Fortune-Telling Finches: Linear Functions as Predictors
Brian T. Johnson, Rebecca Bramwell · Journal of Technology-Integrated Lessons and Teaching · 2024
This lesson gives students experience with block coding Finch robots to move across plexiglass surfaces. It builds student computational thinking skills, mathematical self-efficacy, and interest in technology careers (McLurkin, et al., 2013; Martin, 2019; Kazi, 2023). Finch robots are small, physical robots that can be coded to move in a space. In this 8th grade math unit, conducted in the library, students identify relationships between variables while using block coding to make predictions and test hypotheses. This lesson extends students' knowledge of linear functions through observing patterns and using the guess and check strategy to complete a variety of challenges.