GeoGebraSTEM exploration day/teaching approach

The half-term activity consists of 3 half-day workshops interspersed with home-working and on-line collaboration. Each workshop is part tutorial and help in GeoGebra, part development, presentation and feedback on their emerging work. The three half-day sessions become gradually less structured as students become more confident taking the initiative in developing their own work:

A kick-off GeoGebra tutorial session features ‘real life’ examples such as mathematical modeling⁽ⁱ⁾ and visualisation⁽ⁱ⁾ of flowers, arches, math aerobics, Kepler's 3rd law and athletic performance (Usain Bolt). Examples such as these, or indeed previous student work, are essential to get the ball rolling.

Following this, the onus is very much on the students’ own initiative. The focus on ‘real life’ and student ownership of their idea and project increases student motivation.

The activity engages pupils in group talk⁽ⁱ⁾, mathematical thinking⁽ⁱ⁾ and vocabulary⁽ⁱ⁾. This open ended⁽ⁱ⁾ task encourages higher order⁽ⁱ⁾ reasoning⁽ⁱ⁾, and encourages whole class⁽ⁱ⁾ discussion⁽ⁱ⁾/questioning⁽ⁱ⁾ and inquiry⁽ⁱ⁾ projects.