STEM Education: Action Learning in Primary, Secondary, and Post-secondary Mathematics

Abstract

The paper shows that mathematics as an applied tool – when used consistently at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educational levels – has true potential to improve the teaching of the subject matter, increase students’ interest in STEM disciplines, and bridge the gap between the formal and engineering approaches to mathematics education. The adoption of the action learning techniques that have successfully been used in academia in the contexts of business management, social sciences, and teacher development is proposed as signature pedagogy for K-20 mathematics education. The appropriate use of technology and hands-on activities as an enhancement of mathematical applications to real-life projects of different degrees of complexity is discussed. Many examples are given.