Deepening Mathematical Understanding Through a Problem-Based Integrated STEM Curriculum

While much STEM education researchSTEM education research has focused on mathematics as a toolMathematics as a tool for STEM, this chapter will identify ways that STEM was used to deepen the knowledge, use, and enjoyment of mathematics via the use of the freely available, widely-adopted middle school curriculum from Illustrative Mathematics (IM). IM purposely designed its research-based K-12 mathematics curriculum to invite all students into mathematics by leveraging contextsContexts through a culturally relevant, problem-based approach. Researchers analyzed interview data in a multiple-case studyMultiple-case study from four diverse school districts across the United States. The findings suggest that aspects of the curriculum's instructional model, such as collaborative real-world and mathematical problem-solving and explicit mathematical discourse structures, impacted shifts in educator classroom practiceClassroom practice, perceived student engagementStudent engagement and achievement in mathematics, and long-term valuing of problem-based instruction. The outcomes have practical implications for supporting teachersSupporting teachers to understand how mathematical understanding can be enriched through STEM problemsSTEM problem.