Tech Math Helps Students Plan & Create Functional Tools for School
Collaboration, teamwork and math are coming together for one group of LaRue County High School students. Students in Nikki Waldeck’s Tech Math classes are bringing mathematical concepts off the page and into the real world with upcoming Project Based Learning initiatives.
The Tech Math students are working alongside Agriculture classes to design and build functional raised strawberry beds. This project will put STEM concepts into practice, along with budgeting materials costs and how this process could be applied to a paying customer or business.
This project is one of many throughout LaRue County Schools as part of the Learner Profile initiative. The goal of each project is for students to connect classroom curriculum with real-world applications. By doing so, they’ll be better prepared to succeed once they leave the school.
STEM courses are some of the most crucial for our current world. However, giving students hands-on experience with designing and building is only part of the benefits to this project. Waldeck said project-based learning kickstarts a student’s natural curiosity. That curiosity is what inspires them to discover how to apply what they’re learning in the classroom with practical application. Waldeck said she’s seen students bring up math concepts on their own no matter which project they’re working on.
“It never ceases to amaze me how many students begin using mathematical terminology during these projects,” Waldeck said. “Given a traditional learning setting, I could ask a question related to the slope of a line and students are not personally engaged or connected, so I might have 2-3 students raise their hands to answer. However, with our "marble run" project, I hear students all over the room discussing how to change the slope of their designs to adjust the speed of the marble.”
Waldeck noted that project-based learning does far more than reinforce classroom math skills. It strengthens soft skills like communication and problem-solving that are needed regardless of what career path a student chooses to follow.
“I think Project-based learning gives students the chance to engage in authentic problem-solving experiences that help them discover concepts and skills and ultimately build non-academic skills such as perseverance, stamina & self-confidence,” Waldeck said. “When students begin to think outside the classroom box so to speak, the ideas, conversation and unexpected leadership that comes out of these experiences are some of my most cherished experiences as an educator. Those ‘a-ha’ moments when a student figures something out are truly what it's all about.”
