Bicycle math in primary school

We all know that bicycles have a direct positive impact on quality of life.

There are umpteen ways bicycles improve our lives: health, fitness, environmental, friendships, mental health, transport, employment opportunities, leisure, competition, and travel are just a few.

Bicycles can also play a key role in education and intellectual development.

Bicycles are increasingly being used in teaching and learning. For young learners, bicycles are familiar, yet have a complex technical component that makes their design, engineering and physics unique – also also perfect for math-related learning!

Previously, we have looked at how bicycles are used in higher education:

But it is also good to see bicycles being integrated into primary school math classes. Online, a number of proactive and innovative teachers have created and freely share their bicycle-related math lessons.

There are so many ways to improve numeracy and problem-solving skills using bicycles.

It is impressive to see how bicycles can be used to learn key math principles like patterns and algebra, fractions, decimals and percentages, angles, units of measurement, place value, operations, location and transformation, problem-solving, chance, shape, graphs and data, mathematics investigations and numbers skills – especailly at hte primary levels.

Designing a bicycle Helmet – 4^th grade

One of the more novel bicycle math resources I saw was for 4^th graders to learn about bike helmet design. I like this lesson, becuase it was not just about counting bicycle icons, but actually using different aspects of bicycle riding to explore a range of math concepts with early learners.

This resource came fromTeaching Engineering – STEM curriculum K-12. It designed by Making the Connection, Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network (WEPAN).

For this piece of work, students gain experience of the engineering principles needed to design safety gear. Students are introduced to the biomechanical characteristics of helmets, and are challenged to incorporate them into designs for helmets used for various applications. By doing this, they come to understand the role of engineering associated with safety products. To do this effectively, helmets must have some sort of crushable material to absorb the collision forces and a strap system to make sure the protection stays in place. The exact design of a helmet depends on the needs and specifications of the user.

This comprehensive resource also includes info on Engineering principles, learning objectives, educational standards justification, materials and a whole heap of worksheets exploring different aspects of helmet design.

Bicycle math in primary schools

There are also heaps of worksheets and online quizzes that can be used in class or for homework to reinforce and practice key math skills like multiplication, addition, fractions and calculating speeds, distances and other measurements.

Here are just a few examples:

Below are some examples of how bicycles are being used for primary school math. What a great way to promote bicycles and learn math!

I certainly would have been more engaged in my early math classes if we applied what we were learning to ‘real world’ scenarios with something as familiar, fun and useful as bicycles.

I’d love to see more bicycles being used in school curriculum!

31/01/201903/10/2019

Writing an Annotated Bibliography

At some stage in most postgrad programs, students will need to complete an Annotated Bibliography.

The style, format, content and purpose of an annotated bibliography differs depending on intent, discipline, timing and approach.

I completed an Ann Bib of 15 key feminist New Materialism articles when I reframed my PhD theoretical framework.

It was a very valuable exercise. Not only did it require me to be judicious in selecting the articles, I put to work a different set of reading skills, applied critical appraisal to each, achieved a deep learning about the topic, and it formed to guts of my dissertation’s Theoretical Perspectives (Chapter 3).

Some of my Postgrad students have been asking about how to do an Annotated Bibliography – so here are some ideas on how to approach it.

Writing an Annotated Bibliography. Bicycles Create Change.com 31st Jan, 2019. — Image: Skidmore Library

What is an annotated bibliography?

Annotation = notes (critical notes and evaluative comments)

Bibliography = a list of readings/research sources

An annotated bibliography is a summary account of the available empirical research and literature on a specific topic.

As well as a general outline of the research source, it also includes your own concise analysis, reflections, critiques, evaluation or any other comments and notes of each source as to how the source is linked/useful for your own research project.

Devising an Annotated Bibliography

If you go online (academic websites and YouTube are a good place to start) there is a plethora of information about on how to do an Annotated Bibliography.

One quick caveat regarding the information below.

There is no one way to do an annotated bibliography.

The following format is my own enmeshed format that suits my interest, needs and style. The content, length and focus for your purpose may differ – so be sure to do you own homework and experiment.

If you are doing an Anno Bib for a uni course – make sure you consult your supervisor, tutor or manager to see how/what elements best suit your project or what style they recommend.

I developed my own format based on three imputs: my own ideas/needs, some ideas gleamed from Prof Robert Talbert, and info from UNSW

1. My Enmeshed Annotated Bibliography

I wanted a longer format Anno Bib because I was reading complex theoretical and praxis articles in-depth.

I included a few additional elements: what type of article it is, how many times it has been cited, my own questions the article raised, interesting terms/concepts and vocab with the page number included for quick referencing if needed later.

Here are the elements in my Anno Bib.

Full APA Reference details
Article: This is a (style/type) article*. This article has been cited XXX times.
The context is …
The ‘big’ guiding question/s from this field this paper is addressing is …
The Lit Review background focuses …
The specific RQ of this article is …
The methods used…
The authors conclude/results are that ..
The strengths of this text is ..
However, the limitations are ..
The authors did/not answer the RQ they posed by… (optional)…
Some unique or helpful special features of this article were ..
Other relevance or usefulness …
How this paper relates to my study …
Useful ideas or key terms …
Ideas & Questions …

Here are the first two entries of my annotated bibliography using this format Download

* The style or type of article are:

Data-driven papers
Theory building/ Theory testing
Conscious raising papers
Agenda Setting papers
Position papers
Methodology
Review article – comprehensive summary of research on a certain topic
Perspective, opinion, and commentary – presents the author’s viewpoint on the interpretation, analysis, or methods used in a particular study
Original research – hypothesis, background study, methods, results, interpretation of findings, and a discussion of possible implications
Clinical case study/Clinical trial

2. Prof Robert Talbert

Prof. Robert Talbert is one of my favorite academic bloggers (alongside Dr Inger Mewburn of the Thesis Whisper and Dr Pat Thompson at Patter).

Prof. Talbert uses a Get Things Done! (GTD) approach to reading research articles, which I find very productive, so I’ve gleamed a few ideas from his approach.

Here’s an example of Prof. Talbert’s approach.

3. UNSW

UNSW recommends that contents of an annotated bibliography can contain all or part of these elements (depending on the word limit and the content of the sources).

Provide the full bibliographic citation
Indicate the background of the author(s)
Indicate the content or scope of the text
Outline the main argument
Indicate the intended audience
Identify the research methods (if applicable)
Identify any conclusions made by the author/s
Discuss the reliability of the text
Highlight any special features of the text that were unique or helpful (charts, graphs etc.)
Discuss the relevance or usefulness of the text for your research
Point out in what way the text relates to themes or concepts in your course
State the strengths and limitations of the text
Present your view or reaction to the text

This is a comprehensive approach to critically reading literature. I like the idea of including the background of the author – which is good for tracing a concept’s genealogy or the development of a prominent author’s argument.

Here’s a UNSW example of an Anno Bib, but for postgrad or PhD purposes, this is far too simplistic, but you can see the general idea/format.

There are as many ways to do an annotated bibliography as there are students. Have an explore online to see what elements you need to include – and be sure to talk others (especially a supervisor or tutor) on other recommended formats.

Undertaking and annotated bibliography is a very worthwhile activity to get to know a topic in detail – and it is a very necessary and sought-after advanced academic skill.

Best of luck if you are conducting an annotated bibliography!

19/12/201820/01/2019

I won a CSSS scholarship!

Hooray! Great news!

Two months ago I applied for a Griffith Continuing Student Scholarship (CSSS) – and today I got notification that my application was successful!

Woohoo!

This means that after three years of doing my PhD part-time, as of January 1st 2019, I’m going full time for the next two years and paid a stipend to complete my research!

Awesome!!

The scholarship means that I can take a step back from teaching so much and focus solely on completing my PhD and publishing a few journal articles.

I put the CSSS application in about two months ago. I worked hard on it and did the right thing by seeking advice from a couple of academics on how to boost my chances. I made edits and changes as needed and then submitted it with fingers crossed knowing because the CSSS is quite competitive.

Getting the call

I was in a shopping center at an Apple store when I got the call. I was putting my laptop for service and sitting at the customer desk with all the other customers. My help I have just gone up the back for a couple minutes so I took the call when my phone rang. It was GGRS letting me know that my scholarship application was successful. What a great call to get!

After I hung up the phone I couldn’t help myself.

I turned around to face the store, and no one in particular, and called out excitedly to anyone who cared to hear:

“I just won a super competitive scholarship which means I’ll be paid to complete my PhD research for the next two years!”

The store erupted into unified joyous celebration of clapping and cheering and people’s congratulations.

The couple next to me was smiling broadly and the woman said:

Can I give you a hug? It sounds like a hug-worthy event.

Hells yeah, said I! It was a lovely hug and a very memorable moment.

Three years into my PhD and I know how important it is for motivation and progress to celebrate milestones and achievements.

And this is certainly one to celebrate.

So what is the CSSS?

Griffith University offers a limited number of merit-based scholarships are available to continuing HDR candidates who have successfully confirmed their candidature and are progressing well with their research. The Continuing Student Scholarship Scheme is designed to provide financial support to outstanding HDR candidates, with the purpose of accelerating progress to thesis submission.

My application entailed two steps.

I had to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) outlining my academic basis for scholarship eligibility (i.e. qualifications, publications etc.), confirming I meet all other eligibility criteria, and provide a referee report from my current principal supervisor.
Once the EOI was assessed by the HDR Convenor, you can then submit an application.

I had discussed with Dr Christine McDonald (our much respected HDR Convenor) that I was going for this scholarship. She was fully supportive. She gave me some excellent advice on some extra bits to include in the EOI and application and went into bat for me during the moderation meeting where they ranked and argued over which applications the committee was going to award scholarships to. I have no doubt that my application success had a large part to do with her input. Thanks so much Christine!

The application was quite intense. I had to put together:

a covering letter
a Continuing Student Scholarship Scheme application form
a referee report from your current principal supervisor
an updated research outline and completion plan
an updated CV
evidence of research publications or other research outputs (achieved since original application).

The whole application took far longer than I excepted. But of course, it was well worth the effort. Not only did I get clarity around my PhD progress, but the end result was well worth the initial effort outlaid.

I am super excited about going full-time and super motivated to make the most of this opportunity.

2019, here I come!

17/03/201714/08/2017

Let your kids Ride2School 2017 – then go to jail!

Ride2School 2017

Today is Australia’s National day for Ride2School 2017.

This is a national active school transportation initiative (celebrated elsewhere overseas as well), whereby schools register that their parents, student and teachers will use active school transportation on the day. Active transportation can be by bike, walk, scooter, skateboard or other unmotorised means. The aim is to get more new people involved in active school transport, while equally recognizing the few who do it regularly.

In the 1970s, 8 out of 10 kids rode or walked to school, but today the average is 2 out 10.

Seeing as though it is St Patricks’ Day as well, there were many ‘Green Themed’ school bikes getting around.

Ride2School 2017 — Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

A Ride2School success

Bourke Street Public School is a wonderful exemplar case study for this annual event. This Sydney school already has one of the highest rates of student active transportation with 80% of its students using active transportation to get to and from school. It is an excellent role model for other schools for how to promoting and maintain safe and healthy walking, cycling, skateboarding and scootering school travel. Today they had a massive festival and parade to show off their decorated bikes – awesome! Great to see school administration really getting behind the event.

QLD – Parents fined for allowing their kids ride/walk to school

As those of you who are old friends of the blog will know, it was a massive (cycling) culture shock for me going from progressive bicycle-loving Melbourne to archaic police-state Queensland. Queensland authority’s aversion to implementing, supporting and engaging with a range of enterprising cycling initiatives. Examples such as inaction around the National Super Sunday bike track users count or the World Naked Bike Ride to name just two, are indicative of the pervasive negative mindset towards cycling and biking.

A case in point.

Today is national Bike2School and many schools in Queensland joined in. I am sure the Queensland parents, teacher and students involved had a lovely day, as did thousands of other schools nationwide.

However, I can’t help but think that Queensland is hypocritical considering it previously fined a single mum for encouraging her kids to use active transportation to school – as well as publicly threatening other parents through a school newsletter no less with similar or more severe punitive measures – including jail.

How quickly we forget!

The story of how this mum was fined made serious headlines just over six months ago – and is quite interesting in light of today’s national celebration.

Essentially, this mum (from Miles, QLD) was charged under section 364A of the Queensland Criminal Code, which says: “A person who, having the lawful care or charge of a child under 12 years, leaves the child for an unreasonable time without making reasonable provision for the supervision and care of the child during that time commits a misdemeanour. Maximum Penalty — 3 years’ imprisonment.”

This was done under the guise of keeping ‘kids safe’.

So what is an ‘unreasonable time’ to travel to school? Sounds very subjective and arbitrary to me, something that a police officer would be able to ‘interpret’ depending on the given situation.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE NEWS REPORT OF THIS INCIDENT (sorry, cannot embed it).

Bike2School 2017 — Source: The Courier Mail – August 5, 2016 9:14 am.

Queensland……penalising parents for allowing their kids to travel independently to school.

Based on past evidence of Queensland’s stringent autocratic surveillance and control of community (and specifically biking) practices and behaviours and my own experiences of how Queensland authorities’ moderate community regulations and behaviour, I am not surprised that such a contradiction occurred.

There could well have been other mitigating circumstances, but the dismissive lack of regard for justifying and explaining the situation is as equally disturbing as the original fine.

I think it is disgraceful to fearmonger and penalise parents who chose to raise active, healthy, socially-adjusted, independent, responsible kids.

So what is the issue here?

What a pity Queensland police cannot see the bigger picture that parents like the poor Miles mum and Ride@School Day contribute, considering increasing community concerns about the health of today’s youths, or the fact that they are overly “cosseted and chauffeured”, or that the ABC reports alarming children obesity rates, or that there are valid and serious questions being debated about t he individual and community impacts of having fewer children riding to school.

I don’t have kids myself, but I am not the only person who found this situation very ‘odd’.

An interesting case for Bike2School Day 2017

Today certainly provided some useful material for reflection and discussions with friends, locals and school community members.

It is a wonderful opportunity to uncover the wider implications and more nuanced quandaries of the jovial national celebrations underway regarding active school transportation, kids and community participation and mobility – especially within the Queensland context.

Ride on kids!

Designing a bicycle Helmet – 4th grade