Abstract/Description:
With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics 12 years ago, the topic of geometric transformations was shifted from high school to grade 8. In our research with middle grades teachers, they often discussed their difficulty in teaching geometric rotations. Therefore, we analyzed 444 middle grade students’ responses, across four states, to eight rotation questions from the SMART assessment. The results corroborate teachers’ challenges with teaching and student learning of rotations. Results indicate that students have a rigid understanding of angle measure that may be impacting their understanding of geometric rotations. Although angle measure is introduced in grade 4, we hypothesize that teachers need to provide additional opportunities for students to expand their rigid understanding of angle measure.
Presenters:
Navy Dixon, Sariah Stevenson, and Dawn Teuscher - Brigham Young University and Shannon Dingman - University of Arkansas, Fayetteville