A new way of learning mathematics
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) is an important movement in education that has major ramifications for the contemporary mathematics classroom.
Mathematics is no longer learned by memorising formula and procedures in order to solve problems; instead students are given opportunities to explore, discuss, and meaningfully construct concepts and relationships in contexts that involve real-world scenarios and projects that are significant to them as learners.
Subsequently, understanding mathematical concepts and applying mathematical thinking to everyday experiences is encouraged; challenging all students to develop critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills.
An important element of classroom instruction is providing the students with thought-provoking activities that encourage them to make connections between mathematical concepts and their everyday experiences. This is done through project-based learning as well as problem-solving tasks and other types of inquiry/research activities that expose students to everyday experiences and concepts.
During lessons, students are actively, rather than passively, involved in their learning through participation in small or large group discussions, peer to peer teaching, presentations, explanations about how they arrived at a particular solution and debating and defending their solutions. The primary focus of this type of classroom environment is to develop an essential set of communication, reasoning, investigative and thinking skills that students can use within and outside the classroom.
Integral to this process is providing students with an understanding of how their learning enables them to identify major connections between the classroom and their world, thus ensuring transferability between school and workplace; making their learning truly authentic.
It is when students find meaning and relevance in their learning that they become more interested in what they are learning and therefore more engaged, confident and competent mathematics learners.
The wise words of the famous Chinese philosopher, Confucius, certainly ring through for mathematics classes at Iona,
'I see and I forget,
I hear and I remember,
But I do and I understand'.
Sharon Schubert
Numeracy Enhancement Specialist