Trajectories of Mathematics and Technology Education Pointing to Engineering Design.

Abstract

A brief examination and comparison of mathematics and technology education provides the background for a discussion of integration. In particular, members of each field have responded to the increasing pressures to better prepare students for the technologically rich, globally competitive future. Approaches based within each discipline are varied across curriculum and instructional strategies. However, when examining the disciplines’ historical paths, there are important similarities to consider in determining how best to affect student learning in both mathematics and technology education. The authors contend that engineering design is the appropriate contextual area for integrating mathematics in technology education. Trajectories of Mathematics and Technology Education Pointing To Engineering Design The national learning standards associated with mathematics and technology education indicate a relationship between the disciplines of mathematics and technology education. Mathematics is referred to 30 times in the Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (International Technology Education Association (ITEA), 2000/2002) and technology is used over 20 times in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000). For example, standard three in the Standards for Technological Literacy states that “students will develop an understanding of the relationships among technologies and the connections between technology and other fields of study” (ITEA, 200/2002, p. 44). The Connections standard in the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics states that students will recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics, and the Problem Solving standard reads that students will solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts. Both disciplines clearly include one another, at least in general terms. Their incorporation or relationship with each other appears to center on use. For example, upon review of these standards documents alone, the scope or purpose of technology in mathematics would appear to be that of instructional technology. Mathematics educators are primarily concerned with using technology to aid in instruction (e.g., computers, calculators, software) and facilitate student learning. Technology educators, on the other hand, are focused on how to use mathematics to understand, use, and design different technologies. Just as mathematics educators appear to see technology as a tool in service to solving mathematical problems, technology educators appear to see mathematics as a tool in service to solving technological problems (Merrill, Reese, & Daugherty, 2010). However, does a closer relationship exist between the two disciplines beside the onedimensional emphasis on use found in the standards? If a closer relationship were to exist, what might integrate the two disciplines? These two questions are the primary focus of this article. Moving beyond a simple analysis of standards documents, the historical trajectories of mathematics and technology education, as they relate to each other, are explored. By exploring these histories, a future point of integration through engineering design is explored. Mathematics Education and Technology Many reports have called for better preparation in mathematics and science, and for increased skills for the technology-rich workplace of the 21st century (American Association of University Women, 2000; Borgman et al., 2008; National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, 2000; National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008). Yet, many parents and teachers consider mathematics as a very traditional process of technology-independent practice, focused on algorithms, facts, procedures, and so forth. The history of technology integration into mathematics is embedded in the developments and debates about mathematics education in more general terms. The “new mathematics movement” and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) standards-based reform are two T h e J o u rn a l o f Te c h n o lo g y S tu d ie s Trajectories of Mathematics and Technology Education Pointing To Engineering Design Jenny L. Daugherty, George C. Reese, and Chris Merrill 46