Mi Yeon Lee , Rolando Robles
DOI: JANT Vol.22(No.2) 83-97, 2019
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has been at the forefront of K-12 curricula in the technology-rich 21st century, with emphasis on how these fields reinforce each other in preparing students for a dynamic future. However, there is a need for greater attention to STEM education research in the mathematics education community, in particular to pedagogical approaches that facilitate integratingthe mathematics component of STEM education. Toward this end,the authors report the outcomes of a Project-based Learning (PBL) unit in which upper elementarystudents integrated STEM elements by researching, crafting, testing, and evaluating kites they created by applying scientific knowledge of aerodynamics and mathematical knowledge of polygons, surface area, graphs, and data analysis.This unit, which the authors developed, implemented, and assessed, demonstrates how STEM subjects and in particular mathematics can be effectively integrated in upper elementary school classrooms through PBL.