Writing worksheets
From Prep08Wiki
When writing worksheets - or "explorations", as we call them - there are different styles that can be used. If one looks through the explorations on the Escher wiki two slightly different styles show up. Compare for instance Bryan's Pattern Block Exploration Anneke's Tessellation Exploration: The Basics. The differences are not great but there is a subtle difference in how much directions the students are given. Small things like: " Do we have text followed by a list of questions?", or "Do we embed the questions in the text?" are a matter of style and preference.
An index of the explorations can be found here: Index of Math and Escher Explorations
Some talking points for us:
- What is the goal of the exploration?
- Will we assign homework problems associated with the concepts explored in the worksheet?
- How long should the exploration be?
- Do we lecture before or after the exploration? Do we lecture both before and after the exploration or maybe neither?
- Do we hand out the explorations on paper or do we let the students work off the internet?
- Do we collect some or all of the questions?
- Do we always require students to work in groups? Do they choose their own groups or do we assign them?
- Do we collect one write-up from each group (if we do groupwork) or do we require each student to write up their own solution? What are the pros and cons?
- How closely do we grade the work the students turn in? (Or how do we manage our own workload?)
- What are our options if we want to give students feedback? Handouts? Lecture? Other?
- What do you do if you like only part of the exploration? When do you rewrite explorations? When do you give partial assignments When do we combine explorations?
Detailed Discussion of One Worksheet: escherwiki:Tessellation Exploration: The Basics.
Assignment
We will ask that the participants write or at least outline some worksheets. But we will do that a little later in the workshop.
