Virtual Manipulatives - Algebra balance scales - Negatives

Fendy and I decided to choose this game under Algebra for grade 6-8. This game is known as Algebra balance scales – Negatives where we need to solve simple linear equations using a balance beam to represent it.
The aim is : to make sure the beam balance and the goal of course, is to get a single X-box on one side, regardless with however many unit blocks needed for balance, thus giving the value of X.
Rules of the game :
1. To drag objects that represent the x-box and a block on both sides of the beam until you got the beam balanced and thus represented the equations
2. we must leant that the blue x-box and blue block represent ‘positive’ values of x and values while reds the opposites.
3.we must follow the given equation by draging the blue and red x-boxes and blocks to both sides of the pan until the beam is balanced.
4. once the beam is balanced, then click continue to solve the next equation. Then the initial display shows the ADD option, but you may click on any of the other buttons, to SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, or DIVIDE. The only allowable operations require that you DO THE SAME THING TO BOTH SIDES of the beam.
5. Type in what you want to add to or subtract from both sides, and click the Go! button
6.We also can multiply or divide with whole numbers only if the operation can be done in whole numbers.
7. lastly, The equation is updated with each operation. When you have a single X-box on one pan and blocks on the other pan, the equation displays the solution.
it is an awesome and fun game to be explored espcially for the young children to learn and understand the concepts of Algebra balance scales – negatives by looking at the animation of how when we drag the objects following the equation allowing them to understand how the equation displays the solution everytime we keep on doing the four operations (add,subtract,multiply and divide) until we got the value of x.
It also enhance the children skills on thinking, visualizing,understanding the problems better through the animation and IT skills at thier finger tips.
If you want to try this game, you can try this at :
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_324_g_3_t_2.html

ED1415, Mathematics culture and technology

For number of researchers (Bishop 1988,Clarkson,fitzSimon & Seah 1999, Knijnik 2002), most people tend to see Mathematis as a culture n value free discipline. These authors suggests, each one inn their way, that failures and difficulties regarding Mathematics at school are usually ascribed to the students cognitive's attributes or to the quality of the teaching to which they are submitted.

Thus social aspects and especially cultural aspects, have received insufficient consideration in the teaching and learning of mathematics. From the 1980's however, one can observe a gradual change in teaching mathematics in particular in countries notably marked by multiethnic population (e.g. Abreu, Bishop & Presmeg 2002), concerning a socio cultural issues. Kietel,Demerow, Bishop&Gerdes 1989, show how the social dimension has been affecting mathematics education research and consequently, clarifying the cultural nature of mathematical knowing. According to Bishop 1997,such a dimension stimulates research at five main levels :

1) individual level ; which is concerned with personal learning in and out of classroom
2) pedagogical level :concerned with social interactions in maths classroom
3)institutional level : concerned with social norms and interctions within schools which influence the teaching of mathematics in classroom.
4)societal level ; concerned with the relationship between mathematical educations and society
5)cultural level ; concerned with relationships between mathematical educations and historical cultural context of the society


In r elation to the last level Bishop, Bishops argues that situations of cultural conflicts strongly involve emotional and affective reactions by the students. This has led him to an interest in exploring relationships between affect and culture in terms of teachers' values and students' affect. Based on the literature of the anthropology, Bishops has introduced the comcepts of enculturation ( Bishop 1988) and acculturation ( Bishop 2002) in Mathematics education. He argues that both concepts are intensively linked to the teachers' values in relations to mathematics. Further the author suggests that the mathematic educations that can rely on experiences of enculturation or acculturation, influencing thus 2 effective dimensions of the students' learning. Enculturation is the induction by a particular cultural group of young people into their culture, whereas acculturation refers to the induction into an outside culture by an outside agent.

For Bishop, often, Mathematics is a Pan- human phenomenon in a sense that it consist of 6 fundamental activities that seems to be employed by a number of cultural groups already studied.These activities are counting, measuring,locating, designing,playing and explaining. Bishop ideas about the pan-cultural nature of mathematical activity were developed prior to his later educational analysis using perspective of enculturation.This perspective presupposes the existence of cultural harmony between the school mathematics and the culture students bring from home. However along the development of his works, (Bishop 1994), the author re-evaluates his premises aiming at the understanding of cultural conflicts. From these Bishop return his research towards the hypothesis that mathematic educations may not be a process of enculturation but instead a process of acculturation.

reference : URl add : http://www.mes5.learning.aau.dk/Papers/Frade_Faria.pdf



Mathematics frontier of technologies


The develop world is full of modern technology that we take for granted. Mobile phones, Credit cards, internet, CD and DVD's are only a few examples of innovations that have revolutinized everyday life in the past thirty years. Common to all these is that thier function is depend heavily on mathematics. Another thing is that most of these cases, the mathematics are not invented for the sake of technological inventions. it had already been developed as pure mathematics and lay ready to be applied when the time is ripe..

reference : URL add : http://ercim-news.ercim.eu/content/view/385/640/


MATHEMATICS,CULTURE AND POWER

here one articles about Ethnomathematics.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/749794

visual art class

last semester my collegue and i went to the national museum to do our research on several art's masterpieces produced by the locals. It was held at the groundfloor of the museum gallery and the purposed of our visit was to complete and fulfill few of our task regarding the theme, the medium used and more. we learnt a lot from our findings and thus made us eager to do more.

Here are some of my findings :

The winner of this A2 category has a theme called as ‘ Membesarkan syiar Islam dan pemedulian rakyat ‘ . The image or the drawing reflect the scenario of His Majesty’s prime ruling priority in emphasizing the practice of Islam religion as well as his concern over the welfare of the public. The image shows His Majesty as a role model and the highly symbolic gesture of His Majesty wearing the traditional ‘ Baju Cara Melayu’ serving his hand to applause of the invited guests. Not to forget the public’s attire shows how strong the culture and the ‘Songkok’ deepened more the influence of Islam being practiced in the country as the nation’s religion and mostly can be seen especially in any related religious functions.

Hj Jalil B. Hj Gadong the artist who created this masterpiece used the water color as his media. Notice how details his drawing in this image. He has done tremendous effort and has shown his superb skills using the water color. The blended colors are well executed which has made his drawing near realistic image. The awareness of the light contrast on the image also clearly visible. The fine details on the faces, lines along the clothes are also shared in this drawing. He has applied various techniques such as giving out the multi effects, the effects of highlighting, harmony effects, and the fine effects. His drawing really has contributes the observers feeling of appreciation towards art.

The runner up of this A2 category has a theme called as ‘ Panorama dua dimensi‘. The image or the drawing reflect the scenario of the elderly women selling their fruits at the fruit market while the background shows in another dimension of a building which has a glass wall. The main focus of this drawing is to show the situation at the market at that time. It shows how the element of passion primarily emerges from the expression of the old lady. The other factors are just to support the strong points of the other characters. While the glass building’s wall is just to make the observers puzzles about the location. It is actually represents the condition of the visible elements carried out by the glass showing the activities inside and some striking colors added the dilemma of this drawing.
Hj Md Abidin B. Hj Rashid the artist who created this piece of art used the oil as his media. The image has also emphasizing on the details being shown. He has manipulated the use oil for his drawing. The blended colors are superb. The awareness of the use of light contrast on the image is also clearly visible. The fine details on the faces, lines along the clothes are also shared in this drawing. He has applied various techniques such as giving out the multi effects, the effects of highlighting, harmony effects, and the fine effects. The two dimensions are viewed to extent the artist interest as a process to produce an image of expressing the feeling spontaneously.

This A2 category piece of art shown above has an image or the drawing shown the scenario of Bandar Seri Begawan which has transformed from the old small town into a developed city, a centre of business attraction and a densely populated area. It reflects the pinnacle of success the city has achieved, the greatest quality of administration that has driven and bring the name of the city stand tall. The gold color sketching added the nostalgia of the drawing and created to the meaning out of it which can be interpreted and thus the artist name it as “The Golden era”.

Abd Ajihis B. Hj Terawih is the artist who created this piece of art and he used the Acrylics as his media. In this drawing he has applied a technique of impress line technique as the first process of getting the optional images. Even though the line are not continuously joins, yet it has transformed into a piece of visual art creations. The choice of gold color has raised the stack on the meaning that it carries. As a conclusion the drawing really impressed the observers to try to interpret its motives.