Making School Maths Engaging: The Maths Inside Project

This book provides an account of a large-scale, national STEM initiative in Australia, the Maths Inside Project, which is designed to increase secondary school students’ engagement and participation in mathematics. The project’s modules include videos illustrating how scientists use mathematics to find solutions to real-world problems, as well as themed activities linked to the school curriculum for mathematics.

Outlining the current debates concerning mathematics education in Australia and beyond, the book describes the development and implementation of the modules to guide their use by teachers in year 8-12 Australian mathematics classrooms. It concludes with a discussion of the research, showing how the project increased student engagement.

The book discusses the partners involved in the project, including scientists, a national mathematics teachers’ association and the authors’ university. It also offers insights into how to embark on pedagogical improvement through collaboration between individual institutional stakeholders. Providing details of the modules to enable teachers and teacher educators to help their students better understand and utilise the curriculum resources of Maths Inside, the book is a useful resource for educators around the globe wanting to make mathematics engaging, topical and relevant for secondary school students.