tend to speak instead in terms of how far it will go. This is the inverse of what we are trying to communicate.

The problem with using MPG — distance over volume of fuel — is that the relationship is not a flat line. It’s deceptive. Values at the lowest end of the mpg scale — where most of us scoff at all such cars — correlate to consumption numbers that are much further apart than those at the high end of the scale.

For example, imagine two cars that get 14 mpg and 17 mpg. Most of us look at them and say they’re both unacceptable. However, consider two cars that register 33 mpg and 50 mpg. Who among us would not clamor for the 50 mpg car, believing it to be far more fuel efficient than the 33? The fact is that in both pairs of examples, the car with the higher figure saves 1 full gallon of fuel on a 100-mile trip. Going from a 14 mpg car to a 17 saves exactly as much fuel (and carbon) as going from a 33 to a 50.

The advantage in using a linear scale of fuel consumption is that it tells us exactly what we want to know, without disguising the reality behind an invisible curve.

 

So, to me this is an interesting inquiry investigation and there are two Gizmos that would be great to use in figuring out your students perceptions and misconceptions of common units we see in advertising (MPG and L/100 km) and fuel economy in general.

         


And the answer to my burning question this morning...

My Honda Fit gets on average 45 MPG, or 5L/100 km and today that would cost me $6.30 to go that 100 km. This fantastical Chevy Cruze...60 MPG, or 4L/100 km for that same 100 km trip would cost $5.15. 

Now, I am clearer on why they are advertising in MPG. What would you choose to put on the sign in front of your Canadian car dealership?

I am with Brian, time to scrap MPG...I think it is bordering on misleading. What do you think?

Sources: http://www.skepticblog.org/2012/05/24/mpg-vs-l100km/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chart_MPG_to_L-100km_v2009-10-08.svg

We Stopped Dreaming

When was the last time you heard a child say,"I want to be an astronaut when I grow up?" When was the last time that you heard a anyone express a lofty goal? 

 

I just love this video...oftentimes, we take for granted the things that really matter and easily dismiss just how valuable they are. NASA's budget is so small ("4/10ths of a percent of a tax dollar") in comparision to the other things that our governments fund in the interest of perserving the economy. And yet, it is an easy target to slash. Why is that?

"The 850 million dollar US bank bailout was equivelent to the entire 50 year running budget of NASA"

How much is dreaming worth? A long term vision - an unwavering belief in possibility. How much is it worth for our students to develop big dreams?

Sometimes I feel that I have a giant dream connected with my work with Ontario math teachers. I truly believe there are solutions to the challenges in getting students to believe math is relavant and, in fact, fun. I believe that if we all took a stand and convicted to - NO ONE will be an discouraged math learner - it could become a reality.

Instead, we look to the reasons why it is impossible and accept mediocrity. It is so much easier to look at the possibility of something delivering immeasurable, but somewhat intangible good, and dismiss it as something we cannot afford. Much more difficult to strive to maintain an unwavering belief in possibility.

The dream of success is always worth what it costs and, sadly, it never goes on sale.

Why is it your job to teach your kid math?

On the cover of Maclean’s magazine this week appeared the headline…

Why is it your job to teach your kid math?

Quite a provocative and alarming headline for a math teacher and parent! Certainly the fact this is the cover story highlights the prevalent concern that is out there about math education and the general lack of success students are feeling. In the last 3 years I have examined many of the Ministry of Education initiatives and resources to support math teachers in creating effective classroom learning experiences. I strongly agree that instructional strategies that build conceptual understanding are far more effective than drill, but I often wonder at what point do we expect mastery of foundational math skills?

In my Physics classroom, I was often shocked at the lack of mental math skills my students had. It was rare to see a student judge an answer using estimation or split a total into thirds without the aid of a calculator. How does this happen? Ultimately I feel we must judge the effectiveness of the teaching strategies on learning outcomes. Do we feel that the learning outcomes have delivered on the promises? Sometimes I am not sure… and clearly the journalist in Maclean’s in also skeptical.

At ExploreLearning we are trying to fix this. For more than a decade we have invested heavily in constructing interactive teaching tools that allow teachers to differentiate and represent concepts non-linguistically. However, we realized that in many cases if the foundational skills in math were missing it becomes very difficult for students to feel successful when doing more complex mathematics.

This is the premise of Reflex. Gizmos are the conceptual tools for differentiated instruction and Reflex addresses the fundamental skill of math fact fluency. These two resources work together to build student success in math.

When I hear that parents are spending hundreds of dollars on math tutoring I get rather upset, especially when I hear that many tutoring companies are simply “flash carding” students with math facts to help build their confidence. Reflex is far more effective at doing this and at a fraction of the price. 

 

Teachers need to be in the drivers seat of their own learning

I have the honor of joining my former colleagues at Fletcher's Meadow Secondary School today to participate in their afternoon PD as a "pedagogista". They are using the Minds on Media approach to differentiate the professional learning experience to collectively uncover ideas toward the goal of effective use of instructional technology.

It's not 'wait for the workshop' any more. It's 'just in time' learning - not 'just in case'. Teachers will gain expertise in asking questions using Web 2.0 tools and in developing, nurturing and leveraging a robust professional learning network (PLN).

                 

I am looking forward to not only sharing expertise but also learning alongside my peers. It is so true what Peter Skillen says..."none of us are fully technology literate" as the technology landscape is changing very quickly.

 

In the workshops I did recently with the Durham DSB math learning teams (PLTs), we facilitators were really concious of modeling the best practice that we were trying to share. For me , it can never be that I am simply "talking the talk" as my actions speak so loudly about my own attitudes toward learning. If I am not passionately learning and growing how could I possibily expect that value to be transmitted to the learners I am influencing. ( See this article for some perspective on appropriate professional development for 21st century teachers )

How are you modeling 21st century learning in your professional development? How can we really craft differentiated learning environments for our students if we are not engaged in similar learning environments ourselves? Today we get to grapple with this question.

Meditate On This!

I LOVE hearing about schools trying something radically new and getting radically GREAT results.

 

Maybe meditation would be opposed in your school, but then again, maybe not.  (more info)

It is so easy to dismiss new thinking and new technology with excuses like, we don't have the money, the time, the energy, or the buy-in before even making the attempt at something that could radically change what we have always done. The question really is...are you happy with the student learning outcomes now? And if not, can you imagine the possibilitiy of a radical change?

It is my job to help monitor and document the success that we are trying to create with Reflex. It is SO exciting to be a part of something that is working to transform student attitudes toward math. How telling is this comment from an Ontario student to you?

“In September I thought math was a nightmare. I do not get good grades in math but I can try to like math more but I am always warming up to it. I like now there are Gizmo's and other tools to help with math especially Reflex. I am now 30 % math fact fluent and I love it. Thank you!”

Convinced?

Would the hard data help: http://news.reflexmath.com/results/

I would love to hear of the new things are you trying that are producing radically different student learning experiences and achievement? Comments welcome!

 

Learning Thru Games

As educators truly interested in modeling meaningful learning and skill development, it is sometimes difficult to determine the balance fun and engagement with instructional content and learning. I like how K. Ash puts it,

 "...how to avoid the criticism that many engaging activities are "chocolate-covered broccoli"—something students quickly sniff out and reject."

This idea was at the heart of the design work that went into Reflex. We are searching for the balance where the fun students are having playing the games translates into not only math fact fluency but also a positive attitude toward their math ability.

If you want a game experience to also be a learning experience you have to take engagement and how kids learn into account. That means finding an approach that interweaves instruction and entertainment.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the term "flow" to describe the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. The conditions needed to create that state are clear tasks, feedback, attainable goals, and concentration and focus. 

Check out these videos and you be the judge. Are these kids in "flow" while practicing math facts?

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students Outperform Using Simulations

I am often confronted by science teachers about the balance between hands-on inquiry vs. "virtual" inquiry. I am of the mind that they are not mutually exclusive but rather work together to craft more differentiated learning experiences. However, Chris Meyer shared this article with me showing that students who used electricity simulations actually outperformed the control group who did not on conceptual questions and real circuit assembly. Very interesting findings. What observations have you had showing effective inquiry can be done virtually? Please share in the comments.

Click to link to the full article.

YouTube EDU

I am regularly in classrooms, computer labs, meeting rooms, libraries, and offices of stakeholders in public education. As a guest, I am at the mercy of the network protocols and filtering of the school or school board that has invited me. Sometimes there are technical problems, other times everything goes smoothly. You just never know what quirky obstacle you will need to overcome before the workshop start time.

One common issue I face with school networks is the blocking of YouTube. Five years ago a collection of my Peel DSB colleagues and I started to advocate for the "unblocking of YouTube" and I recently learned that this effort has now been successful. YouTube is available to Peel teachers! This took far too long.

If teachers were surveyed, I have no doubt the vast majority will say that YouTube has delivered spectacular value to the own learning and the richness of the classroom experiences they construct daily. This is part of the reason why ExploreLearning recently launched a YouTube Channel as a venu for teachers to share lesson ideas using Gizmos.

So, I find it interesting that YouTube has rose to the challenge and found a solution.

YouTube launches a section just for schools

Excerpt written by Jeff Festa: (http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/12/14/youtube-launches-a-section-just-for-schools/print/)
 

YouTube has created a special section for schools, filled with age-appropriate educational content. 

YouTube for Schools gives users access to the hundreds of thousands of educational videos on YouTube EDU. This includes short lessons from top teachers around the world, full courses from the world’s best universities, professional development from fellow educators, andinspiring videos from thought leaders.

Educators also can customize the content that is available from the site. Though all schools receive access to all of the content on YouTube EDU, teachers and administrators can log in to YouTube.com and create playlists of videos that will be available at their school.

School teachers and administrators can log in and watch any video, but students cannot log in and can only watch YouTube EDU videos and videos their school has added. All comments and related videos are disabled, and search is limited to YouTube EDU videos.

YouTube also has created a page for teachers, YouTube.com/Teachers, to help them learn to use the site as a powerful educational tool. http://www.youtube.com/schools  

 

VROC T-Wise Interview

A couple of months ago I was interviewed by Kevin, Colin and Scott for VROC's T-Wise program. If you are just getting started with ExploreLearning Gizmos or figuring out why this is a great resource you will want to have a listen. 



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