nctm new orleans - real world math

Copyright © 2009, Facing the Future

Real World Math: Engaging Students through

Global Issues

Dave Wilton

Assistant Outreach Director

www.facingthefuture.org

Critical Thinking. Global Perspective. Informed Action.

http://www.facingthefuture.org/

Agenda

Your Visions

Who is Facing the Future?

Why Real World Math?

From the Teacher Perspective

From the Student Perspective

Ask Questions & Share Throughout

Reward for Your Patience


About Facing the Future

Seattle-based nonprofit founded in 1995

Interdisciplinary global issues and sustainability curriculum for K-12

Over 1.5 million students reached annually

All 50 U.S. states and over 100 countries

Professional development and consulting




The Global Wombat

http://www.globalcommunity.org/flash/wombat.shtml


http://www.globalcommunity.org/flash/wombat.shtml

Defining Global Issues

Have Significant Impacts

Are Trans-boundary

Are Persistent

Are Interconnected


I’m Curious

I Have an Opinion

I Want to Share It

I Want to Be Involved

I Want Bring My Talents

to Bear

Using Math & Real World Data

to Develop Global Competence

Globally competent students must have the

knowledge and skills to:


~ Anthony Jackson,

Asia Society VP of Education

Investigate the World

Weigh Perspectives

Communicate Ideas

Take Action

Apply Interdisciplinary

& Disciplinary Expertise

Think, Pair, Share

What is one thing you are

currently doing to engage

students with the use of

mathematics in relation to

a global issue?

(If you momentarily can‟t think of

anything, what is something you

would like to do?)Copyright © 2010, Facing the Future

Defining Sustainability

“Meeting our own needs without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their needs”

World Commission on Environment & Development, 1987

Flourishing

Environment

Strong

Economy

Social

Well-being

Sustainable

Communities



“When Will I Ever Use This?”

Teachers requested:

Engaging „hook‟ activities

Un-manipulated, real world data

Purposeful mathematics skill

development

Content knowledge acquisition

using meaningful issues


Global Issues (Algebra + Geometry)

= Real World Math

Teacher‟s Guide & Student Workbook

15 NCTM aligned lessons

State alignments online

Aligned with popular U.S. math texts

Students use 21st-century skillsCritical thinking

Collaboration

Global perspective

Multiple points of implementation:Hook activities at start of a unit

Reinforcement of learned concepts

Assessment of learning

Individual, small group, whole class


15 Engaging Lessons

1. Number Patterns: Waste & Recycling

2. Introduction to Algebra: Poverty & Microcredit

3. Modeling Integers: Population Growth

4. Solving Algebraic Equations: Food Choices

5. Data & Graphs: Youth Conflict

6. Number Theory: Consumption Choices

7. Rational Numbers: Financial Decisions

8. Proportion, Percent, & Probability: Global Health

9. Solving Inequalities: Carbon Emissions

10.Spatial Thinking: Solar Power

11.Area & Transformations: Wildlife Habitats

12.Surface Area & Volume: Sustainable Design

13.Linear Functions: Systems & Global Education

14.Midpoint & Distance Formulas: Resource Distribution

15.Data Analysis: Quality of Life


Critical Thinking Questions:

What are historic and current recycling trends in the US?

What are the impacts of waste disposal?

What are ways to reduce impacts of US produced waste?

Lesson 1 Number Patterns: Waste & Recycling



Objectives:

Create expressions containing variables that represent

real world patterns

Explore patterns of US disposal and recycling

Use tables and graphs to organize data

Identify number patterns



Introductory Activity:

In small groups, answer these

questions about the items on

the next slide:

Where does it go after it‟s used?

Can it be reused? If so, how?




In small groups, answer these

questions about the items on

the next slide:

Where does it go after it‟s used?

Can it be reused? If so, how?

Questions for the whole group:

Is it OK for all these to be landfilled?

How many plastic bottles do you use in a day?

How many are used in the U.S. in 5 minutes?

2 million


Images retrieved from www.chrisjordan.com

Partial Zoom

www.chrisjordan.com

Additional Resources

http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn/

http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn/

http://www.chrisjordan.com/

Iceberg Modelfor understanding root causes and

leverage points of global issues



Background & Practice


Waste Not, Want Not

2. How many plastic bottles are used in 1 day24 mil. bottles per hour x 24 hours = 576 mil. bottles

3. If 1/3 are recycled daily, how many are not?2/3 x 576 = 384 mil. bottles OR 576 – (1/3 x 576)= 384 mil. bottles

4. 2 consequences of NOT recycling plastic bottles?

5. Create an equation to solve for number of bottles recycled for any number of hours where B=Bottles & H=Hours

B = H x 24 mil. bottles


Waste Not, Want Not

6. Organize this data into

a line graph

7. Predict the number of

pounds per day the

average person will

discard in 2020

approx. 4.6 to 5.5 lbs

4.6

5.5


Waste Not, Want Not

8. All materials except plastics and

food scraps make up 76% of

our waste stream.

The % of plastics is the same

as the % of food scraps.

What % of our waste stream is

plastics?

(100% - 76%) / 2 = 12%

9. Recycling 4,050 20 oz. bottles

saves 1 cubic yard of landfill

space.

How many bottles need to be

recycled to save 50 cubic yards

of landfill space?

4,050 x 50 = 202,500


Waste Not, Want Not

10. If we tripled the amount

of metals we recycle,

how many million

metric tons of CO2 will

be eliminated?

6.5 x 3 = 19.5 million

metric tons

Bonus: What was the total

amount of solid

waste generated in

2006?

251.69 million tons


Waste Not, Want Not

Sides Debate

Regardless of opportunities for

increased recycling of plastic

bottles, communities should

ban their use.


Waste Not, Want Not

Discussion Questions

Is it important to recycle as much as we can?

Other than recycling, what are other ways to reduce the

amount of waste we produce?

Where is the closest landfill to your house? What factors

influence their location? Would you want one near you?

Will the amount of waste generated per person in the U.S.

continue to increase?

What kinds of materials are recyclable in your community?

What are barriers to recycling and ways to overcome them?


Extension Ideas

Calculate how many t-

shirts could be made with

a given number of

recycled plastic bottles.

Determine the amount of

energy and water saved

by recycling various

materials.

It takes 14 recycled 20

ounce plastic bottles to

make 1 XL t-shirt.



Trash Track: Partnership between the

Seattle Public Library and MIT

Tagging everyday itemswith GPS locators tofollow them through the“removal chain”

Examining the “RemovalChain”

http://senseable.mit.edu/trashtrack

http://senseable.mit.edu/trashtrack


Action Project

Find alternatives for

items currently being

thrown in landfills.

Organize a campaign

to support reuse of at

least one of the items

from the lesson

introduction.

Searchable Database of

State Education Standards


http://www.facingthefuture.org/Curriculum/AlignmentwithEducationStandards/tabid/116/Default.aspx


Ecological Footprint:

Watch Where You Step


The area of the Earth‟s productive surface

(land and sea) that it takes

to produce the goods and

services necessary to

support a given human

lifestyle.

Taking an abstract

concept – “I‟m stepping on a

cotton field in Brazil?”

Making it relevant – “I got

these pants at ________.”

Thinking critically – “What are the impacts of pants

made of cotton from Brazil, sewn in Honduras, and

shipped to the US? How could you reduce those impacts?

Ecological Footprint

“Watch Where You Step”





Choose a:

Favorite Meal

Favorite Object

Item of Clothing

Mode of

Transportation

Diagram:

Resources

Processes

Impacts

Photos courtesy of Ben Wheeler


Ecological Footprint Calculators

www.footprintnetwork.org

www.myfootprint.org

www.zerofootprintkids.com

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/

http://www.myfootprint.org/

http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/


Ecological Footprint Calculators

“Ecological footprint is

not about „how bad

things are.‟ It is about

humanity‟s continuing

dependence on nature

and what we can do to

secure Earth‟s capacity

to support a human

existence for all in the

future.”

~ Mathis Wackernagel & William E. Rees

authors of Our Ecological Footprint

Photo credit: flickr/rosh121




www.storyofstuff.orgA 20-minute look at our production and consumption patterns. Illustrates the connections between environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable world. You‟ll learn, laugh, and maybe change the way you look at the stuff in your life forever.

www.sightline.orgTracing back the layers of distribution, commerce, and production involved in everyday consumer goods, Stuff is an engaging and fact-packed look at the people and places that are affected every time you sip your coffee, tie your shoes, click your mouse, step on the gas, or read a book.

http://www.storyofstuff.org/

http://www.sightline.org/



Interdisciplinary

10 lessons

Correlated with state and

national science and

social studies standards

Explores the materials

economy and its 5 steps:

Extraction

Production

Distribution

Consumption

Disposal


15 Engaging Lessons

















Lesson 2Introduction to Algebra: Poverty & Microcredit


What are some solutions to ending extreme poverty?

What is microcredit and how can it help alleviate poverty?



Objectives:

Investigate microcredit as a solution to extreme poverty

Consider what it means to live in extreme poverty

Brainstorm solutions to extreme poverty

Evaluate formulas for different values

Solve multi-step equations




How much would you pay for the following items?

Movie ticket

Bus fare

Cup of coffee

3-course dinner

Could you buy any

for under $2

Let’s Go Shopping

Where can you buy eachitem for the lowest price?

Which city is mostexpensive?

Think, Pair, Share

Is it feasible to live on $2a day?

What % of world‟s peoplelive on $2 a day or less?

What would life be like?

Where would you liveand work?

What would you eat?

How could the number ofpeople living in extremepoverty be reduced?


Microcredit Business Plan

1. Calculate your total

operational costs (TOC)

TOC = Sc + (n x Mc)


Microcredit Business Plan

2. Calculate your profit

P = n (S – Mc)


Action Project

Organize a “Penny Challenge” to support a

microcredit organization

Each penny = 1 point

All other money is negative points (can be put in

competitor‟s container to decrease points but

increase total money raised).

Trickle Up www.trickleup.org

Grameen Bank www.grameen-info.org

Kiva www.kiva.org

http://www.trickleup.org/

http://www.grameen-info.org/



http://www.kiva.org/

www.globalrichlist.com

http://www.globalrichlist.com/


Microcredit for Sustainable DevelopmentCurriculum Extension Using

Engaging Students Through Global Issues

40 activity-based lessons

Subject areas and key concepts

National standards alignment

Timing and step-by-step instructions

Materials needed and handouts

Assessment questions

Extension activities

Connections to technology, literacy, math, art

Action project ideas

Recommended resources such as: films, books, websites


FTF Activity-Based Lesson:“Microcredit for Sustainable Development”

Research a developing country

Apply for a $100 microcredit

grant to start a business

Create a poster and

presentation of your plan

and have plan approved

by a panel of “experts”


15 Engaging Lessons

















Lesson 13 Linear Functions: Systems & Global Education


How can understanding systems help us find solutions to

large and complex problems?

How can we redesign a system to achieve a desired

outcome?

What part does education play in creating a stable future?

Objectives:

Graph linear functions

Calculate slope

Use systems thinking to look at problems

Discover worldwide trends in primary school completion




“Bears In The Air” – Only 2 Rules:1. Everyone must touch the bear

2. Must touch it in the same order each time

Stand in a circle, practice for one round

Time 2 rounds, trying to get faster each round, plot on coordinate plane

Plot slope using first 2 rounds

Use y = mx + b to estimate 8th round

Exploring limits to success



Bears In The Air

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Trial Number

Tim

e i

n S

ec

on

ds

Time

Limits to Success


Making the Grade


Making the Grade

Discussion Questions

How would life be different for you if you were not able to attend school?

What role does education play in shaping the future?

What might be some

consequences of not encouraging

worldwide education?

Why are the goals for the 4

regions different from the actual

numbers of students completing

primary school?

Action Project

Identify a local system in their community

that is in need of reform.

Create a proposal that would help

transform this system to make a positive

difference.

Present findings to stakeholders and

decision makers



Facing the Future Resources

Student textbooks

Preview chapters available

online

Teacher Lesson Plan Books

Over 25 lessons available for free at


1-2 week curriculum units

All available online to WA teachers for free



Staying Connected

Visit www.facingthefuture.org

Sign up for FTF e-newsletter

Be a Peer Educator

Provide feedback via survey

Contact FTF:

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

“We must teach our students that

they can be architects of the future,

rather than its victims.”

~ Buckminster Fuller, Architect and Philosopher

nctm new orleans - real world math

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