Approaches to Analysing the Mathematics in Integrated STEM Tasks

Integrated curriculumIntegrated curriculum in schools is not new but more recently, an integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum has been promoted, particularly because of the need for more STEM workforce participation. However, for students to be engaged and interested enough to pursue STEM study and careers, they need authentic STEM learningAuthentic STEM learning opportunities throughout their schooling experience. Authentic STEM learningAuthentic STEM learning requires the use of real-world scenariosReal-world scenarios where knowledge, skills and practices from the STEM subjects can be used to solve engaging and challenging problems. Since mathematics is foundationalMathematics foundational to all STEM subjects, the use of mathematics to solve such problems should be evident. One issue involved in designing an authentic integrated STEM curriculumIntegrated STEM curriculum involves using mathematics that challenges students at the appropriate grade level requiring more than basic counting or measuring skills. Mathematics should be more than just a tool, with learning opportunities for students that demonstrate the power of mathematics to model, reason, generalise and predict.