Using Roller Coasters to Bridge Mathematics, Science and the Arts

The goal of this workshop presentation is to help teachers find meaningful ways to integrate the arts, mathematics, and science to promote creativity, and interdisciplinary and real-life connections in their classrooms. Through designing and building roller coasters the participants will develop their own creativity and understanding of the problem solving and inquiry approaches to teaching mathematics and science. Based on the constructivist philosophy of learning, recent reform movements in mathematics education shifted attention from procedural knowledge to conceptual understanding see Ellis & Berry [4]. In science, attention has been concentrated on the method for which investigations are introduced. This refocus has been from a progressive introduction of discrete processes to a whole investigations approach, where advancement is dependent on each individual’s procedural and conceptual understanding see Bennett [2]. These shifts have resulted in a new definition of mathematical and scientific knowledge, emphasizing problem solving, the exploration of big ideas, the connections between those ideas, and communication about them. The above process has impacted the role of teachers through shifting the focus from the teacher to the student. Student-centered teaching through inquiry and problem solving promotes the students’ construction of knowledge through creating, exploring and testing their mathematical and scientific ideas see Alsardary & Blumberg [1]. Therefore, educators are not only expected to develop a knowledge and understanding of the mathematics and science they teach, but also of the ways children understand and think about different concepts. Not being taught through problem solving and inquiry methods during their educational experiences, teachers often struggle with understanding the pedagogy behind this form of instruction see William, Abell, Hubbard, McDonald, Otaala, & Martini [9]. In order to accomplish this task, incorporation of the arts, through enhancing students’ enjoyment and engagement of content, can help individuals gain access to this knowledge through new intelligences see Johnson & Edelson [6]. To be able to help students create more powerful constructions see Confrey [3], teachers need to identify and make sense of children’s ideas and their ways of thinking. Educators should focus on processes that build conceptual bridges, which are adjusted to the children’s abilities to construct knowledge and move “from their current level of understanding toward more refined and integrated understandings” see Griffin and Case [5]. Making connections among particular concepts is not only important within a given subject area, but the significance of interdisciplinary connections is also highly promoted by organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Both of these organizations outline standards see NCTM [7]; National Research Council [8] that encourage curriculum connections to enhance students’ use and understanding of academic content. Bridges 2010: Mathematics, Music, Art, Architecture, Culture