Constructionist Learning in School Mathematics: Implications for Education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

Highlights Amid rapid technological development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, this article engages with an important question, especially in the context of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education: Can technology transform STEM teaching and learning? Constructionist learning responds to the current “maker movement,” which draws upon the innate human desire to make things with our hands. Two important elements of constructionist learning—technology literacy and engineering design—have implications for meeting the global need for expertise in the STEM disciplines. This article discusses how constructionist learning can play an important role in teaching and learning school mathematics via a transdisciplinary approach to STEM education. Two examples of the authors’ empirical research on constructionist learning in school mathematics classrooms with 3D printing are illustrated. Findings suggest that the 3D Printing Pens played an active role in the construction of artifacts (physical) and mathematical meaning (cognitive).