Making Math Practical
Whether it is inquiry based learning, project-based learning (PBL), STEAM, or STEM, there are various ways to make math learning more practical for our students.
Unit Projects
In 2018, one of our groups for the Math & Art course at the Teacher's Education program (University of Ottawa) created a math project around rebuilding a neighbourhood. Our peers were provided instructions to build three aspects of a city: buildings/homes, roads, and trees all while using the strand of measurement. Specifically, our peers had to use a ruler to measure the buildings/homes, roads, and trees, recording the measurements of each on a worksheet. While such an approach to learning may not fulfil teacher's and their desire to "reach" objectives, it does something else more meaningful - it reaches the psyche of our students and creates a space for math learning that is hands-on, engaging, and practical.
As such, these kind of group projects are a wonderful touch as an end-of-the-unit project, where students can collectively work together to apply a math objective without the added pressure of assessing and testing.
As such, these kind of group projects are a wonderful touch as an end-of-the-unit project, where students can collectively work together to apply a math objective without the added pressure of assessing and testing.
