About the Learning Object
Integer multiplication is an essential skill for mathematical success in high school math classes. Students begin learning about negative integers during 6th grade math, and begin performing operations with integers in 7th grade. In my experience as a middle and high school math teacher, integer multiplication fluency has frequently been an area of challenge for students. Created using Articulate Storyline, the Integer Multiplication learning object was created to give students in grades 7-12 additional support and practice with conceptual understanding and procedural fluency. In the learning object, the learner helps their friend, Tim, calculate how much money he has at the end of the month after a variety of different transactions. Procedural fluency is developed through the interactive scenarios as well as the embedded practice questions at the end of the learning object while conceptual understanding is reinforced in the learning object through the application of integer multiplication to a real-world problem.
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Related Documentation
If you are interested in the user experience evaluation of the Integer Multiplication learning object, click the button below to go to the associated Evaluation Documents.
Reflection
The initial version of this learning object was completed during my first semester of the IDT Masters program, and then revised using data collected from my IDT Masters Project. When I was developing the learning object, I relied mainly on my professional experiences as a middle and high school math teacher, as well as feedback from colleagues to adjust the content to better meet the needs of students. In order to help learners develop conceptual understanding, the learning object use an authentic real-world context (money) to demonstrate the rules of integer multiplication. The learning object provides multiple opportunities for practice and frequent, specific feedback as they progress through the scenarios. Learners then practice integer multiplication in order to reinforce their conceptual understanding.
Since creating the Integer Multiplication learning object, I have taken courses in learning theory, instructional design, and UDL principles. This learning object has been the subject of my Masters Project, where I have designed a user experience evaluation to adjust the learning object to better meet the user experience needs of learners. This process has given me a huge amount of insight into the learning theories and instructional design models that influenced my design process, even before I had names for those things. In particular, I am able to see the influence of Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivation both in the design of the learning object and in my professional practice as a math teacher. While this learning object is not yet ready for wide distribution, my experiences in the IDT program have given me the knowledge I need to adjust my learning object to better meet the instructional goals.
Emma Farrow 