"This National Science Foundation project aims to keep talented middle grade girls on the fast math track into college."

Imagine a math classroom that hums with activity and debate as to how the community can change its dependence on the automobile. Students gather data from the Internet to build their argumentation to support different solutions. Excel is used to generate graphs and tables to portray the quantitative dimensions of their problems. "What if we made an HOV lane on Interstate-40Ûwould that work?" questions one twelve year-old. "I think we need to have better public transportation," chimes in another. "Yeah, but how do you go about getting people to leave their cars at home," retorts a third student. 

This type of dialogue was repeated again and again during the Girls on Track Math Camp for 40 talented seventh and eighth graders last summer. This National Science Foundation project aims to keep talented middle-grade girls on the fast math track into college. Principle investigators at NC State University are Sarah Berenson (Mathematics Education), Mladen Vouk (Computer Science), and Tracy Robinson (Counselor Education). They collaborate to integrate mathematics, information technologies, and leadership skills into a comprehensive treatment to address the problem of decreasing interest in mathematics and computers among females. Over the next three years 200 girls, 50 teachers, 30 preservice teachers, and 15 guidance counselors will participate in Girls on Track, investigating community problems with information technology tools. 
 

"Girls on Track focuses on mathematical investigations of community problems that are compelling and engaging to talented middle grade girls."

In this article we highlight the information technologies used as tools for the mathematical investigations and some positive, first-year results. First, we examine how uses of information technologies enhance the context for learning. Second, increases in girls' interest in using the technology are reported. Third, a description of ways that the information tools increased girls' confidence is provided. 
 

World Population Website

Wake County Demographic & Economic Data Center
 
 
 
 

"The girls engage in a web exploratory activity to connect their ideas of population growth in the world before moving to the population growth in the community."
 
 
 

Investigations depend on rich and authentic contexts to engage students' interest. While they may know some things about the selected context, more information is usually required to support the learning experience. The web provides this background information so that information concerning the context is provided to the students. We begin our investigation of population increases in the community by asking students to determine the population in Wake County in 20 years. The girls engage in a web exploratory activity to connect their ideas of population growth in the world before moving to the population growth in the community. Two valuable websites for population investigations are: http://www.popexpo.net/eMain.html and http://www.co.wake.nc.us/planning/Demographics. 

With some background information, students are ready to begin asking questions they choose to explore about population growth. Which town in the county is growing the fastest? What area will need new schools? What area of the county has an aging population? Where are the more dense populations for public transportation routes? Once again, the web becomes a source of data to answer the students' questions. 

Excel is used as a data collection and data display tool for the investigations. Then girls select from a variety of tables and graph formats to convey the results of their investigations to others. For this communication aspect, girls use PowerPoint with Web and Excel graphics to convey their results and concerns. There were several benefits accruing from the uses of these tools. First, the girls were deeply interested in the community problems but did not know how to find current and up-to-date information. The web was exactly the right tool to fill that void. Second, a tool that can manipulate, calculate, and graph numerical data is extremely useful for collecting and analyzing the data of the investigations. Finally, PowerPoint provides a multimedia palette for girls to communicate the results of their investigations to others. Their individuality and creativity can be fully expressed with this semi-professional tool. 
 
 

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