Paths to Math

An active learning path for meaningful math

Paths to Math is an electronic learning path for math that provides ready-to-use learning materials and a lesson plan for ages 11-16. Students' mathematical thinking skills improve and the attitudes towards math become more positive.

Suomi | English

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Finland 100

Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

Finland 100

Web presence

2014

Established

-

Children

1

Countries

Target group

Teachers

Updated

March 2017

The attitudes of teachers and students towards math and problem solving have become positive. Math can be fun, but also relevant to everyday life, and not just learning things off by heart.

About the innovation

What is it all about?

Math helps people understand the surrounding world. It allows you to look at multiple phenomena and solve many everyday life problems.

Studying math is, at its best, student-centered and focused solving problems together in a group. Learning mathematical skills, such as problem-solving and communication skills, is as important as learning the new study material. Students should be encouraged to find different solutions to a problem and thereby develop their mathematical thinking.

Paths to Math is an e-learning path that provides a wide range of topics that enable students to apply their mathematical knowledge. Exercises use active and social learning and combine multiple subjects. Students both practise and apply what they have learned.

Paths to Math encourages students to work in groups. Working collaborativelyhelps students speak in mathematical terms, they can debate the results and look at a problem from different perspectives.

Impact & scalability

Impact & Scalability

Innovativeness

The accumulation of mathematical understanding illustrates how everyone can learn math and enjoy mathematical problem solving.

Impact

Students’ attitude towards math becomes more positive and math can even become their favorite subject at school.

Scalability

The lack of interest and the negative attitudes of students towards math are an international problem.

Media

Pair Share

Video Tips how to teach Math

Implementation steps

Initial overview

Hand out pieces of paper and asked to draw a typical math lesson on it in twenty minutes.

The drawings provide background information for the teacher, and it helps the teacher get an idea of the students' attitudes towards math.

The teacher can ask students to repeat this at a later point. This provides confirmation on how diversification of methods and active participation of students in learning change attitudes towards math.

Free lesson trial

The Paths to Math service is subject to a fee, but by signing up on the website, you can try out a four-part unit for free, which provides tools for developing teaching math.

Instead of explaining new topics, students are encouraged to look for different solutions by experimenting themselves. The unit consists of video tutorials for teachers and pair assignments for students.

Registering for Paths to Math

There are nine modules on the Paths to Math website:

pre-algebra

algebra

explorations

statistics and probability

geometry 1

geometry 2

geometry 3

functions and percents

powers and equations

For example, the algebra unit consists of the following classes, which all include corresponding themes and exercises.

Example: Algebra 3.1: A Peculiar Measure

Description: Constructing expressions using measuring

Tips for teacher: Group activity. Have some unconventional measuring tools available, like a key, a pen, or a pencil case. Each group will need two of these.

The measurement unit, be it a meter or a foot, is not always available when you might need it. In which situations have you seen a different unit of measurement being used instead of the metric? Have you ever had to resort to a measure different from the basic in any situation yourself?

Before the meter-based measure the foot and the distance between one’s elbow and fingertip were used to measure lengths (1 foot = 0.3048 m and 1 distance between one’s elbow and fingertip = 0.594 m). Which other antiquated units of measurement do you know?

Form groups of 2–4 students. Each group requires two tools for measuring. This could be a key, a pen, a rubber or a pencil-case.

The website includes instructions for students on how to continue. Register at www.pathstomath.com.