How can making activities expand opportunities for children and adults to see themselves as mathematical thinkers?

Over the last decade, there has been a proliferation of out-of-school making experiences. Participants in these contexts often engage in mathematical reasoning without realizing it—and thus may not consider themselves competent math thinkers. The central thesis of the Math in the Making initiative is that this situation represents a missed opportunity to significantly expand the range of people who find math enjoyable, consider themselves competent at mathematical reasoning, and pursue activities or careers that involve math.

Math in the Making is an ongoing, National Science Foundation-funded initiative that includes a two-year conference grant completed in 2018 and a pilot research project conducted between 2019 and 2021. Explore this website to learn more about the initiative, research findings, and ongoing work.