Collaborative Music to Motivate Mathematics Learning

Mathematics education has had a history of problems with both motivation and applicability in a child’s life. Recently, it has been shown that issues such as cultural relevance can make a significant learning difference in other areas, such as reading. Music is one way in which to solve the problems of motivation and significance, while also retaining a connection to math and the learning of its basic skills. In our paper, we propose a system to implement this in the manner of a collaborative radio station, where children act as both DJs and listeners. We will also present the result of a pilot study. Lessons learned from this for CSCL system design will be discussed, and future directions will be outlined.