Designing a Sequence of Systems to Facilitate the Evolution of Embodied Learning in Teaching Rate of Change and Slope in 7th Grade
摘要
This study reports the design and development of an embodied learning sequence designed to enhance students’ understanding of complex mathematical concepts such as rate of change and slope. Building on research demonstrating the effectiveness of embodied learning systems for basic mathematics, we developed a prototype integrating four distinct systems to support the learning of advanced concepts [1, 2]. The first system replicated the Mathematics Imagery Trainer for Proportion [3], where students use sensors and a screen to engage in a bimanual activity to grasp the concept of proportion. This understanding is then formalized using coordinate grids and numbers. The second system extends this comprehension by tracking students’ movements with a mobile phone accelerometer to produce step-versus-time and accelerometer graphs, helping students connect physical motions to graphical representations of rate of change. The third system employs a metronome generator to enable students to replicate beats-versus-time graphs, walk according to these beats, and compare their results, thereby generalizing the concept of rate of change. The sequence concludes with the Marbleslides task from Desmos, which connects these embodied experiences to linear equations and slopes [4]. A novel teaching narrative, developed alongside these systems, seeks to support students’ understanding and internalization of these concepts. Pilot studies will be conducted to iteratively refine the current design, and the results and design changes will be reported at the conference.