Progressive Learning

Professor Advances Research on Quantitative Reasoning

For College of Education Professor Robert Mayes, improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education isn’t just about teaching algorithms and theories, it’s about challenging students to use math and science in everyday situations.

Mayes is advancing research on quantitative reasoning in STEM teaching, and believes STEM should be incorporated into every classroom subject. “It’s math and statistics applied in real life, authentic situations that impact an individual’s life as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen,” he said.

“We want to get kids to use their experiences to excite them about science and math,” he says. “This keeps them interested and informed, and more adept at using quantitative reasoning in all aspects of their lives. The result will be more scientifically literate children and by extension, more globally aware citizens,” Mayes says which he adds will allow them to be able to see the connections between their lives and what’s happening around the world.

Improving STEM education has been a national – and state – priority through all grade levels, including college. Last March, COE and the Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology held the 1st Annual Georgia Scholarship of STEM Teaching and Learning Conference. Plans are underway for a second conference to be held March 8, 2013.

Mayes conducts research on quantitative reasoning in STEM and spearheaded, through Georgia Southern’s Office of Research, the first International STEM Research Symposium on Quantitative Reasoning in Mathematics and Science Education, held this summer in Savannah. “Interest in the symposium was much greater than I anticipated,” Mayes says, which he believes is a reflection of the growing recognition of the importance of quantitative reasoning in STEM teaching and will lead to the development of a research collaborative that will move study in this area forward. The symposium brought together research experts in quantitative reasoning, learning progressions, technology and experiential mathematics to explore the future of research in quantitative reasoning.

Mayes is also looking at “learning progressions,” a kind of outcomes-based approach to incorporating quantitative reasoning into different STEM classes and he submitted a grant in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Education on integrating STEM in Georgia’s new Career Pathways curriculum.