Teaching Math in a Science Class

Summer is a great time of year to reflect. As I walked among the Neapolis Archaeological Park in Siracusa, Sicily and learned about the great mathematician Archimedes, I began reflecting on how we teach math skills in our science classrooms. Some of you might be able to relate to the phrase, "This job can't be left behind." Jay's got stronger math skills than I do, and we started talking about how we could do it better, and who we should consult with to learn their strategies. We thought we would share our findings with you.

Mathematics is an essential tool for everyone, especially for science students and teachers, and a vital component of every science course. In 1788 Nicolas Pike authored Arithmetic, the first American mathematics textbook for schools. It recommended that teachers utilize the following strategy when teaching mathematics:

1. State a rule.

2. Demonstrate the rule with an example.

3. Have students practice the rule.

Pike’s method of mathematics instruction may be an effective way to teach students math skills, but it doesn’t provide students with context or practice applying their newly-acquired skills to the world.

Science makes math more engaging because it shows why math matters beyond just solving equations on paper. Math can feel abstract or pointless on its own, but when you use it to explain gravity, predict weather, analyze ecosystems, model poulation growth, projectile trajectory, or radioactive decay, it becomes a tool for understanding and changing the world.

Learning math is a lot like learning a new language in some really interesting ways. Just languages have their own alphabets, words, grammar rules, and idioms, math has its own set of symbols and terminology (ex: +, –, ∑, ∞, functions, variables). Just as languages also have grammar rules (subject-verb agreement, word order, etc.) that you need to follow to communicate clearly, math has strict rules (order of operations, equation solving steps) that must be followed for the “sentence” (equation) to make sense. 

At first, everything feels slow and confusing. But the more you immerse yourself, the more “fluent” you become. Eventually, you start to “think” in math or in a new language—without translating every little step in your head. 

You can’t just read about math or a language—you have to actively practice. Solving problems in math is like speaking or writing in a new language. Repetition builds fluency, whether it’s doing algebra problems or forming full sentences in Spanish. In both math and language, understanding why something is used and when is key. It’s not just about memorizing, it’s about applying. For example, using the quadratic formula is like choosing the right verb tense—it depends on the situation.

Math even has different branches (algebra, calculus, statistics), like a language has dialects or regional variations. In sum, Learning math is like learning to speak in numbers. You start with counting (like saying “hello”), and eventually you can express deep, abstract ideas with elegant fluency. 

To be successful in science courses and beyond, students need to practice solving problems that require them to evaluate the data they are provided, organize the relevant numbers in the proper sequence, and perform the necessary calculations. This provides them the confidence to know they can solve problems they have never encountered before.

What should excellent teaching of mathematics in science classrooms look like? We surveyed a small group of very successful science teachers, a few outstanding math teachers, and the following is a summary of the steps they report using to teach math in their classrooms.

1. Project a positive attitude about both mathematics as a tool to answer interesting questions and the ability of your students to perform mathematics.

   
   

2. Pose interesting and challenging questions that relate to the real world.

   
   

3. Construct a math problem with the students that enables them to answer the question. Model an example calculation as you discuss the connections between concepts and skills. Both concepts and skills are foundational to learning mathematics and complement each other. Even include some interesting history if it is relevant.

   
   

4. Cultivate perseverance by providing students time to struggle and actively do mathematics. Embrace a classroom culture of struggling, making mistakes, learning from mistakes, and ultimately correcting them.

   
   

   The following two signs are on our classroom wall:

   
   

   There aren't "Math People" and "Non-Math People". There are just people who persevere in solving problems and those who surrender.

   
   

   Math cultivates COGNITIVE TENACITY. Embrace adversity. Overcome it with simple step-by-step PERSEVERANCE.

   
   

5. Encourage curiosity and teamwork. Allow students to share their mathematical ideas and receive peer feedback while actively working in groups of 2 - 4 students. This reduces the likelihood that students will get caught in a procedural dead end.

   
   

6. Provide encouraging teacher feedback and when necessary, help students rethink their solution pathway. Continually emphasize that learning math is a formative process. Delay giving students the answers until they have had time to struggle, incorporate feedback into their attempts, and have arrived at a reasonable answer.

   
   

7. Review the answers.

We hope this relatively simple process is helpful to you and your students!

The beauty of mathematics is we are searching for the most efficient way to solve a problem. While there are many calculation pathways to solve a math problem correctly, simple solutions are the most elegant and beautiful. Students should always show every step and include unit labels in their work. We frequently encourage our students to "Do Beautiful Math!"

NOTE: Portions of this blog post are excerpted from one of our earlier posts titled, "A Vision for STEM Education"