From: Sheila.King@f315.n103.z1.fidonet.org (Sheila King)
Newsgroups: k12.ed.math
Subject: REVISING GEOMETRY CURRICU
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 92 21:42:00 PST
Organization: FidoNet node 1:103/315 - Castle of the Four , Diamond Bar CA

My dept. head recently told me that we had to do something about our D
and F rate in geometry at our school. He thought it was too high. (He
didn't have specific figures, but guessed that it was somewhere between
20% and 30% for D's and F's combined.)

He wanted my opinion on an idea he had to help this situation, which was
to switch the order of courses at our school and have Algebra 2 as the
second course (following immediately upon Alg. 1) and then geometry as
the third year of high school math. I know there are schools that run
the courses in this sequence, but not as many as do it with geometry
between both years of Algebra. He thought that the students lacked
maturity for the topics in geometry and that  having them wait a year
would help.

I won't go into the objections I had to the idea (unless someone really
wants to know and asks). I did think about this for a couple of weeks
before I responded to the question. However, I did feel that it was a
rather superficial attempt at fixing the problem and that we really
could do much better. You see, we offer a fairly traditional geometry
course. My suggestions to him were to radically revise our geometry
course INSTEAD (some of my ideas in the rough follow). Manipulatives
will play a great role in this. He liked my suggestion and thinks its a
better idea than switching the sequence of courses and I'm supposed to
write up some of my ideas by the time of our next dept. meeting which is
this coming Wed. (Sept. 9th).

So, now I come to the point of this message:

Anyone who has experience with geometry in the high school curriculumn,
esp. with revising the traditional course, or with using manipulatives,
I could use your adivce, comments, suggestions, reactions, etc.... (My
background is that I have taught geometry for the past nine years, I
love it and wish my students did too! Actually, in my honors classes I
do a fairly good job of motivating them. The regular students are a
little more of a challenge.)

Here are some of my ideas in the rough:
1) Defer proofs until at least the second semester (maybe even 4th
quarter).
2) Start the first quarter by introducing almost all the objects of
geometry studied in a traditional course, their definitions and
properties.
3) Learn areas and volumes in the first semester (possibly in the first
quarter if time permits).
4) Emphasize use of Miras, Geoboards, Paper folding, and whatever else
to discover/understand properties.
5) Do a fair amount of constructions.
6) *If* we can get the school to purchase a computer (or maybe get one
donated or raise the money somehow), use the Macintosh construction
software put out by Key Curriculumn Press.
7) Use lots of Coordinate Geometry, starting late in the first semester,
and incorporate lots of algebra maintenance so students don't lose
algebra skills.
8) Second semester starts with the study of similarity.
9) Incorporate lots of the critical thinking activities put out by the
(former) Midwest Publ. to prepare students for proofs. Esp. practicing
sequencing and cause/effect type relationships (i.e. drawing
conclusions).
10) Late third quarter we begin giving students "proof puzzels" that
they must arrange in correct sequence.
11) Fourth quarter students can write own proofs and begin writing them
in paragraph form instead of two-column form.
12) In order to get students ready for writing paragraph proofs, they
will have test and quiz questions earlier in the year that require
written answers (short paragraphs) in which they "compare and contrast",
"explain" and "describe".
13) Incorporate measuring.
14) Students will do cooperative learning weekly at least once.
15) Students will draw.
16) Students will build models.

OK, ideas sort of run out at this point, but its a start. I've got to
organize and refine it.

Comments desired!
Sheila
coming to you from Diamond Bar, CA (in Los Angeles County)
                                                                           

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