Motivating students: to achieve higher-order thinking skills through problem solving

Author(s): Mary L. Giannetto and Lynda Vincent

Source: The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 95, No. 9 (DECEMBER 2002), pp. 718-723
Published by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
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CHARING TEACHING IDEAS

MOTIVATING STUDENTS
TO ACHIEVE HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS
THROUGH PROBLEM SOLVING
Many high school teachers have concerns about Students investigateNewton's laws ofmotion and
their students' ability to apply mathematical skills apply them to specificproblem-based activities.
to other disciplines and situations. Some teachers Students design and build a working model to
believe that students should not "learnmath in a
apply the principles ofprojectilemotion.
vacuum." One way to enhance students' under
Students design and build a working model to
standing of the concepts learned inmathematics
apply Bernoulli's principles of aerodynamics.
class is to apply mathematical skills to other sub
ject areas, especially science and technology. Each thematic unit of study contains eight to ten
As educators, we need to ask ourselves the fol hands-on problem-solving activities. The firstactiv
lowing questions: ity is a research project; in the example of the flight
unit, students investigate and compare methods of
How can we motivate high school students to ap
propulsion and flight.Students firstwork individu
ply theirmathematical skills to other disciplines?
ally on their research, and then they compare their
How can we help students become independent results in pairs. The student pairs then communi
problem solvers? cate their findings to the entire class. An example
How can we motivate students who have previ ofa research project is comparing the flight of a
ously been unsuccessful inmathematics and hang glider with that of a flying squirrel. The class
science? generates topics in a student-centered brainstorm
The authors' goal in addressing these needs is to
Thematic target high school students who have taken the
units of minimum number of required mathematics and sci
ence courses at the lowest possible level so that
studypique they can graduate. We find thatwe can motivate
students9 students to learn and apply their skills inmathe
matics and science by developing an integrated
curiosity
mathematics, science, and technology (MST) course
about the that is based entirely on problem solving. The MST
integrated course uses a unique approach to learning: themat

uses ofmath ic units of study pique students' curiosity about the

integrated uses ofmathematics and science. The
ematics and
prerequisites for this course are one year ofhigh
science school algebra and one year of any high school labo
ratory science. The course is taught in an extended
block of time.An eighty- to ninety-minute class
period is ideal.
In this article,we present parts of a single unit Photographby LyndaVincent,all rightsreserved

of study on flight.Flight interestsmany students

and furnishes a natural context forproblem-solving
activities that involvemathematics and physics. practical tipson teaching
"SharingTeaching Ideas" offers
cur
topics related to the secondary school mathematics
The objectives of this unit are the following:
riculum. We hope to include classroom-tested approaches
Students begin to understand the basic concepts that offernew slants on familiar subjectsfor the begin
offlight. ning and the experiencedteacher.Of particular interest
are alternative assessment. See the
forms of classroom
Students investigate and research natural and masthead page fordetails on submitting
manuscriptsfor
man-made flightdesigns. review.

TEACHER
718 MATHEMATICS

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Photographby LyndaVincent,all rightsreserved
equations and interpretinggraphs on their graph
ing calculators. Self-assessment allows students to
reflecton the reasons for their successes or failures,
and they can improve their designs.
This activity and many others like itmotivate
students, especially thosewho would normally have
taken only themost basic mathematics and science
courses needed to graduate. Through their success Self
es in this course,many students who are not on a assessment
college-bound track choose not only to takemore allows
challengingmathematics and science courses but
have also continued their education at a post students to
secondary school. improvetheir
This course is in its seventh year of existence.
We limit the class size to no more than twenty stu designs
dents. The passing rate has been higher than 85
percent each year. The enthusiasm of students in

ing activity,which may be supplemented by sugges GRADING POLICY FOR SHEET J

tionsfrom the teacher.A list of ideas generated by Parabolic motion
our students includes helicopters, bumblebees,
Design 25%
dragonflies, gliders, kites, flying squirrels, and bats. a) Functional
Students use the Internet to research their topics. b) Safe
The students' favorite activity in the flightunit c) An approved drawing of the design
involves parabolic motion. This activity takes place Operation of launcher and hitting the target area 25%
around themiddle of the school year. Students have Lab writeup 50%
already studied trigonometryand parametric equa
tions. The students have also had some experience Grading rubric
with graphing calculators. Working in pairs, stu 90-100 1.Mathematical, scientificand technology terms are correctly
used.
dents design a golf-ball launcher (see sheet 1). Stu
2. All calculations are correct.
dents use formulas to calculate the answers to
3. All graphs, charts, designs, and so on are correct.
problems 1, 2, and 3 on sheet 2, then they apply 4. Sequence of events is communicated correctly.
the techniques that theyhave practiced tomake 5. Error analysis is correct.

predictions about the velocity,distance, and angle 6. Conclusion is logical.

measure of their launchers. They can also use para 7. The student has applied what he or she learned to other areas
metric equations tomake predictions. They use (extensions).
8. A reflectionabout the activity is included.
their device to calculate the initial velocity of their
launcher. Then, using the calculated initial velocity, 80-69 1.Mathematical, scientific,and technological terms are correctly
used.
parametric equations, and a graphing calculator, 2. All calculations are correct.
students predict the horizontal distance that their 3. All graphs, charts, designs, and so on are correct.
golf ball will travel to hit a target, given a specific 4. Sequence of events is communicated in a somewhat logical
angle, and calculate the launch angle necessary to order.
hit a target at a specifiedhorizontal distance from 5. Error analysis ismostly correct.
the launcher.As with all the activities in each the 6. The work shows a conclusion.
7. A reflectionabout the activity is included.
matic unit, the teacher uses a series of rubrics for
assessment. Figure 1 shows the grading policy for 70-79 1. Terminology is used.
2. Calculations are included.
sheet 1. The design of the launcher and the list of
3. Graphs, charts, and so on are used.
materials are generated entirelyby the students. 4. Sequence of events is communicated.
Completing this activity not only improves stu 5. An error analysis is included.
dents' mathematics and science skills but also 6. A conclusion is present.
helps them learn about the other forces that affect 60-69 1. Terminology is incorrectlyused.
the flight of their projectile. Students soon discover 2. Few calculations are included, or calculations are not correct.
ofthegolfball isaffected
thattheflight bysuch 3. No graphs, charts, and so on are included.
variables as wind, barometric pressure, changes in 4. No error analysis is included.
5. Conclusion is incorrect.
temperature that affect the elasticity of rubber, and
the dimpling of the golf ball's surface. Students Fig. 1
enhance their technology skills by using parametric

Vol. 95,No. 9 December 2002 719

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 the class ensures a full class the followingyear.At RESOURCES
the end of each year,we ask the students towrite TI Cares magazine
an evaluation of the course. Students are over www.nasa.gov

whelmingly positive and often suggest new activi www.exploratorium.edu

www.sciam.com
ties. The course is always a work in progress.We
www.ti.com
continue to supplement and change activities
according to the needs of our students. Anyone
interested in learningmore about our course can The authors would like to acknowledge their col
contact the authors. leagues who collaborated with them inwriting this
course. They are Chris Rogine, ofPawling High
SOLUTIONS School, Pawling, NY 12564; and Craig Trachten
1. a) initial velocity = 80.4 ft./sec. berg and Eric Harvey, ofWebutuck High School,
b) initial velocity = 98.04 ft./sec. Amenia, NY 12501.
c) initial velocity = 131.64 ft./sec.
L. Giannetto
2. a) time = 2.8 sec; distance = 154.45 ft. ^^ j Mary
b) time = 1.7 sec; distance = 111.1 ft. ^^^BH^H giannettom@northsalem
c) time = 3.5 sec; distance = 150.8 ft.
.k.l2.ny.us

3. a) 19.1 degrees
b) 9.4 degrees

Students' actual resultsmay vary because of

Lynda Vincent
wind, air temperature, elasticity, and so on. There
Lyndav53@aol. com
fore, calculation is a starting point to predict actual
distances.
North Salem High School
North Salem, NY 10560

Mr

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FLIGHTUNIT: SUMMARYOF ASSIGNMENT SHEET 1

a area
Objective: To design a launching device that propels a golf ball to hit target

Suggested materials: Wood, target, dowels, piece of leather, bungee cords, screws, hinges, nails,
protractors, graphing calculator, glue, golf ball

Construction:
1. Students draw a design of a launching device; the teacher must approve the design.
2. Students generate a listof materials needed for theirdesign.
3. After the teacher approves the design, students build their launching devices.

Procedure:
1. Students perform trials to determine launch angle formaximum horizontal distance.
2. Students use the determined launch angle to calculate initialvelocity.
3. Students are given specified angles, and they compute the horizontal distance that the projec
tilewill travel. Students may take two or three trials to prove that theircalculations are correct.
4. Students are given specified distances to the target area, and they compute the angles neces
sary to hit the target. Students may take two or three trials to prove that theircalculations are
correct.

From theMathematics Teacher,December 2002

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PARABOLICMOTION SHEET 2A

This worksheet familiarizes you with the equations that are necessary to calculate the initialveloci
tyof your launching device.
When a projectile is launched at an angle from the horizontal, two forces act on the
body that is
inmotion. One is the horizontal force, and the other is the vertical force. The necessary
equations
are as follows:
=
sx v0t cos 0,
the distance along the horizontal axis, and

= + v0tsin 6 + h,
sy
-^gt2
the distance along the vertical axis raised some height h above the ground, where sx is the hori
zontal displacement (distance);sy is theverticaldisplacement;v0 is the initial
velocity;t is the time
of flight;
0 is the launchangle; g is thegravitational
constant32 ft./sec,or 9.8 m/sec; and h is the
height above the ground of the launching device.

To start, let the launch angle 0 equal 0?. Since cos 0? = 1 and sin 0? = 0, the
previously given
= =
equations simplify to sx v0 t and sy -{M2)gt2 + h.
You can findthe initial
velocityof an object ifyou know thehorizontaldistance that ittravelsand
the time taken to travel that distance. Since the time taken to travel a certain distance is the same
as falling froma given height, we can use the formula

o= + h.
-\gf
Once you have the time and know the horizontal distance traveled, you can use the formula
=
sx v0t cos 0.
1.Calculate the initialvelocity ineach of the following examples:
=
a) height 5 feet, and horizontal distance = 45 feet

= 1.6
b) height feet, and horizontal distance = 31 feet

= 12
c) height feet, and horizontal distance = 114 feet

From theMathematics Teacher,December 2002

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 MOTION-Continued
PARABOLIC SHEET2B

After you know the initialvelocity of your launcher, you can calculate the horizontal distance
that your projectile will travel fora given angle by using the formulas

0= + v0t s\n6 + h
-^gt2
and
=
sx v0t cos 0.

2. In the following examples, let the initialvelocity, v0, be 70 feet/sec, and let the height be 5. Com
will travel.
pute the time and horizontal distance that the projectile
=
a) 0 38 degrees

=
b) 0 21 degrees

=
c) 6 52 degrees

Hint: use the formula

0 = -Igt2 + v0t sin 6 + h

\gt2
=
to find time, and then use sx v0t cos 0to find the horizontal distance.

3. You can use the equation

-1 sX
6 = sin ?

to find the angle ifyou know the horizontal distance that the projectile traveled and its initial
velocity. Find the angle foreach of the following:
= = 115 feet
a) velocity 75 feet/second, and sx

= 42 feet/second, and sx = 36 feet

b) velocity

From theMathematics Teacher,December 2002

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