Connecting Mathematics and Science to Workplace Contexts : A Guide to Curriculum Materials

Engage students through real-world curriculum

It′s no accident that employers complain that newly minted graduates are out of touch with the realities of work demands! Too often, there is a disconnect between what is taught in the classroom and what is demanded in the workplace, and students suffer the consequences. Mathematics and science curricula can play a critical role in solving this dilemma.

In this comprehensive review of 23 exemplary curricula/programs, the authors offer an easy-to-use guide for tying curriculum to workplace experiences―from a hematology laboratory to an agricultural setting to a soda bottling company―these programs illustrate concrete real-life situations to which students can relate and derive motivation.

Learn how to:

• Meet the goals of science, mathematics, and technology education
• Meet national curriculum standards
• Chart key characteristics of successful curricula
• Connect curriculum to workplace contexts
• Create your own curriculum materials

This book is a must for mathematics and science educators, curriculum developers and supervisors, and educators in school-to-work programs and vocational courses.

 

 

Edward (Ted) Britton is associate director of the National Center for Improving Science Education (NCISE), housed within the Mathematics, Science, and Technology program of WestEd. Dr. Britton brings long experience in research and evaluation of curriculum issues and materials to this book. In collaboration with Senta Raizen and others, he developed methods for a cross-national comparison of textbooks in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). He led a review of curriculum materials that connect science and mathematics to workplace contexts, Connecting Mathematics and Science to Workplace Contexts. Britton currently serves on the Technology Education Advisory Council of the ITEA. His earlier NCISE research includes comparing high-stakes mathematics and science examinations across countries and studying U.S. innovations in mathematics and science education as part of an international study under the auspices of the Paris-based Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). As project director for Mary Budd Rowe of the University of Florida during the 1980s, Ted developed the first CD-ROM in science education and produced videotapes for the professional development of science teachers. During the late 1970s, he taught science courses for Grades 7–12 at a rural junior-senior high school in Florida. Britton earned an EdD in science education, an MS in analytical chemistry, and a BS in chemistry and education from the University of Florida.