An educational need that I have come to recognize in our curriculum is that students have difficulties translating distances. They understand and recognize distance, but to a certain degree, it is an abstract concept that does not translate well for them. Students need to understand the concept of distance not only because of state standards, but because, regardless of what they choose to do in their lives, distance will always be a factor. If students are given the tools and opportunities to explore and understand distance through math and social studies, in particular, their understanding will increase, leading them to possess a real-world skill that can (and will) be used throughout their lifetimes.
My solution to this wicked problem is to provide students with a variety of tools that will enable them to calculate distance as something tangible where they can experience it first-hand. This will be accomplished through training students to read and use a handheld GPS unit, create and participate in geo-caching activities, and using Internet-based map applications such as Google Maps. These approaches to guiding the students in understanding distance will give them hands-on experiences that will easily interpret in a real world situation. My proposed approach is reasonable, however, the greatest cost will be to obtain GPS units for students usage, which start in the low $100 range. Ideally, it would be great to have one per two students, but from some of the reading I have done, by assigning students different roles, placing students in groups of four or five is workable, thus lowering the cost substantially. Having extra units available in the event of equipment failure is something that should be considered.
The possible alternatives for students would be to simply learn about distance using Internet-based applications, locating familiar locations (their homes and the school), and relating distance in that regard. In comparison, it is very low-cost, but at the same time, students are not being granted the opportunity to explore distance through a hands-on approach.
I anticipate using this tool, geocaching and Google Maps in particular, throughout the school year, with the major emphasis being at the beginning of the year. I believe that the students would benefit in many academic areas if the solution to my wicked problem were integrated into their classes.
In order to accomplish this, teachers would need training to understand the need and why this is so important. Workshops with follow-up training would be offered to assist teachers in feeling comfortable with the purpose and technology. Due to the proliferation of smart phones, teaching teachers would be relatively easy because most adults have access to such a device. Not only can they serve the most basic communication functions, but also with downloaded apps, they can be utilized as GPS devices for this problem. However, due to hectic classroom schedules, I anticipate that the majority of learning would be done in the computer lab.
I would like to use this solution throughout the year for third and fourth grade students. Obviously, the first year would be a transitional year for both grades, but in the following years, the older students would simply need a refresher course to remember the finer points. They would also be helpful in assisting the younger students to understand and thus become a source for answers. Additionally, the older students would also be able to delve deeper into measuring, calculating, and understanding distance due to their previous exposure to the problem. They could spend more time doing and less time learning the concepts.
Giving students the opportunity to learn through a hands-on approach will provide them with immediate, tangible feedback that will enable them to apply their knowledge with multiple subjects. Performing a simple search for “geocaching” in Google provides over 23 million hits! Even though many of them are not relevant, there are certainly some notable exceptions. Opencaching.com is a site that I would use as a resource because of its easy approach to explaining geocaching. It also has a comprehensive list of caches you can participate in and add to. Performing a search for “Geocaching in the classroom” also provides over half a million sites. These are particularly interesting because they are about the benefits of using geocaching in education! Moving at the Speed of Creativity has a great article about the basics of geocaching and how it can be used with students. It is a few years old, but highly relevant. BrightHub.com also states how this works in a wide array of disciplines such as the obvious of math and science, but also social studies, literature and composition studies, and even Physical Education and Art.
I would also use Google Maps and/or Google Earth so students could begin to make a visual connection with where we are located and where we have been. This will enable them to create an online portfolio of locations. Understanding the distance between these locations would then give students the basic tools for translating known distances in known locations to unknown locations.
I plan to start the initial research into implementing this aspect into our current curriculum during this course. This will give me the time to formulate how I want to incorporate more hands-on experiences for students. Obviously, giving students the opportunity to work with understanding distance will come once school is in session starting in late August. As my class assignments are still unknown, I will have to make my plans flexible and be ready for implementation.
I will know that this project is successful because students will be able to understand distance. Not only will they be able to identify latitude and longitude, but also they will be able to translate these concepts onto maps and locate various given points. Additionally, teachers and students being able to demonstrate proficiency and fluency with the various technologies used will provide feedback so that changes can be quickly implemented and improvements made.
