A Laboratory for Secondary Math

Abstract

Students should have opportunities to learn in representative formats for which they will eventually have to apply their knowledge. That is the premise of various curricular innovations over the past 30 years, including authentic learning, problem solving, rich problems/tasks, collaborative learning, modeling, numerical/quantitative literacy, technology, cooperative projects, or STEM-related learning. It also includes tasks related to traditional learning presented in an investigate and discovery format. This article argues for “a place” in the curriculum wherein students and teachers assume a virtual laboratory approach, at times, for learning across the secondary level as an organizational feature, and as an incentive for publishers to provide the activities and tools required to support application of learning for each secondary subject.