Gerrymandering: When Equivalent Is Not Equal!

Autor/inn/en	Safi, Farshid; Bush, Sarah B.; Desai, Siddhi
Titel	Gerrymandering: When Equivalent Is Not Equal!
Quelle	In: Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 24 (2018) 2, S.82-89 (8 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1072-0839
Schlagwörter	Mathematics Instruction; Middle School Students; Mathematical Concepts; Concept Formation; Problem Solving; Relevance (Education); Mathematics Skills; Political Issues; Social Problems; Citizenship Education + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Mathematics lessons; Mathematikunterricht; Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Problemlösen; Relevance; Relevanz; Mathmatics achievement; Mathematics ability; Mathematische Kompetenz; Politischer Faktor; Social problem; Soziales Problem; Citizenship; Education; Politische Bildung; Politische Erziehung; Staatsbürgerliche Erziehung
Abstract	In this article, the authors engage middle-grades students in a series of tasks to develop the mathematical idea of equal versus equivalent, culminating in a gerrymandering task with social, political, economic, and educational implications. The primary mathematical goals of this exploration were to involve students in solving real-world problems involving area and surface area of objects that are composed of triangles, quadrilaterals, and polygons. Students were to find the area of these shapes by composing or decomposing more complex shapes. Several of the mathematical practices are also addressed, such as model with mathematics, construct viable arguments, and critique the reasoning of others. The authors' exploration consists of the following series of tasks: (1) The Music Concert Task--sets the stage for the idea of equivalent but not equal; (2) The Dragon Task--explores equivalent areas, which will later connect to the context of redrawing voting districts; (3) The Island Inheritance Task--explores the realities of differing values and regions for seemingly equal areas; and (4) The Gerrymandering Task: Constructing Districts--allows for the drawing of regions to be manipulated to achieve specific predetermined goals. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-9840; Fax: 703-476-2570; e-mail: NCTM@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/mathematics-teaching-in-the-middle-school/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01