Generating excitement with math projects

Teaching Pre K-8, Jan 1996 by Kostecky, Jeffrey, Roe, Louis

BY JEFFREY KOSTECKY AND LOUIS ROE,

Using projects in your math class can add excitement to each unit in your curriculum. Math projects also offer a way to focus on such NCTM standards as students communicating mathematically, students using technology as a tool for math and students understanding real-life problem-solving.

But perhaps one of the best attributes of a math project is the element of student choice. This creates a very strong motivation for students to think and work.

Math projects take many different forms and can offer a variety of outcomes. Generally, the project revolves around giving students a real-life problem or situation and challenging them to use the necessary math skills to solve it. Students are then given an outline of how the project findings should be written up.

The actual process highlights the following key points in exciting math education.

Choosing the right project. Selecting the type of project to use depends on many things: the math concepts you want to be used; the possible real-life applications of those concepts; the community resources and expertise that are available; the math tools or types of computer software that can be used; and the written formats that would best express the information that's gained.

Discussing these considerations during a brainstorming session is a good way of zeroing in on likely areas for a math project.

Communicating mathematically. An important feature of any math project is the integration of language arts into the mathematical problem-solving process. If the project revolves around a real-life math situation, writing about the situation may just come naturally.

Students can write descriptively, explaining what they've found through their work. There should also be an opportunity for them to write speculatively, as they look towards their future as adults and the role math will play in it.

Using the tools of mathematics. In the real world, there are many tools that help people solve math problems. These tools include calculators, computer software (e.g., financial, architectural, word processing), tape measures, trundle wheels, scales, calipers and maps, to name just a few.

Each math project should attempt to incorporate the appropriate tools with the work of the project. Guest experts who use and can demonstrate these tools are an excellent resource.

Real-life resources. Projects that center on real-life math situations should use real-life resources. The kind of resources you'll need depends on the math concepts and skills being used, of course, but you'll probably find the resources available in your community. Some might be local real estate brochures, car sales ads, the classified section of your newspaper, airline schedules, department store flyers, recipe cards and on and on.

Student choice. This should be a built-in component of any math project. If students are working in areas in which they are they genuinely interested, they'll be much more motivated to think, explore and work.

Examples of student choice vary widely, but they could include choosing an occupation, buying a house, selecting a car, creating a travel route, choosing a recipe to work with, finding data on a particular sporting event, buying furniture and choosing a floor plan for a house. There are many, many more real-life examples of student choice that are available to students.

Rationale for projects. If additionally, math skills are practiced in math class after new concepts have been taught. The way these concepts are presented--and the skills are practiced--takes many forms.

The math project is an alternative way to have students work with math concepts and skills. What makes math projects effective--is that they pull in so many of the key areas known to be important in the teaching of mathematics. Of these key areas, problem-solving authenticity, technology and communicating mathematically are particularly important attributes.

Jeff Kostecky teaches fifth grade at Helm Middle School in Williamsville, NY. Louis Roe, a former teacher at Helm, is now a sixth grade teacher at Transit Middle School, also in Williamsville.