Theory and Practice in the Curriculum

Theory and Practice in the Curriculum

STEM Integrated Approach: An Option for Facing the Crisis of Low Attendance to Mathematics

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Shahid Beheshti University
Abstract
In the last two decades in Iran, the number of students willing to choose mathematics as their major has decreased significantly. On the other hand, during the covid-19 pandemic, students had access to learning resources without mediation from teachers and moved towards personalized learning. In addition, the fast development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence transformed the job market. In this paper, I used autobiography as my research methodology. The biography included my living experiences as researcher, teaching several courses and doing innovative assessments virtually for university students, conducting about 40 webinars for university faculties and mathematics teachers across country focusing on paradigm change and disseminate my voice using different means. Through my research, I gathered enormous research evidence regarding the implementation of STEM approach for school and university mathematics. The findings revealed that students’ beliefs towards learning were changed fundamentally. As well, all aspects of new AI-based job market evolved and became extremely compatible, unstable, demanding and requires higher-order thinking skills. Thus, the traditional mathematics curricula do not capability of preparing students for the new jobs. The conclusion is that STEM education might be a suitable choice to overcome the crisis of mathematics education in public and higher education.

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https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2804