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Section 3.3 Compare and Contrast Activities

These activities are a special case of Small Group Activities in which each group is assigned a slightly different example of the same calculation. The whole-class wrap-up discussion then highlights the similarities and differences amongst the different cases.

Subsection 3.3.1 Benefits:

  • Students complete one example, but have the opportunity to see the results of many different examples.

  • Student do not have to do multiple repetitive calculations.

  • Instructors can model the comparison of different examples as a professional sense-making strategy.

Subsection 3.3.2 Tips & Tricks

  • The wrap-up discussion is a critical element of this type of small group activity – don't skip it!

  • If you run out of time, the wrap-up can be effectively done in the following class.