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What inspired this project?

I am passionate about helping students progress academically, personally, and socially. I thrive on those "aha!" moments when students grasp a concept, apply it, and assist others. I love math and its practical applications in science, technology, engineering, art, music, and sports—it's everywhere. My constant challenge is finding ways to make math relatable and meaningful to students so they see its relevance, get excited about it, and enjoy learning.

Every year, most of my new students start with neutral or negative feelings about math. My initial goal was to teach math in a way that made it easy to understand and fun to learn. I achieved that, but students often questioned the importance and real-world applications of math. I soon realized I also needed to teach how math connects to other subjects, careers, and everyday experiences.

In my first year of teaching, I had students research how the math we were learning applied to their interests, hobbies, and future careers. They created and presented Google Slides on their findings, which led to many realizations and excitement. Students eagerly shared their facts and findings. Over my six years of teaching, I occasionally used students' names in math problems, which always excited them. This inspired my project: what if I consistently used their interests, hobbies, and experiences in math problems and had them continually research and keep journals to track participation and attitude? What would the impact be?

Navigate these pages by clicking the icons on the right-hand side to learn more about the Research, Design Process, and Support and Next Steps!
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Research
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Design Process
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Support and Next Steps