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Math lessons get a makeover: New tools spark student interest, achievement in mathematics |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A researcher at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has uncovered mathematics embedded in the designs of various aspects of native and contemporary culture, from traditional beadwork and basket weaving to modern hairstyles and music. Using the discovery, he's developed a series of interactive, Web-based teaching tools that are capturing the interest -- and imagination -- of students in math classes across the country. Ron Eglash, associate professor of science and technology studies at Rensselaer, has created a suite of 11 computer software programs that focus on individual facets of African American, Native American, or Latin American culture where math plays a role in design. New research reported in the June 2006 issue of American Anthropologist suggests that use of CSDTs can raise math achievement and may improve technological career aspirations for ethnic minority students. Preliminary surveys of students -- 83 percent of which were under-represented minorities -- who used the design tools for two hours per day over a two-week period displayed a statistically significant increase in their attitudes toward computers, compared to 175 randomly selected students who had not used a CSDT. The Fractal Factor In 1999, Eglash discovered that fractal geometry -- the geometry of similar shapes repeated on ever-shrinking scales -- is apparent in the designs of many cultures on the continent of Africa, revealing that traditional African mathematics may be much more complicated than previously thought. He documented fractal patterns in cornrow hairstyles, weavings, and the architecture of villages, as well as many forms of African art. Eglash's research was funded by three federal grants: a U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC) grant, a Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) grant, and a National Science Foundation (NSF) IT Workforce (ITWF) grant.
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