Mathematical Lens: The Moving Ladder

doi:10.5951/mt.102.7.0492

Mathematical Lens: The Moving Ladder

Mathematics Teacher ◽

10.5951/mt.102.7.0492 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 102 (7) ◽

pp. 492-496

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Public Art ◽

Pythagorean Theorem ◽

Large Collection ◽

School Students ◽

The Public

For many years, Ron Lancaster's middle school students have interacted with the public art shown in photographs 1 and 2 during a math trail. Selections from the Synopsis of Categories (1992), by Micah Lexier, consists of a large collection of aluminum ladders fixed to the walls of Metro Hall, a building in downtown Toronto. Hundreds of words appear on the rungs of the ladders (see photographs 3 and 4). While standing in front of these ladders, students were asked to think about question 1. After discussing this question, students used metersticks and the Pythagorean theorem to try to resolve it.

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Factual accuracy and the cultural context of science in popular media: Perspectives of media makers, middle school students, and university students on an entertainment television program

Public Understanding of Science ◽

10.1177/0963662516655685 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 26 (5) ◽

pp. 596-611 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Evan Szu ◽

Jonathan Osborne ◽

Alexis D. Patterson

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

University Students ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Popular Media ◽

Science Content ◽

School Students ◽

The Public ◽

Entertainment Television ◽

Scientific Facts

Popular media influences ideas about science constructed by the public. To sway media productions, public policy organizations have increasingly promoted use of science consultants. This study contributes to understanding the connection from science consultants to popular media to public outcomes. A science-based television series was examined for intended messages of the creator and consulting scientist, and received messages among middle school and non-science university students. The results suggest the consulting scientist missed an opportunity to influence the portrayal of the cultural contexts of science and that middle school students may be reading these aspects uncritically—a deficiency educators could potentially address. In contrast, all groups discussed the science content and practices of the show, indicating that scientific facts were salient to both media makers and audiences. This suggests popular media may influence the public knowledge of science, supporting concerns of scientists about the accuracy of fictional television and film.

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Examining the roles of middle school students' locus of control in overcoming achievement gap as perceived by educators at a school in the public Waldorf movement

10.17760/d20316546 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ferdiane Cadet

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Achievement Gap ◽

Locus Of Control ◽

Middle School Students ◽

School Students ◽

The Public

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Presenting Toxicology to the Public: The Middle School

Journal of the American College of Toxicology ◽

10.3109/10915819409140604 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 314-320

Author(s):

Michael J. Derelanko

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Dose Response ◽

Toxicity Testing ◽

Animal Research ◽

School Students ◽

The Public ◽

Basic Concepts

Toxicologists are being called upon to educate the public about the value of toxicity testing and the important role animals play in this regard. This article discusses the importance of toxicologists educating students in the middle school about the science of toxicology and suggests various ways to convey basic concepts of toxicity, dose response, and animal research to students in these grades. The methods described in this article have been developed and used successfully by the author in making presentations to middle school students.

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Teenagers’ Public Library Needs are Difficult to Determine

Evidence Based Library and Information Practice ◽

10.18438/b8m03g ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 108

Author(s):

Jason Martin

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Public Libraries ◽

Public Library ◽

School Students ◽

The Public ◽

Level Of Satisfaction ◽

Stratified Sample

Abstract Objective – To discover the attitudes of twelve to fifteen year-olds toward the public library. Design – Mixed methodology consisting of a survey and focus groups. Setting – An Eastern Canadian regional municipality. Subjects – Twelve to fifteen year-old middle school students. Methods – Using a disproportionate stratified sample and multistage clustering, the author mailed 900 surveys to middle school students; 249 surveys were completed and usable. Those students who completed the survey and who also indicated they would be willing to participate in a focus group were randomly selected to participate in nine focus groups with between 7 to 12 students in each group. Main Results – Discrepancies exist between the teens’ level of satisfaction with the library indicated on the survey (high) and expressed in the focus groups (low). Teens seldom use the public library due to: their non-existent relationship with library staff, although teens who were “active readers” used the library more; lack of appealing programs and program promotion; no teen-focused website; poor teen facilities within the library; and an overall failure of the public libraries to include teenagers. Conclusion – Public libraries need to be more responsive to teen needs to attract teens to use the library. To uncover these needs, libraries should use mixed methods of discovery.

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Teaching the Mean Meaningfully

Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School ◽

10.5951/mtms.2.2.0112 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 112-115

Author(s):

John C. Uccellini

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Conceptual Understanding ◽

Real Life ◽

Pythagorean Theorem ◽

School Students ◽

Life Context ◽

The Mean

Ask a group of middle school students what the average (mean) of 2, 8, 4, 6, 3, and 7 is; they will probably give the answer 5. Ask these same students what the number 5 represents in relationship to the six numbers given and the response usually heard is an explanation of the algorithm, “Add them up and divide by the number of them that you have.” The response is no different if the problem is given in a real-life context. For example, the foregoing six numbers could represent the number of pencils that six students have in their desks. In either situation, the almost universal response of students when questioned about the meaning of 5 from the “add and divide” algorithm demonstrates that students have not gained a conceptual understanding of this basic statistic. This same phenomenon exists throughout mathematics and is demonstrated whenever students try to explain subtraction by describing the vertical algorithm or the Pythagorean theorem by stating that c2 = a2 + b2. Through the use of simple manipulative activities and graphing, however, middle school students can be taught the mean meaningfully.

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