Hands-on in Dosage Calculation
When students are given the opportunity to handle syringes of various sizes in their Dosage Calculation class, I've found that they have a better comprehension of the rounding rules which they are expected to follow. For instance, when they see that a 1 mL syringe is marked to the hundredth, they better understand why they are expected to round dosages of liquid medications which are smaller than 1 mL to the hundredth. It is likely that they will be using the 1 mL syringe, which is marked to the hundredth, to administer such a medication. Similarly, when they see that the 3 mL syringe is marked to the tenth, they are more likely to understand the reason we round dosages of medications which are more that 1 mL to the tenth. They are likely to use the 3 mL syringe to draw up and give IM injections larger than 1 mL. This is a way that the abstract can become concrete for the student.
I am a novice teacher, just starting my first teaching job. This seems like a great way to make math hands on, thank you for sharing!
