New Perspectives in Science Education

When we teach or learn math, whether in a pure, mathematical context, i.e., a math class, or supplementary to a general context, for example, a discussion about symmetry in a course on the history of art, the nature of the math can be significantly different [1]. Yet, we are not always aware of this. Understanding what, how, and why we teach math in different learning situations is important for individual educators and whole organizations [2]. Individual educators can use this information to better design their lesson plans and improve their instruction [3]. On the management level, organizations can benefit from this analysis to make better fact-based decisions based on the difference between the desired policies and the existing practices [4].  This paper presents a tool for educators, organization leaders, and stakeholders to analyze the nature of the math taught in many learning situations. These can be short-term, such as classroom lessons and extra-curricular activities, or long-term, such as learning units, semester-long courses, or even learning that spans several years. We will show how this tool has been successfully implemented in different learning situations in a large science education organization [5] and discuss how to further use this tool in other disciplines.