Guide Entry 91.06.02

Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

Global Change for the Basic Mathematics Student, by Paul V. Cochrane

Guide Entry to 91.06.02:

This paper will be presented to a group of basic geometry students. Basic geometry is a level III mathematics course. Students who have not done well in mathematics are found here. Few of these students will ever take an Algebra II, College Chemistry or Physics course. We try to get the students involved in the work by doing a lot of “hands on” activities, making sketches, charts, graphs, cut outs and constructions. While the custodians complain a lot, we do get a lot of ideas across.

Early on I had thought about collecting a series of books, TV tapes and articles from various papers and magazines on the earth, sun and planets. I plan to use these items as my classroom library on global changes, the “greenhouse effect,” pollution and other problems which lend themselves to a mathematical examination. It’s important to show the students that the mathematics which we learn in the classroom can be applied to things in the outside world. The idea we hope to implant is that our mathematics, once applied will help us understand the events of the past and present. With this understanding we can prepare for the events of tomorrow.

(Recommended for Basic Geometry Level III, grades 10-11)

Key Words

Ecology Environmental Science Atmosphere Global Change Mathematics

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