THE ROLE OF MATHEMTICS IN THE STEM INTEGRATIVE APPROACH – SOME REFLECTIONS ON MATERIAL FOR 5TH AND 6TH GRADE

Abstract

The perception of STEM as an integrative approach in Bulgarian education sets high demands on the selection, structuring, and organization of the learning process, which is particularly well-suited to be oriented toward the constructivist approach. In the Bulgarian educational system, the idea of STEM is still in the process of finding its optimal path. The lack of a comprehensive concept for implementing STEM education at the curriculum or program level leads to problems at each of the mentioned levels. The aim of the present article is to review the mathematics curriculum for 5th and 6th grade in the Bulgarian educational system in terms of opportunities for applying the constructivist approach in STEM-oriented mathematics education. The implementation of this approach is related to certain characteristics of the curriculum content, such as: a) the presence of clear interdisciplinary connections; b) opportunities for the pragmatic reformulation of learning tasks by teachers, directing them toward the students; c) opportunities for the student to independently and pragmatically reformulate learning tasks; d) opportunities for independent research and applied activities by students. The listed characteristics of the curriculum content are analyzed by examining the mathematics syllabi in connection with other subjects in the respective grades; selected mathematics textbooks and textbooks from other subjects (including questions and tasks for independent work, as well as the instructional guidance apparatus); and certain topics that are personally meaningful to students, socially relevant, and/or globally significant.