Brainball: Teaching Inquiry Math as a Team Sport

by Mickey Kolis, Cassandra Meinholz

Overview

Inquiry is becoming more and more an area of interest for educators. This book attempts to explain why math inquiry makes sense, what pieces are required to do math inquiry effectively (the knowledge, skills and dispositions), and then provides a series of day-by-day lesson plans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475845150
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/30/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	228
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Mickey Kolis is the author of eight books and a veteran public school teacher; he is currently a university professor. Making learning relevant is his highest professional aspiration.

Cassandra Meinholz has taught high school mathematics since 2008. She currently teaches and lives in Fall Creek, Wisconsin with her husband and two sons.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Section 1: Brainball (Math Edition) - Why Social Studies Matter
Chapter 1: Brainball (Math Edition) – The Point of the Game is Learning
Chapter 2: The Big Ideas: Product, Process, and Community aligned with Purpose
Chapter 3: Brainball (Math Edition) Beliefs (Dispositions)
Chapter 4: Brainball (Math Edition) Key Knowledge Categories
Chapter 5: Brainball (Math Edition) Skills
Section 2: Preparing to Coach the Game
Chapter 6: Tip 1: Keep the End-in-Mind
Chapter 7: Tip 2: Play the Game
Chapter 8: Tip 3: Competitions as Evaluations
Chapter 9: Tip 4: Sequences matter
Chapter 10: Tip 5: Explicit Communications
Section 3: Day-to-Day Lesson Plans: Brainball Illuminated
Chapter 11: Algebra:
Lesson 1: Cups challenge
Lesson 2: Observations
Lesson 3: Dependent vs Independent Variables
Lesson 4: Writing Problem Statements
Lesson 5: Picking Problem Statements
Lesson 6: Statistical Investigation
Lesson 7: Gathering Information: Linear Models
Lesson 8: Gathering More Information: Residuals
Lesson 9: Gathering More Information: Go Least Squares Regression Line
Lesson 10: Gathering More Information: Residual Plots
Lesson 11: Gathering More Information: Correlation Coefficient
Lesson 12: Gathering More Information: Association Doesn’t Imply Causation
Lesson 13: Gathering More Information: Correlation Coefficient Squared
Lesson 14: Team Assessment
Lesson 15: Individual Assessment: Barbie Bungee
Chapter 12: A Geometry Example
Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix A: Cups Challenge Team Role Cards
Appendix B: Team Role Cards
Appendix C: Correlation Stations Directions
Appendix D: Association Toolkit
Appendix E: Independent and Dependent Variables Matching Cards
Appendix F: Team Project Scoring Guide
Appendix G: Observations Handout
Appendix H: Idea Evaluator
Appendix I: Colors Activity Data Table
Appendix J: Lines of Best Fit Examples
Appendix K: You are What you Eat
Appendix L: Fortune Cookie Questions
Appendix M: Go Crickets! Handout
Appendix N: Olympics Handout
Appendix O: Scatter Plot and Residual Plot Matching Cards
Appendix P: Correlation Coefficient Matching Cards
Appendix Q: Correlation Coefficient Activity
Appendix R: Arm Span vs Height Activity Handout
Appendix S: The Barbie Bungee Drop Handout
Appendix T: Spaghetti Marshmallow Challenge Role Cards
Appendix U: Quadrilateral Toolkit

Editorial Reviews

With Brainball (Math Edition), the authors have empowered teachers of mathematics with the tools and rationale to change student perceptions and engagement in the classroom. This book is so much more than just another neat idea. It is a roadmap with examples and research, a synthesis of human psychology and pedagogy, and a call to action for those of us in the business of teaching mathematics to create self-actualized learners.

Brainball (Math Edition) inspires me to focus on learning as an adventure. With lesson plans, philosophy, and compelling links to research and psychology, I found myself immediately able to make impactful connections to my classroom. Shifting my perspective to students as a community, and learning as a game with goals, has already increased my student engagement as I utilize some of the lesson plans. Brainball (Math Edition) is a fresh take and a useful new tool for any seasoned teacher.” —Jordan Benedict, Head of Middle School Mathematics, Shanghai American School; Creator of VisualizeYourLearning.com

From the Publisher

With Brainball (Math Edition), the authors have empowered teachers of mathematics with the tools and rationale to change student perceptions and engagement in the classroom. This book is so much more than just another neat idea. It is a roadmap with examples and research, a synthesis of human psychology and pedagogy, and a call to action for those of us in the business of teaching mathematics to create self-actualized learners.

Brainball (Math Edition) inspires me to focus on learning as an adventure. With lesson plans, philosophy, and compelling links to research and psychology, I found myself immediately able to make impactful connections to my classroom. Shifting my perspective to students as a community, and learning as a game with goals, has already increased my student engagement as I utilize some of the lesson plans. Brainball (Math Edition) is a fresh take and a useful new tool for any seasoned teacher.

Jordan Benedict