planning and seeing through a project from start to finish is preparation for everything you do for the rest of your life.Originally Posted by Andrew Joiner
Make connections to other studies where possible: art, history, engineering, physics, chemistry, and particularly math. You don't need to understand all these things to point out the connections and that students may want to keep looking to better understand.
It's amazing how frequently someone posts a "no math" approach to doing some shop task that looks exactly like what's taught in geometry class. (At least it was when I studied, and had been since Euclid.) Scaling things up or down proportionally, drawing (or cutting) squares, hexagons or octagons the size you want, figuring the radius of an arc given height and width, constructing curves of varying radius that transition smoothly, are all standard parts of geometry that are easier for students to understand if they see why anyone would care. Algebra is about learning how a ruler and numerical calculation can do exactly the same thing as a compass and straightedge, which can lead to simple formulas that are easy to use. Trigonometry adds the protractor to the tool set. Calculus lets you find a "best" solution to many types of problem, once you specify what would be best.
Just the assertion that math class can show you these things may be enough, if it leads the students to pay attention to their math teachers, and ask them to explain further.
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