Learning mathematics by project work in secondary school

Abstract

In project-based learning, pupils have two central learning objectives: to understand the content of the subject and to develop their twenty-first-century skills. This article concerns the use of project work in mathematics learning, considered here in the context of the Finnish national core curriculum, mathematical proficiency, and pupils’ previous level of attainment. The research consisted of two case studies in which a coordinate system project and a statistics project were tested with secondary school pupils (N=59+58). The main findings show it is possible to study the mathematics of the curriculum and to develop all types of mathematical proficiency using project work. Additionally, the pupils’ grades on the project work correlate positively with their overall grades in mathematics.

Promoting Institutional Cooperation through a Joint Project-Based Learning Course: A Case Study of Upper-Secondary School and University Students’ Experienced Relevance

“…However, as one upper secondary school student put it, "You learn by doing," capturing the essence of PBL. Engaging in a new and different way of working and delving into a subject in more detail was seen as meaningful and, therefore, increased the course's individual relevance (Viro and Joutsenlahti 2020).…”

“…However, skills alone are not enough as learning objectives of PBL, since students also need to develop their understanding of the key concepts of science and contents central to the curriculum (Haatainen and Aksela 2021;Markula and Aksela 2022;Bell 2010). Project-based learning can be seen as a relevant framework for learning science as studies have shown that it can promote learning of science and mathematics content knowledge (Condliffe et al 2017;Viro and Joutsenlahti 2020) and improve students' attendance, self-reliance, and attitudes towards learning (Kingston 2018;Condliffe et al 2017).…”