Katie Carbone

Education 302/303
11/9/14
Integration of Faith and Learning
When I stumble across a challenging math problem, I always take a step back and wonder
how any human could have discovered intricate patterns and detailed formulas that are not only
functional, but also lead to a useful and usually practical solution; this math was created by an
organized and methodical Creator, and the depth to which math can be discovered points to such
a Creator. In each of the lessons included in this Unit, I encourage students to somehow use what
they just learned to apply it to real-life, whether it be creating their own word problem, looking
for angles and triangles in nature, or observing parallel structures in our world. Not only does
this practice allow students to stretch the knowledge that they have, but it also encourages them
to practice the skill of taking what a person learns and applying it to their life; a common practice
when we apply what we know and believe to our lives. As a Christian, I believe that every
person learns for and with a purpose, and that math points to a supernatural Being or Creator. I
want my students to think about how mathematical concepts exist, and allow them to think about
how math contains the fingerprints of a Creator, especially since St. Stephens Catholic School
teaches with a Catholic-based worldview.
With this in mind, I decided to give students opportunities to recognize and apply what
they have learned from each lesson to some sort of real-life situation or object. This Unit on
Triangles and Angles teaches students the relationships between various different angles created
by parallel lines cut by a transversal, triangles, and polygons. Students are encouraged to
recognize the relationships between the interior and exterior angles, and within these angle types,

how we can solve for other angles. These relationships point to an organized and thoughtful
Creator. For instance, when we think about parallel lines, we can think of real-life examples,
some that humans have created, such as the Twin Towers that once stood in New York City, or
others that are natural, such as the veins in certain leaves or the edges of a tree or blade of grass.
I encouraged my students to think of their own real-life examples of parallel lines and to
recognize the beauty and purpose of this concept, as I have encouraged them to do so in the rest
of my lessons.
However, I will admit that it is more difficult to incorporate faith and mathematics
because it is not as obvious as in other subjects, which has been a challenge for generations of
teachers before me. Some teachers recognize the beauty of math and how it can point to a
Creator, and others think that this concept is stretching any belief system too far and that people
cannot incorporate faith into every aspect of their lives, which I think is a mainstream opinion to
this day. In terms of faith and worldview for this Unit, my main goal is to give students the space
to explore mathematical concepts outside of what they learn in the classroom, and encourage
students to recognize the uniqueness of lines and angles, and the relationships created between
these angles. Each lesson includes an introduction that allows students to think about what they
know, but starts with something not related to math in the classroom to help them make
connections from something in their life to something they are learning about in school. As a
teacher, I value and encourage letting students think outside the box, and I hope to stretch what
they know by leading them to recognize and apply mathematical concepts in their everyday life.
Students will learn to recognize math in their life, but they will also practice the skill of applying
what they believe to their lives, as their worldviews form and develop.