PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Learning mathematics through service learning
Page: 904
This study describes a service learning-based mathematics course for non-math majors at a private liberal arts university in the Midwest. Thirty-six undergraduate students participated in the course and developed lesson plans from the content taught in class. Students then taught the lessons to third graders at a local public elementary school. Undergraduates wrote self-reflections that were collected after the service and analyzed. Data reveal students felt an increase in value and more confident learning mathematical concepts because of its real-world application in the community. We conclude that including a service learning component in teaching mathematics is valuable. Service learning can help students understand mathematics beyond numbers and equations and see its importance in societal reform.