GeoGebra: Special Right Triangles Evaluation

Brief Description of Tech Tool: This tool allows students to investigate Special Right Triangles with angles 30-
60-90 and 45-45-90. Students determine relationships between side lengths and right triangles.

Technical & Cost considerations: This tool is free.

Evaluation
Description of Learning Activity
This tool can be used to assist students in understanding patterns of special right triangles. Students can manipulate
the triangles and make comparisons .

1. Learning Activity Types

 LA-Practice - practicing for fluency-

 LA-Present - (read or attend to) presentation of new content/ideas- This tool helps present the concepts of
special right triangles.
o LA-Present-Demo - demonstration
o LA-Present-Explain - explanation
 LA-Explore - exploring/investigating mathematical ideas- This tool requires students determine patterns
through exploration of the relationship between side length and special right triangles.
 LA-Apply - applying mathematics to problems and situations- Students can use prior knowledge of
trigonometry with triangles to help determine patterns.

2. What mathematics is being learned?

Standards
Common Core:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.SRT.C.6
Understand that by similarity, side ratios in right triangles are properties of the angles in the triangle, leading to
definitions of trigonometric ratios for acute angles.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.SRT.C.8
Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve right triangles in applied problems.

Proficiency Strands

 conceptual understanding- Students must consider each side while manipulating the special right
triangles.
 procedural fluency
 strategic competence
 adaptive reasoning- Student determine patterns based on their manipulations of special triangles,
reflection, and reasoning.
 productive disposition
Additional comments on what is being learned.

3. How is the mathematics represented?

The tech tool uses numerical and visual representation. The tool provides numerical representations of the side
length and adjust them automatically while students manipulation the visual representations of the special right
triangles.

4. What role does technology play?

The advantages are that the tool is a great way visually explore to the relationship between side lengths and special
right triangles. I also liked the color coded sides to help students formulate patterns and use prior knowledge of
Pythagorean Theorem.
Disadvantage can be that the tool does not provide does not allow users to move the triangles into different positions
and there are no prompting questions or statements that could assist students during their exploration.

Affordances of Technology for Supporting Learning.

 Computing & Automating – The tool automatically changes the side lengths while students manipulate
the triangles.
 Representing Ideas & Thinking - Students visually move the triangle points to represent their thinking.
 Accessing Information -
 Communicating & Collaborating -
 Capturing & Creating -
5. How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning?

I think this tool would work best in groups or pairs of students to determine patterns. However, I do think that
students will not some kind of prompting questions or instructions in order to help guide them through their
exploration.