Simple accounting is one of the most useful applications of subtraction and addition that the average person will encounter in their life. The manipulation of money has inspired billions to fall into the arithmetic fold. I suspect far more than all the math teachers in the world combined. It is through the pursuit of immediate and useful applications of the art that students can be inspired to learn. It is our duty as teachers to teach not just the techniques of math, but the reason and application of math as well. No one really learns without wanting to and it is in that want that the button we must push hides.
One of the many well trodden paths to hell in teaching is the concept of partial credit. The best assessment method is accomplishment. An assignment is done or it isn't. This works if the goals are held down at the atomic level with small simple assignments that can be counted as accomplished or not. The student feels better because the assignments pass across his or her desk at a visible clip and you can have no reason for argument with your students, because you grading system is simple and straightforward. At the end of the webquest, the student will receive a certificate of accomplishment. Check off the completion of the assignment and build your grade spread on completion rather than the arbitrary judgment of quality or timeliness.
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