Time to discuss the "Hands-On Math Class". Let's start with a small story...
~~~fades into old European school~~~
In the late 1700’s, a child in Pestalozzi’s school challenged his teacher: “You want me to learn the word ladder, but you show me a picture. Wouldn’t it be better to look at the real ladder in the courtyard?” The frustrated teacher went to Pestalozzi, the Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer, who told her that whenever possible “children should learn from real objects, the real world, and the experiences it offers”
I came upon this quote, courtesy of Doug Stowe, this Spring as I gathered research for my master's thesis. I posted earlier about what was then my topic: To revitalize shop class by means of sustainability education. The underlying theme was to get students involved in a hands-on learning environment, something I strongly feel should be an essential part of our education system.
I always thought it would be epic to retire as a shop teacher teaching students the skills of manual craft...Making items out of wood and steel, passing my yet-to-learn wisdom onto the children ....But is there a place for such a shop class in the school of today and tomorrow? ....No....
Over the past three weeks, I've successfully presented my thesis in a verbal defense and submitted my final document for review. I plan is to post all of the sections in my thesis to the blog, breaking it up into the chapters so that's its easier to digest. This should also allow me to expand thoroughly on each section and discuss all of my ideas around the topic.
The Case for a Hands-on Math Class
Introducing Students to Sustainable Careers
Abstract: This research identifies pressing social and economic issues that can be addressed by the creation of a hands-on math class. This class is presented as a replacement of a traditional seventh and eighth grade math course. With the assistance of industry professionals who help develop coursework, students are introduced to sustainable career and technical fields. Working with their minds as well as their hands, students are exposed to career paths in sustainability. - Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Pressing Social and Economical Issues
- Issue 1: Lack of Skilled Trade Professionals Entering the Workforce
- Issue 2: Negative Perception of Skilled and Manual Trades
- Issue 3: Decline of Industrial Arts Programs
- Issue 4: Disconnect Between School and Industry
- Chapter 3: History of Hands-On Education
- John Dewey
- Rudolph Steiner
- Chapter 4: Studies that Support Hands-On Education
- NRCCTE: Math-in-CTE
- Perdue University: Water Engineering Module
- Chapter 5: Existing Programs
- West Philly Hybrid X
- ACE High School - Nevada
- Outward Bound
- Many More...
- Chapter 6: The Hands-On Math Class
- Curriculum Requirements
- Course Overview
- Course Schedule
- Sample Assignments
- Chapter 7: Implementation
- Chapter 8: Conclusion
- References
- Thesis Document (.docx)
- Final Defense Presentation (PowerPoint)
Chapter 1:
Introduction
In the late 1700’s, a child in John Heinrich Pestalozzi’s school challenged his teacher: “You want me to learn the word ladder, but you show me a picture. Wouldn’t it be better to look at the real ladder in the courtyard?” The frustrated teacher went to Pestalozzi, the Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer, who told her that whenever possible “children should learn from real objects, the real world, and the experiences it offers” (Bennett, 1926, p. 119).
Educational theorists have echoed this sensible wisdom, yet it is lost in modern math and science programs where “artificial learning environments” are instead created (Stowe, 2006). This research explores the feasibility of a hands-on math class that engages students with their curriculum to foster interest in sustainable careers. The roadmap for developing a hands-on math class for seventh and eighth graders is studied to predict how a class can be successful. The goal of such a course is to expose students to sustainable careers and technical fields they may not have encountered elsewhere in their life experiences.
There is a strong need for increasing Career and Technical Education (CTE) so that America can meet the increasing demand for a skilled, professional Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) workforce. These fields, while not always appreciated in our society, are essential for our countries’ continued growth. Skilled trades and STEM professions can provide a substantial, meaningful way of life. In addition, learning with one’s hands is a more engaging and effective way to cover curriculum.
Only a generation ago, hands-on education was synonymous with wood shop and metal shop, also referred to as Industrial Arts education. With the decline of these classes in favor of technology education, hands-on and experiential learning has dwindled in America’s public schools. There are immense benefits to using the hands for education, and many philosophies support this idea. To revive these invaluable experiences, hands-on education will be combined instead with standardized math education, a vital element of all curricula. The class is the embodiment of these arguments and ideas.
The term sustainability carries many ideologies that are often applied to the built environment, agriculture, and manufacturing. Defined by the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on Environmental Development, 1987). This definition asserts that there are quantifiable, measurable bounds. But sustainability is also a call to action, a chance to make a better world socially, economically, and environmentally. This notion has been recognized by the United Nations when they declared a decade of education for sustainable development that aims to “challenge us all to adopt new behaviors and practices to secure our future” (Education for Sustainable Development, 2011).
This is not an argument for one profession’s superiority over another, but rather the encouragement of all students to experience multiple skilled trade and STEM career opportunities in an engaging manner. The research here investigates whether an experiential hands-on math class will be an effective means to expose students to career paths in sustainability.
Next Up:
Chapter 2: Social and Economical Issues
Thoughts? Let me hear it in the comments.
