ETEC 510

The Education by Design Project Proposal

The Trig for Apprentices Group

Jhodi Leong
Deb Kim
Sherman Lee
Tim Roos
(Chris Sandor)

The University of British Columbia

Section 1 Key Frameworks:

Trig for Apprentices will focus on Grade 10 Mathematics for students intending to enter a
trade or apprenticeship after graduation from high school. We will be creating an online
trigonometry unit covering primary trigonometric ratios, Pythagorean Theorem, right triangles,
angles of elevation, and angles of depression. Primarily, our goal is to explore the use of social
media tools in an online format of delivery to investigate the impact that collaboration with other
students will have on aiding learning when students learn from and with their peers.
This design project will have foundations in constructivism with a focus on creating a
highly collaborative learning environment through the use of social media. It is our goal that, by
using this approach, students will be required to actively participate in their own learning and
gain the ability to see alternative perspectives. Participation and course completion will rely on
students ability to self-regulate their own learning; the student must choose to participate in the
activities and maintain up-to-date contact with their peers. Vygotskys (cite year) Social
Development Theory will be used to guide the creation of activities, sequence of the course, and
to develop assessment strategies (Driscoll, 2005). Social media as a learning tool utilizes
cultural knowledge and tools through collaboration with peers to promote cognitive development
and learning. Vygotskys zone of proximal development will help determine and create
activities to encourage students to stretch their previous knowledge through further exploration
in order to reach a higher level of potential development. Appropriate scaffolding will be
provided to ensure that all students possess the needed prerequisite skills to complete the task.
We will focus primarily on problem-based learning activities that provide students with
authentic learning experiences and direct links to real-life experiences. Our goal will be to create
learning experiences that require students to use previous knowledge to develop meaning with

new material. Learning in context through problem-based learning tasks will encourage students
to think critically about various topics, which will allow students to see the applicability of what
they are learning to experiences outside of the classroom.
We will be framing our educational activities through a variety of problem-based learning
tasks that appeal to a wide variety of learning styles. Students will have ample opportunities to
explore topics with their peers in an attempt to solve novel problems. Students will be required
to take risks with their learning as they attempt activities that will require much trial-and-error
through student-led solutions. In addition to requiring students to be active participants in the
learning process, we will provide appropriate resources and materials to aid learning.
Supplemental material will be provided to students through a wide variety of forums such as
tutorial videos, podcasts, or games.
Our primary forum for the delivery of this unit will be Edmodo. We will use Edmodo as
a social networking environment for students to collaborate and have discussions on a regular
basis. We will also provide students with links to external resources and activities such as
YouTube, TeacherTube, podcasts, games, or webquests. We will use features of Edmodo such
as quizzing, polling, and grouping to guide discussion and collaboration, and to check learning.
Students will also be able to find tutorial resources, assignments, grades, projects, and many
other helpful and relevant links to success in the unit.

Section 2: Intentions and Positions

Our purpose in the Trig for Apprentices Unit can be summarized in the following generalized
educational or pedagogical goals:

Initiate and maintain motivation and connectedness to learning through a framework of

problem-based learning.

Create a collaborative and supportive learning community-of-practice through

asynchronous discussions developing from the specific learning activities.

Enhance learning by scaffolding necessary skills through lessons, tutorials, practice and
quizzes with instant feedback.

Consolidate learning with a culminating, hands-on individual/group project.

Each of these goals is a product of our research into academic literature. The following sections
will summarize the theory behind each goal, providing them with academic credibility and
clarifying for us how we will work these goals out in a practical way throughout the unit.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

This approach to learning has historically been attributed to Kilpatrick and Dewey (HmeloSilver, 2004). Current theories of learning advocating the use of PBL are constructivism and
situated cognition (Driscoll, 2005). At the beginning of a learning experience, students are
challenged with an ill-structured (many possible solutions) problem to solve (enda & Ferhan
Odaba, 2009). Through peer collaboration and discussion in groups, possible solutions to the
problem are developed (L. O. OZYURT, Besikduzu, & OZYURT, 2011). Through ongoing
assessment of these discussions, the teacher determines whether the students need scaffolding

help and provides them with the necessary guidance to learn the information necessary to take
the next step in the problem solving process. This guidance is typically presented as a self-guided
study (Hmelo-Silver, 2004). It is imperative that the teacher does not make any direct links with
this information to the problem itself but rather supports learning through open ended
questioning. The problems need to be structured in such a way that each of several solutions
would require several steps to solve. Each step could then be supported with scaffolding to reach
the final outcome (Barron, Schwartz, Vye, & Moore, 1998). The problem solving process and
solution should reflect an understanding of the initial goals of learning. This method of learning
provides the student with purpose and underlying motivation that makes the task meaningful and
engaging. This builds skills for life-long learning as well as promoting self-efficacy.
Learning Communities
Due to the lack of face to face interaction in this online unit, it is important that we provide the
students with opportunities to interact and collaborate (L. O. OZYURT et al., 2011). As the PBL
section already indicates, peer assessment for learning through online discussion will be essential
in several ways. Discussion with others through exchange of ideas often triggers prior
knowledge through connections to shared experiences and learning (Rose & Smith, 2007). It
also promotes social negotiation and accommodation of ideas through interactive reasoning
amongst group members. Through guidance by the expert teacher, this can lead to a
community-of-practice where each member is comfortable with their contribution to knowledge
building (Maor, 2003). Each student needs to feel okay with taking risks, even guessing at
possible solutions without feeling threatened by what others think or by a possible numerical
evaluation by the teacher. This develops teamwork and camaraderie, both important
characteristics in life.

Scaffolding
Since the students are not expected to be able to solve the problems as presented, scaffolding
them through the problem solving process will be needed (Hmelo-silver, Duncan, & Chinn,
2007). This scaffolding is designed to connect their mathematical thinking of what they already
know into areas where they are unfamiliar (Verenikina, 2003). By using discovery learning and
guided practice along with assessment activities with instant feedback, students will be able to
make connections with the problem they face, allowing them to generate possible solutions to the
problem. Having the students discuss these activities in a forum will provide peer scaffolding as
well as allow teacher assessment for intervention and possible further guidance. Quiz marks
collected and reported by the Edmodo software will give the teacher the necessary information to
move things along or review. Scaffolding in context of the greater problem will allow stronger
connections to long-term memory as well as the ability to apply learning to new situations
(Reiser, 2004).
Project Based Learning
This will provide the students the opportunity to exhibit what they have learned in a practical
sense (Markham, 2011). Since students are expected to be able to master the expectations of an
apprenticeship program through this unit, it is logical that they apply their learning to a practical
project that connects to a trade of interest. Research shows students, who are able to apply
knowledge in a team environment to a hands-on artifact as a product of learning, gain retention
of learning and ability to communicate that learning clearly among other benefits (Barron et al.,
1998; Grant, 2011; Lattimer & Riordan, 2011; Moylan, 2008).

There are those who may argue against these goals as the guiding principles in presenting a unit
for learning. Kirschner, Sweller and Clark (2010) argue that the minimal guidance provided by
the teacher is detrimental to learning. These authors conclude from their review of research that
learning techniques such as inquiry-learning, problem-based learning and other constructivist
approaches to learning provide no significant benefits in comparison to strong instructional
guidance. They indicate that these approaches lead to negative consequences such as strong
misconceptions and incomplete or disorganized knowledge. Mayer (2004) also questions the
validity of arguments that constructivist learning situations receiving minimal or no guidance
produces more knowledgeable students. He argues that constructivism, as a learning theory,
needs to be defined with more clarity and precision so that its claims can be tested through
rigorous scientific research. We feel we have addressed these concerns by providing a necessary
amount of guidance both through the sequence of instruction as well as opportunities for
intervention (Hmelo-silver et al., 2007).

Our pedagogical goals for this unit fit very well with those advocated by curriculum documents
produced in both British Columbia and Alberta. The BC Integrated Resource Package for
Apprenticeship and Workplace Math 10 includes the content of this unit in its teaching
requirements in Outcome D1(Education, BC Ministry of, 2008). The guiding principles of
Communication, Connections, Mental Mathematics and Estimation, Problem Solving,
Reasoning, Technology and Visualization are all covered through the activities of this unit. This
is also reflected in the Alberta curriculum document titled Outcomes with Assessment Standards
for Mathematics 10- 3 in the Geometry Section (Education, Alberta, 2010). Our model of
instruction reflects the proposed BC Educational Plan suggested goal of real-world skills,

flexibility, adequate and timely intervention, technological integration and varied learning
opportunities to address the diversity of students (Education, BC Ministry of , 2011).

We will accomplish these goals using Edmodo as our primary technological tool. Edmodo
affords us the ability to present all aspects of the unit in one place as well as allowing for student
privacy. It allows seamless integration with a variety of other software types to allow the
presentation of learning materials in a variety of ways. Since it is an online platform,
accessibility for students should not be a problem. Edmodo presents us with the ability to create
social learning groups, interactive quizzes, immediate feedback, sequencing of instruction and
ease of assessment and intervention by the teacher. As our primary tool to present the unit to the
student, it allows us to fulfill all desired pedagogical goals.

Section 3 Key Concepts and Context

Edmodo provides much flexibility in presenting our key concepts in a wide variety of ways.
However, it makes no logical sense to attempt utilizing absolutely every last bit that Edmodo
could afford, as not all functionality is applicable. More important than consideration given
towards affordance of our delivery platform is the needs of our grade 10 students who plan to
participate in the trades and apprenticeship programs; what works best for them for a specific
concept?

Contextual Distribution in Mixed Media Design

It makes practical and logical sense to revisit the context outlined briefly earlier and categorize
them to devise the best way to present each concept. Our contextual focus on trigonometry can

be roughly divided into conceptual and procedural knowledge:

Conceptual Knowledge

Terminology:
o

hypotenuse

adjacent

opposite

similar triangles ASA, SAS, SSS

Procedural Knowledge
Steps to solving trigonometry problem
steps to identifying similar triangles

Formulae:
o

a2 + b2 = c2

SOH CAH TOA

Reference:
o

http://cnx.org/content/m32620/1.3/

Mastery of the conceptual and procedural knowledge is required for students to be successful in
problem-based and project-based learning, and as an active participant in the learning
community (Long, 2005). Conceptual knowledge will be presented in the form of brief written
introductions and short video clips, whereas procedural knowledge will be mainly presented
through video tutorials and follow-up discussion activities. These will form the foundational
knowledge to scaffold students toward application. The Transmissionist-based delivery of basic
material is short-lived in this program, and is quickly blended and later replaced by StudentCentric Learning. The Student-Centric portion of learning will involve group assignments;

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completion of such assignments require cumulative conceptual and procedural knowledge at the
foundation of the scaffolding process. These group assignments encourage consolidation of basal
knowledge, as well as individual ideas and learning experiences.

Millennial Generation Learning Preference

Current grade 10 students belong to the Millennial or Generation Y cohort, which includes
individuals with birth year ranging from 1981 to 2000 (Jones, Jo and Martin, 2007). When we
examine the upbringing of this generation, it is apparent that this group has expectations towards
learning quite unlike that of its predecessors (Carter, 2008.)

This generation is native to technology; unlike other generations, they see technology as an
essential part of daily life (Kruse, 2004). They connect with the world through social media, such
as Facebook and Twitter, on a daily basis. This mode of communication replaced much of the
face to face interaction that you see in Baby Boomers (1946~1963) and Generation-X
(1964~1980) cohorts. Hence, Edmodo was chosen as the delivery platform for Trig for
Apprentices, as it supports digital interactions much like that in Facebook.

We can learn much about the Generation Y learning style by examining how this group self
learns content of their interest (be it games, hobbies or more academic subject matter). When
seeking information, this generation would often first direct their attention to Internet search
engines and digital resources, as it is a natural library to them: for procedural knowledge, they
watch videos through YouTube; for conceptual knowledge, they base their research in
Wikipedia. After they gain their initial understanding, they proceed on with that knowledge and

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apply it to the issue/problem facing them.

The design of Trig for Apprentices follows how most Millennials would conduct self learning watch (via media), chat (digitally) and consolidate (within their own minds). This mode of
learning is very similar to that proposed by Vygotsky in Social Constructivism. Students develop
in their zone of proximal learning through watching their teachers; they discuss with their peers
to gain multiple insights; finally, they construct their own understanding of the concept in
question. Therefore, the structure of learning delivered electronically and incorporating social
media makes logical sense for the current grade 10 population as it matches closely to their
natural communication and learning preferences.

Section 4: InterActivities
Our lessons on Trig for Apprentices are divided into 6 sections, according to the
Prescribed Learning Outcomes in the current BC Curriculum. There will be at least one or two
activities in each section prepared for grade 10 students intending to enter a trade or
apprenticeship.
In particular, the interactivities will be covering B2, B3 and B4 in the Geometry section
of the Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLOs) listed in the BC Apprenticeship and Workplace
Math 10 curriculum
(http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/mathematics/WNCPmath1012/2008math_app_work10.pdf).

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1) The Pythagorean Theorem

InterActivity A: Bronowskis Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem

Objectives:

PLO B2.1: Explain, using illustrations, why the Pythagorean

Theorem only applies to right triangles.

PLO B2.2: Verify the Pythagorean Theorem, using examples and

counterexamples, including drawings, concrete materials and
technology.

Students will be asked to draw the following square accurately and divide it into
sections as shown below:

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Then, they will be asked to cut out the 6 parts of the square above and rearrange
the 4 triangles to form a square with a side length of 7 cm.
There will be a video tutorial of how to draw the Bronowskis square available
in our Edmodo website. The video tutorial can be found on YouTube and we
will provide a link so that students can follow instructions while they are
working on the interactivity. In case we cannot find a YouTube video tutorial on
the Bronowskis square, we will create an instructional video tutorial and upload
it to YouTube. The link will be shared among the students in Edmodo.
There are questions to follow after the hands-on activity is complete. Students
will be asked to discuss their answers to the questions in the Edmodo discussion
forum. As participation in discussion will also be assessed, it is mandatory for
all students to participate in the discussion.

InterActivity B: Squares on the Sides of a Right Triangle

Objectives:

PLO B2.1: Explain, using illustrations, why the Pythagorean

Theorem only applies to right triangles.

PLO B2.4: Determine if a given triangle is a right triangle, using

the Pythagorean Theorem.

PLO B2.5: Explain why a triangle with the side length ratio of
3:4:5 is a right triangle.

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In this interactivity, students will be asked to draw the following diagram with a
= 3cm, b = 4cm, and c = 5cm using educational software called GeoGebra. They
will also be asked to draw a diagram with a = 5cm, b = 12cm, and c = 13cm and
so
on.

Similar to the first interactivity, we will provide a video tutorial on how to draw
the diagram using GeoGebra. After watching the tutorial on YouTube and
working on the diagram, students will engage in discussion in the Edmodo

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discussion forum. They will be asked to post their drawings and compare their
results with other classmates.
In addition, students will make a table to determine and compare the areas of the
squares on the 3 sides of a right triangle using MS Excel or MS Word. This
activity will help students understand the relationship among the areas of the
squares on the sides of a right triangle and find the length of a side of a right
triangle.

InterActivity C: Pythagorean Triples

Objectives:

PLO B2.3: Describe historical and contemporary applications of

the Pythagorean Theorem.

PLO B2.5: Explain why a triangle with the side length ratio of
3:4:5 is a right triangle.

PLO B3.2: Determine, using ratios of side lengths, if two or more

regular or irregular polygons are similar.

PLO B3.4: Explain the relationships between the corresponding

sides of two polygons that have corresponding angles of equal
measure.

PLO B3.7: Solve a contextual problem that involves similarity of

polygons.

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In this activity, students will be asked to go to Wikipedia to explore Pythagoras

and the Pythagorean Triples. They will also explore how the ancient Egyptians
used the Pythagorean Triples to lay out the boundaries of their fields by doing
the following hands-on activity.
Using a felt marker and a piece of string, students will make 11 equally-spaced
marks that separate the string into 12 equal lengths. Then, they will have to
collaboratively discuss in the Edmodo discussion forum how the ancient
Egyptians would have used this string to ensure that they had a right angle and
what would have been the lengths of the sides of the triangles the Egyptians
used. More discussion questions involving their understanding of similar
triangles will follow in the discussion forum. For example, they will discuss if
the triangle they created using the string would still be a right triangle if they
doubled, tripled, or multiply the lengths of the sides.

2) The Sine Ratio

InterActivity D: The Sine of an Angle

Objectives:

PLO B4.2: Show, for a specified acute angle in a set of similar

right triangles, that the ratios of the length of the side opposite to
the length of the hypotenuse are equal, and generalize a formula
for the sine ratio.

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Using a guided GeoGebra lesson, students will learn how to calculate the sine of
an acute angle of a right triangle. In this interactivity, they will develop a table
of values for the sine ratio. They will then use it to draw a graph and solve
related problems. While working on the interactivity, students will actively
participate in discussion in the discussion forum to determine the relationship
between an angle and its sine.

3) The Cosine Ratio

InterActivity E: Movement of a Ferris Wheel

Objectives:

PLO B4.3: Show, for a specified acute angle in a set of similar

right triangles, that the ratios of the length of the side adjacent to
the length of the hypotenuse are equal, and generalize a formula
for the cosine ratio.

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Using a guided GeoGebra lesson and a real-life example (e.g. Ferris Wheel),
students will find the relationship between an angle and its cosine. Considering
that Ferris wheels are constructed using many right triangles and using angle
measurements that are multiples of 10, they will determine the lengths of the
horizontal segments by filling in a chart like the one below. This will be created in

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MS Excel or MS Word.

Then, students will participate in discussion in the Edmodo discussion forum

and answer some questions in the interactivity.

4) The Tangent Ratio

InterActivity F: Drawing a Tangent Graph

Objectives:

PLO B4.1: Show, for a specified acute angle in a set of similar

right triangles, that the ratios of the length of the side opposite to
the length of the side adjacent are equal, and generalize a formula
for the tangent ratio.

Using a guided GeoGebra lesson and the Ferris wheel diagram used in the
previous interactivity, students will be asked to consider the ratio of the vertical
distance to the horizontal distance of the Ferris wheel. They will create the
following table and use the values in the table to sketch a tangent graph.
Then, students will participate in discussion in the Edmodo discussion forum to
find the relationship between an angle and its tangent.

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5) Angles of Elevation and Angles of Depression

InterActivity G: Making and Using a Clinometer

Objectives:

PLO B4.4: Identify situations where the trigonometric ratios are

used for indirect measurement of angles and lengths.

PLO B4.5: Solve a contextual problem that involves right

triangles, using the primary trigonometric ratios.

Using a YouTube video instruction, students will build and use a clinometer to
measure actual angles of elevation to calculate the height of an object such as a
building or a tree.

They will choose at least five objects whose height they cannot measure directly
around their neighbourhood to determine the angle of elevation as well as the
distance from the base. They will have to provide camera pictures of the activity
and digital drawing (Photoshop, Paint, MS Word, etc.) of the situation to show
their work and results. Their pictures and drawing will be posted in the Edmodo
discussion forum.

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6) Finding Angles and Solving Right Triangles

InterActivity H: The Tower of Pisa

Objectives:

PLO B4.5: Solve a contextual problem that involves right

triangles, using the primary trigonometric ratios.

PLO B4.6: Determine if a solution to a problem that involves

primary trigonometric ratios is reasonable.

Using a guided PowerPoint presentation on the history of the Tower of Pisa and
on how to determine an angle and a side length of the Tower of Pisa using
primary trigonometric ratios, students will determine all the possible angles and
side lengths they are able to find in the Tower of Pisa photo.

InterActivity I: The Height of a Person and its Shadow

Objectives:

PLO B4.5: Solve a contextual problem that involves right

triangles, using the primary trigonometric ratios.

PLO B4.6: Determine if a solution to a problem that involves

rimary trigonometric ratios is reasonable.

In this interactivity, students will use trigonometric ratios to determine the angle
of elevation to the sun and the height of an unknown object. This could be done

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in groups of 2 or more people; thus, students can collaborate to complete this

activity. Students will use the height of a person and the length of his or her
shadow to find the angle of elevation to the sun. Then, the students will use that
angle of elevation and length of an unknown objects shadow to find the height
of that object. This interactivity gives the students two different applications of
trigonometric ratios. They will videotape to show the process and their
calculations. Students will then upload the video on YouTube and provide the
link on our Edmodo website or directly upload the video on Edmodo. They will
discuss their experience and answer related questions in the discussion forum.

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Jhodi, Deb, Sherman, Tim and Chris,

I am quite interested in the approach you have taken with your design in this proposal. The
Edmodo site sounds like it will be a useful space to support social constuctivist approaches to the
teaching of this unit, and it will be interesting to see how you implement some of these activities.
Throughout your proposal, you do an excellent job of clearly describing your design approach
and you effectively leverage the research literature to build a strong ground upon which your
design will stand. As well, your description of the context of your design and the specific unit of
instruction is very clearly expressed, with a wealth of concrete examples, particularly in the
interactivities section. I appreciate all of the effort you went through to make your design so
coherent and compelling.
You do mention that this unit will be entirely online, and I found myself wanting to know more
about any potential connections between the on-campus and on-line classrooms. You are clear
about this unit being entirely online, but I would like you to say more about the overall context
of these learners. Presumably, they are taking some classes in a regular classroom, so in what
way (if any) does this on-line resource connect? Another thing that I found myself wondering
about was time: how much time do you expect this unit to take and how will you organize this
time in terms of student activity, assessment and another other roles that fall to either the student
or the instructor(s) involved in the curse.
Also, you make the point that millennial learners take to social media naturally. There are, I
think, some problems with this assumption, particularly as we are starting to see research that
indicates that informal use of social media and tool use doesnt necessarily map onto formal
literacy practices where social media is used for academic purposes. There is certainly an
interplay here between students and instructors, but Id like you to dig a bit deeper with the goal
of more precisely describing the implications of having to scaffold these students to effectively
use social media for the purposes of school.
Finally, as happy as I am to see so many creative examples of how you might use social media
tools, I would like to caution you to be careful and to choose a limited sub-set from which to
design. It is more important for you to go deeper in your analysis/implementation of particular
interactivities than it is for you to go wide. Pick interactivities that will help you to work through
problems or think about a conceptual approach that well engages with the particular learning
needs of this context.
Mark: 92
Design Focus
Educationally Significant

Not clearly educational

Excellent---------X---------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

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Well elaborated

Unclear

Excellent----------X--------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Specific Focus

Too general

Excellent----------X--------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Use of Scholarship
Good use of research
literature

Little integration of research

literature

Excellent---------X---------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Appropriate literature

Omission of important
research

Excellent----------X--------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Research-based design
framework

More connections needed

Excellent-----------X-------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Research-based description of
learners

More connections needed

Excellent----------X--------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Design Plans for InterActivities

Appropriate for Objectives

Inappropriate for Objectives

Excellent-----------X-------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Achievable Scope

Too ambitious/not achievable

Excellent-----------X-------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Appropriate plans for use of

technology

Inappropriate

Excellent------------X------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Clear design plan

Unclear design plan

29

Excellent----------X--------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Good fit between objectives

and plans for objects

Poor fit

Excellent-----------X-------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Knowledge-telling
(descriptive)

Quality of Writing
Knowledge-transforming
(analytical)

Excellent----------X--------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Argument deals with multiple

points of view

MySide bias

Excellent-----------X-------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Clear and concise

Rambling and disorganized

Excellent-----------X-------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

Free of grammatical errors

Multiple grammatical errors

Excellent----------X--------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed

APA style correctly used

APA style used incorrectly

Excellent----------X--------------------------Avg--------------------------------More Work Needed