SMEC 10: Bridging the Gap between Research and Teaching Math and Science

The book bazaar during SMEC 10

The Tenth Annual Science and Math Conference (SMEC 10), which was held at AUB on November 9-10, was aimed principally at tightening the gap between research and classroom experience.

The two-day forum devoted three concurrent pre-sessions on research in math and science education, with a special emphasis on practical application. "We are targeting a less sharp distinction between research and practice, so all the research presented must establish direct relevance to classroom implementation," explained AUB Professor Tamer Amin, the director of SMEC.

The opening ceremony at Bathish Auditorium in West Hall was followed by concurrent plenary sessions on the role of argumentation in science education and the story of infinity in mathematics. An investigation into argumentation, in Amin's view, highlights the social aspect of science education by placing argument at the central core of effective science learning and teaching. "Also, learning about the history of mathematical concepts focuses on the creative source of knowledge, as separate from but not less important than logical analysis and hard-core theorems," added Professor Amin.

The second day began with a welcome by BICHARAF, the national initiative on academic integrity and business ethics founded in 2004 and housed in AUB. The plenary session on the best practices in math and science that then followed proceeded in a manner in keeping with the conference's goal of bridging gaps in communication between researchers and educators. The day's schedule included development workshops that presented diverse methods of promoting student learning in math and science.

The conference achieved its objectives to varying degrees, according to Amin. SMEC had broadened its participation spectrum three years ago, when it started involving educators in general, rather than strictly school teachers. Now, interchange between different members of the academic community in all levels of education, through SMEC, can close the gaps in interaction between research and teaching.