The following was written by Randy Kolset, a district educational technology coordinator and DoD STEM Ambassador. DoD STEM Ambassadors work with the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) to advance STEM outreach for students who are underrepresented in STEM or military connected. Kolset was selected by the TGR Foundation as their DoD STEM Ambassador for the 2023-2024 school year.

The conversation around STEM education often focuses more on science, technology, and engineering, leaving mathematics to be implicitly understood. The crucial role of mathematics as the foundational language of STEM disciplines cannot be overstated. “Mathematics is the language of these practices and indeed, most everything in our world today,” a fellow DoD STEM Ambassador said recently. “It is important to find ways to engage students in its importance and make it attainable.” This realization sparked a crucial question: how can educators provide structures that allow students to navigate the complexities of mathematics effectively while saving teachers time, providing timely feedback, and increasing learning?

In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic, students and teachers alike face unprecedented challenges. Teachers report burnout while students struggle with gaps in their mathematical understanding. The journey to address these challenges in the Orange Unified School District began with the creation of “collaboratories,” which are spaces designed for professional development and sharing best practices among educators. The collaboratories revealed a significant gap in basic mathematical skills and the need for strategies that could help bridge this issue effectively. Teachers and administrators have expressed their belief that the current model of getting students to understand math is not increasing their learning. Teachers don’t have time, and everyone needs feedback through formative assessments to determine if they are progressing.” Inspired by Mark Roper’s Ted Talk called The Super Mario Effect – Tricking Your Brain into Learning More, the district began to research and capture strategies that would encourage students to take on math challenges.

Drawing upon research, particularly John Hattie’s Visible Learning and Dr. Sonny Magana’s T3 Framework, the initiative sought to implement technology-enhanced strategies that could transform math education. The T3 Framework categorizes technology use into three stages—translational, transformational, and transcendent—that provide a roadmap for educators to enhance student learning.

The Translational Stage

The translational stage focuses on acquiring and applying basic knowledge. Here, strategies such as Fast and Curious, Math Reps, and the Frayer Model were introduced. Fast and Curious uses gamification to teach basic math facts, creating a dynamic learning environment that encourages quick feedback and improvement. The Frayer Model, adapted for mathematics, helps students understand concepts deeply by exploring definitions, characteristics, examples, and non-examples of mathematical terms. Math Reps offer a spiraled review of concepts, allowing students to practice and apply knowledge in various ways. Feedback from 4th grade teachers included, “Students are wanting to participate and practice their basic math facts,” and “They are excited to work through these problems without realizing they are working through math!”

The Transformational Stage

In the transformational stage, students begin to create with their knowledge, engaging in deeper learning and application. This stage introduces strategies like Nacho Problems and 3 Act Math, which foster creative problem-solving and critical thinking. Nacho Problems, a playful take on error analysis, encourages students to identify and correct mistakes in a collaborative setting, enhancing their understanding through peer learning. 3 Act Math is a storytelling approach to problem-solving that engages students in real-world mathematical scenarios, prompting them to ask questions, gather data, and explore multiple solutions. “Students found these problems are more relevant and allowed them to discover numerous ways to solve problems to get to the same outcome,” said a 6th grade teacher.

The Transcendent Stage

The transcendent stage, although still under development, aims to foster inquiry-based learning, where students pursue projects driven by their interests and apply mathematical concepts to innovate and solve problems for their community. This stage represents the pinnacle of applying mathematics beyond the classroom, embodying the principle that math is not just a subject but a lens through which to view and understand the world. The Laguna Beach Unified School District technology department is using John Hattie’s work to build on these ideas and create innovative lesson designs tied to technology with the goal of creating global thinkers.

Implementing these strategies required minimal preparation from teachers but had a profound impact on student engagement and understanding. Teachers reported a significant reduction in preparation time, and students showed marked improvements in mathematical skills and confidence. The classroom became a space of exploration, curiosity, and joy, transforming the perception of mathematics from a daunting subject to an exciting adventure.

Feedback from both students and teachers in 1st through 9th grade has been overwhelmingly positive, with many noting the strategies’ effectiveness in improving scores, understanding, and engagement. “Playing these games and having the visitor from the district has really made math a fun experience,” said a 4th grade student. The approach has fostered a sense of community and collaboration, with students eagerly asking for more challenges and expressing enjoyment in their learning. This transformation is reminiscent of the “Mario Effect” in video gaming, where players persist through challenges, leveraging resources and strategies until they succeed. Similarly, students engaged in this new math education approach demonstrate resilience, creativity, and a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. “Students are engaged in the lessons, finding ways to work together, and learning,” said a 6th grade teacher. “Teaching this way has been enjoyable and I am not burned out by Friday.”

In conclusion, the revolution in math education spearheaded by these initiatives is not about just improving test scores but fundamentally changing how students perceive and engage with mathematics. By integrating technology, innovative teaching strategies, and a focus on deep understanding, educators are empowering students to see math not just as a subject, but as a critical thinking tool that shapes their interaction with the world. “I had a teacher who wanted me to come in and see several lessons that the students were engaged in,” said one elementary school administrator with the Orange Unified School District. “This is great since this teacher has always been reluctant to have me come in at all and now, she wants me to come back several times.” This journey underscores the importance of continuous innovation and adaptation in teaching methodologies, ensuring that education evolves to meet the needs of students in a changing world.