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What can mathematics contribute to a good society?

By July 2019December 9th, 2019No Comments

The MaSDiV Professional Development Series

Maths and the learning of societal values? How does that fit together?

This was the question which about 50 participants discussed in depth at the advanced training series „MaSDiV – opening mathematics teaching under consideration of the leading perspectives“. The EU funded project MaSDiV aims to support maths and science teachers in fostering intercultural learning and promoting fundamental values in their day-to-day teaching.

Foto: Production Perig / colourbox.de

During the day, the slightly prosaic name of this training session was quickly made more vivid: In the first meeting it was addressed how open tasks can play a key role in encounters with heterogeneous classes. Simulating the role of students, the participants had to puzzle their way out of an Escape Room, before the time was up.

Exciting examples were also tried out in the other meetings and many controversial questions were discussed: Should one shop in unpackaged shops? How much waste can you really save? To live in an environmentally conscious way, to think about the consequences of a decision made, these things are gaining importance again in today’s world. The teaching of such a sustainable, conscious lifestyle is also the task of the school and in particular of mathematics teaching, according to the opinion of the training participants. And quite incidentally, the leading perspectives, which at first seem so far removed from mathematics, end up in the classroom and breathe life into mathematical formulas.

“My interest in this subject has increased considerably due to the diverse thematization of open tasks, especially due to the connection to performance-related heterogeneity, everyday relevance and intercultural learning,” reports one participant. “This has also given new impulses to the design of my mathematics lessons,” she says happily.

Still open wishes? “More such events,” remarked another participant, “and colleagues who come along…”.

If you have also become interested in the training contents, visit our workshop on 12 November 2019 (14:00 – approx. 16:00), in which we discuss parts of the training. More information at https://icse.ph-freiburg.de/lehrerbildung/fortbildungen/

The project MaSDiV (Supporting mathematics and science teachers in addressing diversity and promoting fundamental values) is funded with the support of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

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