Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.8, No.13, 2017 Developing Mathematical Knowledge and Skills through the Awareness Approach of Teaching and Learning Abour H. Cherif, Ph.D.* President Emeritus, American Association of University Administrators Associate Editor, Journal of Higher Education Management 728 W. Jachson Blvd., Unit 407. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
[email protected] Stefanos Gialamas, Ph.D. President, American Community Schools of Athens 129 Aghias Paraskevis. 15234 Halandri. Athens, Greece
[email protected] Angeliki Stamati, Ph.D. Faculty of Mathematics, American Community Schools of Athens 129 Aghias Paraskevis. 15234 Halandri. Athens, Greece
[email protected] Abstract Every object we think of or encounter, whether a natural or human-made, has a regular or irregular shape. In its own intrinsic conceptual design, it has elements of mathematics, science, engineering, and arts, etc., which are part of the object’s geometric shape, form and structure. Geometry is not only an important part of mathematics, but it is also an important part of daily life. However, geometry is challenging for some students, even high- achieving students. One way to help students understand geometry and its relevance in life is to engage students to discover them cognitively, then to research and identify them in real world examples and then to relate them to past, present, and future innovations that improved our way of thinking about ourselves and the world around us. This interdisciplinary activity uses the Developmental Awareness Approach of Teaching and Learning (DAATL) to help students discover principles, acquire knowledge, and learn mathematical concepts including surface area, volume, dimensions, regular and irregular plane figures, solid polygons (regular polygons and polyhedra), thinking design, and graph making, etc.