Five teachers involved with Project MOTIS spent the first week of their holidays at a training workshop run by the project’s technology partner, Texas Instruments (TI).
The biannual three day workshop held south of Levin was designed to up-skill maths and science teachers’ in the use of hand-held technology (HTT), such as data loggers and graphic calculators.
“TI provides ongoing training and support to teachers, ensuring they know how to effectively use HHT to engage students in maths and science,” says Texas Instrument’s New Zealand Education Manager, Yvonne Blanch.
The training sessions were led by Australian maths teachers and TI accredited HHT trainers Russell Brown from Victoria’s Bendigo High School and Jim Lowe from Queensland’s Redcliffe State High School.
Russell and Jim provided the Project MOTIS team and other workshop attendees with beginner and advanced sessions on the capabilities and functionality of the graphing calculator as well as resources, including CDs of HTT activities, lesson plans and downloadable software applications.
Professional development time was an open forum of discussion, questions and answers, and hands-on time with the TI equipment. A field trip to get the group thinking of innovative ways to use HHT outside the classroom was also part of professional development, and saw the group don a motion-sensor vest and hurtle down the flying fox. Colleagues on the ground, receiving information on HHT via the vest then assessed the airborne teacher’s acceleration, velocity and speed.
With HHT there is no need for lessons to be dry says Jim, as the technology gives teachers’ the flexibility to take students out of the classroom to explore the world of maths around them. Back home in Queensland, Jim regularly takes students to the Dream World theme park, where a myriad of interactive, fun and engaging experiments can be conducted.
Although there are no theme parks in Wellington, Naenae College’s lead Project MOTIS teacher, Dr Mary Day says the course was helpful on how to better engage students in HHT and assist colleagues in the more effective use of it.
“I have lot of ideas on how to use the technology in Project MOTIS. I have also learnt heaps about using the technology in the context of teaching students as it’s really important to improve the learning outcomes for kids,” says Mary.
Yvonne says although this intensive workshop is only held biannually, regular training days will be held to keep the Project MOTIS teachers abreast with the latest TI HTT advances.
Andrew Tideswell and Dmitri Fedoulov from Wainuiomata High School, Barbara Aires from Wellington East Girls’ College and Paula Spence from Paraparaumu College also attended the workshop.
