Component+Two

** Use of wikispaces.com as a collaborative tool for exam preparation. **
 * Mathematics B and A**

Term 3 in Maths B and Term 4 for Mathematics A, 2011.
 * Implementation: **

The PCK of this activity is demonstrated through an understanding that some students experience difficulty in consolidating their experiences and knowledge for effective examination responses. In this learning situation, students may be unmotivated because they see little advantage in going over what they think they already know. Any gaps in their knowedge caused by skipping over tasks in class could easily be skipped over again at home if, at all, revision is done.
 * Year Level and Student Context **:
 * //Year 11 Mathematics A and Mathematics B students - as they prepare and revise for their end-of-term examinations.//**

Whilst the technology itself does not inherently transform the learning opportunities at this stage (as would Geometer's Sketchpad for other lessons), it does facilitate a transformation in the engagement of the students under the guise of their various motivations for topic choice.

As a summary tool for mathematics, wikis provide valuable space for interaction and collaboration and the choice of wikis at this particular juncture is beneficial due to the action of posting the knowledge rather than having the knowledge available. (The knowedge is already available in their text books)

**Evidence:** Evidence can be found in the following locations: For the Term 3 Mathematics B class - @click here For the Term 4 Mathematics A class - click here The evidence provided in these examples are of the student work spaces. They are not designed as, nor expected to become, presentation pages. Instead, the idea was that the students see them as collaboratively work spaces.

This item is the embedding of wikispaces in the revision and study process for exam preparation in mathematics. Students have covered the topics throughout the allocated lesson time and engage with the wiki to design and post content summaries and challenge questions designed to support their peers in preparation for exams. The relationship between the content, pedagogy and technology is that the technology provides the change of emphasis at the end of the unit. Instead of students educating "me" while they revise at home, they now can focus on educating "you and me". This brings about a revision of the nature of the content being examinied where students now have to answer the question, "what do you need to know?" and, "what is the best way for you to know it?"
 * Item Overview: **

The construction of knowledge and the acquisition of skills is reinforced by the software through the necessity to "media-shift" their content to present online.

**Reason for Inclusion:** This activity was chosen because it affects the outcomes for students at a number of levels. Whilst the use of ICTs in the classroom can be of great benefit in the teaching and learning process, this example demonstrates the next step in the line for students and their learning.

Often, students learn new concepts and, whilst it is fresh in their minds, they satisfactorily retain the skills and information. After a while, despite a thorough understanding of a particular topic, students can find difficulty in organising their knowledge to perform in examinations.

The course content in senior Mathematics A and Mathematics B at this school has traditionally been taught using a more didactic pedagogy rather than a constructivist approach with the focus mainly on the current available text. Whilst the particular style of teaching depends on the teacher, the recent history of the department is that students, themselves, value the "sage on stage" approach above the "guide on the side". Our students are extremely compliant in classes which has the effect of many students being hard to motivate to take responsibilityfor their own learning. Most would much prefer to have the content handed to them and then have this followed up by having their revision handed to them. It is not uncommon for students to request specific details about exactly what is going to be in the test.

This activity is an attempt to have students collaboratively become more responsible for their own learning using ICT as the stimulus. The collaborative nature of the wiki allows students to support each other in their learning and to take the learning outside of the classroom walls and times.

**Development and Planning and Curriculum Links:** Curriculum Link describes the learning content required for the time in the Year 11 Mathematics B course from Term 3. This is a direct copy of the currently approved QSA work program. You will notice that the work program is simply a set of content topics with time allocation.

**Teaching and learning approach:** Ideally, students would be constantly reviewing and practicing their work over the term in preparation for exams at the end of the term. The nature of senior schooling is that there is a constant rush to ensure that all of the relevant content is covered in time for examination. As such, some students find it difficult to organise their revision regime and fall victim to running out of time before exams. Others diligently work through every problem they can find, practice until they've "done it all" and find redoing work to be boring and unhelpful.

The educational purpose at this time is to provide a stimulus to the revision process. Using technology in this way provides an audience for the revision process and therefore adds some competition to the presentation process. Students know that they are providing work that their peers will be relying on for successful exam preparation.

Also, in searching for the correct way to present a topic online, students are more engaged with the language, communication and justification processes attached to the mathematical concepts which they would have overlooked in simple revision at home.

Students have been advised that, if they have a particular difficulty with a topic (say, "standard deviation"), then choosing this topic for their wiki presentation will ensure that they are the expert by the time the exam is taken. The interactive nature of the wiki technology provides the transformative power from "just revision of my topic" to become "my gift of this knowledge to my peers". Regardless of whether the students use the site as a basis of their revision studies at home, the objective of using ICT to tackle a student's understanding of a difficult mathematics topic has been achieved.

**My Learnings:** I have found that the students have mixed responses when first told of this exercise - some view it as much effort for little return. However, when I explain the pedagogical reasoning behind the activity, they invariably become quite enthusiastic - particularly when trying to lock in their "hardest topic".

**Further Reflections and Information:** Unexpectedly, I have found that the student response to this exercise has eliminated a common request for extra revision and worksheets from the students in their preparation to exams. The process has the added benefit of ensuring that the students have a revised list of the topics for the test, appropriate summaries and challenge questions. Also, if students are slow with their posting of the content, other students quickly remind them that they are awaiting the postings.

Further development of this activity would be to have a greater emphasis on instant alerts about the updating of information. As our students become more familiar with the use of their laptops and the power they have, functional reminders, and following systems can allow them to keep track of changes to important documents.