Innovation in Mathematics and Science Education Through the Use of Interdisciplinary Inquiry Learning Spaces

The Portuguese education system is receiving strong guidelines from the authorities for the implementation of interdisciplinary work. In this regard, it can be read in the text of Decree-Law No. 55/2018 that one of the guiding principles for the conception, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum learning in basic and secondary education is the: Valorization of interdisciplinary and articulated curriculum management and teaching, namely through the development of projects that integrate learning from different disciplines, planned, carried out, and evaluated by all teachers of the class council or year of schooling. (p. 2931). However, interdisciplinary work is a complex process and difficult to implement (Pombo, 2005).

Indeed, attempts to integrate these areas have mostly proved fruitless (Koirala & Bowman, 2003; Pombo, 2005). However, interdisciplinary work is essential for the development of 21st-century skills defined by the OECD (Ananiadou & Claro, 2009). An issue then arises: How to prepare future generations for the 21st century using interdisciplinary learning challenges? One solution may lie in the propensity of current generations of students to use digital resources in the learning process. A powerful digital platform for teaching in digital environments are Inquiry Learning Spaces (ILS). ILS, due to the multiple resources and areas of knowledge that can be aggregated on a single platform, constitute an excellent opportunity for the creation of innovative interdisciplinary work proposals in different disciplines, notably in mathematics and sciences. However, this interdisciplinary work cannot only be limited to the scientific knowledge of mathematics and sciences but should also be associated with the educational movement associated with the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals (2017). Considering the aforementioned contexts, this project aims to achieve the following objectives.