The basic idea of this paper is to outline a cross-curricular approach between mathematics and science. The aim is to close the often perceived gap between formal maths and authentic experience and to increase the students’ versatility in the use of mathematical terms. Students are to experience maths as logical, interesting and relevant through extra-mathematical references. Concrete physical or biological correlations may initiate mathematical activities, and mathematical terms are to be understood in logical contexts. Examples: physical experiments can lead to a comprehensive understanding of the concept of functions and of the intersection of medians in triangles. Biological topics can lead to the concepts of similarity and proportion as well as to the construction of pie charts. In the European ScienceMath Project a variety of teaching modules was developed and tested in secondary schools.

The basic idea of this paper is to outline a cross-curricular approach between mathematics and science. The aim is to close the often perceived gap between formal maths and authentic experience and to increase the students’ versatility in the use of mathematical terms. Students are to experience maths as logical, interesting and relevant through extra-mathematical references. Concrete physical or biological correlations may initiate mathematical activities, and mathematical terms are to be understood in logical contexts. Examples: physical experiments can lead to a comprehensive understanding of the concept of functions and of the intersection of medians in triangles. Biological topics can lead to the concepts of similarity and proportion as well as to the construction of pie charts. In the European ScienceMath Project a variety of teaching modules was developed and tested in secondary schools.