Eighth graders from Kump School in Clark make math stick

Suburban News By Suburban News Suburban News
on September 11, 2013 at 11:36 AM, updated September 11, 2013 at 11:39 AM

Students in Denise Picciano’s eighth grade math class at Carl H. Kumpf Middle School in Clark, opened the school year with an activity requiring students to explain why they feel math is important in and outside of the classroom.

Every year students question why what they are learning is important and how it will apply to their future in the real world. And, every year, teachers respond with insightful and meaningful connections. This year, students had a chance to think back on the years spent in math class and develop meaningful answers to this all too common question.

At the start of class, each student received a post-it note. On this post-it note, students wrote one or more reasons why they feel math is important. Many students made connections between specific math topics learned and how they apply to different aspired careers, everyday tasks such as shopping on a budget, and managing a household, among other responses.

After a class discussion, each student then got up to display their post-it note in the classroom so all can be reminded each day why math is such a vital part of life.