WOODLAND — Through hands-on experiments with items such as rockets and practical projects, students enrolled in applied math at Woodland High School explore mathematical principles.
“Applied math provides the ‘why’ to back up the equations and concepts students have learned in prior years,” said math teacher Jennifer Benedict. “The chance to see principles in action makes concrete connections to concepts that may have been abstract prior to the hands-on experiment.”
For each project, students write reflections, where they address the mathematical principles and concepts they observed. “These reflections provide students the opportunity to practice math literacy as well as math writing skills,” said Benedict. “Students practice data analysis and interrupt patterns that may happen between testing and data collection.”
Throughout a given semester, the projects take students through the engineering design cycle. Since applied math also gives students a career and technical education credit, guest speakers help connect students with industry standards.
“Applied math gives me the chance to help pass on my excitement for learning and to encourage curiosity in my students,” Benedict said.
