Text: Nelly Sander, AAU Communications and Public Affairs
Photo: Tradium Upper Secondary and Vocational School

Math should make sense and be relevant. It's that simple. And that's exactly what Associate Professor Bettina Dahl Søndergaard from Aalborg University is doing. She has led a development project focused on making math teaching more relatable, thereby helping to reduce the high dropout rates in vocational education.

Students' Need for Relevance

“We had a strong suspicion that math instruction is a significant factor in why many students choose to drop out. They often can’t see the connection between mathematics and their practical subjects, and that can take away their motivation and interest in learning,” she explains.

And that suspicion seems to hold true. Motivation increases significantly when students discover that math can be used to solve real-world problems and improve their craft.

“It’s essential that students are given the opportunity to experiment and explore concrete problems. This enables them to develop their own understanding of how mathematics can be applied in their professional context,” says Bettina Dahl Søndergaard.

Confidence and Motivation

Relevant mathematics could, for example, involve an apprentice mechanic calculating the circumference of different tire sizes, the rotational speed of the wheels, or the microplastic content in tires. Or a bricklaying apprentice calculating volume and weight to accurately estimate materials based on a house blueprint with precise measurements.

Research shows a clear connection between confidence and motivation. When students trust their ability to solve specific tasks, their motivation to engage increases—along with their capacity to overcome challenges along the way.

Positive experiences play a key role here, as even small successes can spark a positive spiral. That’s why it’s important to create teaching situations where students experience success with concrete problems—problems they solve using mathematics.

Inspiration for Teachers

A key goal of the project has been to inspire vocational school teachers to develop their teaching by using a variety of tested and well-documented methods in mathematics education.

Teachers from different subjects involving mathematics chose relevant areas to collaborate on. They worked in pairs—one vocational (craft) teacher and the class's mathematics teacher—developing teaching modules together that were tested and evaluated with feedback from both consultants and researchers.

“The teachers brought math into the workshops—or they integrated workshop activities into the math lessons. They built a bridge. And it was a great success. The students found the teaching motivating, relevant, and meaningful, regardless of the vocational subject or math level we were working with. As one bricklaying apprentice put it: ‘You hit the nail on the head,’” says Bettina Dahl Søndergaard.

Translation by Emma Holtegaard

Contact

• Bettina Dahl Søndergaard, tel. +45 99 40 36 84, e-mail: bdahls@plan.aau.dk
• Nelly Sander, project manager, AAU Communication and Public Affairs, tel.: +45 99 40 20 18, e-mail: nsa@adm.aau.dk