Thursday, September 13, 2012

"When Will We Ever Use Math in Real Life?"


Jennifer Ware and Sarah Stein both show the same interest in explaining to students when, where, and how they will use math they learn in school in the "real world." Ware and Stein wanted to invite people in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers to talk to the students about how they use math in their careers and also how they, themselves, felt about math back when they were in school. Unfortunately, they weren't able to have many of the experts come to them, so instead, they went out and made videos at a different workplace and had them explain what kind of math they use and what exactly they use it for. One example was of an architect on his build site. There was a point where they had highlighted geographical shapes the architect used to shape his buildings. After compiling around eighteen videos, the student interest in math actually increased.

In the classroom this could be a great tool because there are many people, including myself, who really don't know where they will need or use some of the information they learned in school. If we could do this for all subjects, this could really help students understand why they are learning what they are learning and why it is important to retain that knowledge and hold on to it for future use.

I feel like this would work better with the standards for teachers, but if I had to pick one, the ISTE NETS standard I feel this pertains most to would be standard three: Research and Information Fluency. I feel like students can research their career paths and interests because of these videos especially because these videos are giving explanations for how and why math is important in a specific field. By being able to pick up information in the videos, they could also take that information and do more detailed research elsewhere.

Stein, S. & Ware, J. (2012). When Will We Ever Use Math in Real Life? Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(8), 34-35. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20120607/?pg=36&pm=2&ul=friend
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2 comments:

  1. Katie UnderwoodSeptember 13, 2012 at 4:39 PM

    Hey Carolyn!

    I also wondered when and where I would use a lot of the information I learned in school in the real world. This is an excellent example of how to get students motivated to learn. If students don't think they are ever going to use or need information they often forget about it and are not motivated to try in that class. Having real examples of professionals speak to the class adds an exciting factor to the class lesson. If we know we might need this information one day we are more likely to pay attention and retain what we are learning instead of memorizing it for a test and immediately forgetting it.

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  2. Ron ChenSeptember 20, 2012 at 9:11 PM

    Hi Carolyn,

    Ideally students can go on field trips to various places and communicated with these experts and see how they use math in their work. But it is not very feasible for so many field trips. So technology comes to play a role and provide a vicarious experience for students.

    The authors reported an increase in students' motivation for learning math. Technology often can bring a "novelty" effect. I wonder how long will that last. I hope it will last for a long time.

    R-J

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