Teaching Math Through Tiny Houses
Mathematics Photos

Teaching Math Through Tiny Houses

By Education Week Photo Staff — July 17, 2019 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Copy URL
Sophomore Caleb Caraker, 16, attaches plywood sheathing to the roof of a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Sophomore Caleb Caraker, 16, attaches plywood sheathing to the roof of a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
Carl Dement, woodworking and construction teacher, displays the plans for the tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Carl Dement, woodworking and construction teacher, displays the plans for the tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
Sophomore Seairra Ferguson, 16, uses a nail gun to attach plywood sheathing on a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Sophomore Seairra Ferguson, 16, uses a nail gun to attach plywood sheathing on a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
Sophomore Rodney Arnold, 16, carries a piece of plywood as students continue construction on a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Sophomore Rodney Arnold, 16, carries a piece of plywood as students continue construction on a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
Geometry teacher Brian Hancock, left, helps sophomore De’Andre Saunders, 16, cut plywood for a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Geometry teacher Brian Hancock, left, helps sophomore De’Andre Saunders, 16, cut plywood for a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
Carl Dement, woodworking and construction teacher, speaks to students at the beginning of class on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Carl Dement, woodworking and construction teacher, speaks to students at the beginning of class on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
Sixteen-year-old sophomores Rodney Arnold, from left to right, Micaiah Rice and Caleb Caraker lifty plywood onto the roof of a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Sixteen-year-old sophomores Rodney Arnold, from left to right, Micaiah Rice and Caleb Caraker lifty plywood onto the roof of a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
31 Tinyhouses layingonroof 900 700x467
Students work on attaching plywood sheathing to a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
Freshman Quentin Main, 15, cuts a piece of plywood for a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Freshman Quentin Main, 15, cuts a piece of plywood for a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
Sophomore Seairra Ferguson, 16, begins construction work for the day on a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Sophomore Seairra Ferguson, 16, begins construction work for the day on a tiny house on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo. Students in a combined construction and geometry class are building a tiny house for a low-income family in the community.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week

Education Week Photo Staff
Work published under this byline was created, curated, or edited by Education Week’s Visual and Immersive Experiences team.

A version of this article first appeared in the Full Frame blog.

Events

Thu., May 14, 2026, 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ET
Jobs Regional K-12 Virtual Career Fair: DMV
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Register
Mon., May 11, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar Cardiac Emergency Response Plans: What Schools Need Now
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen at school. Learn why CERPs matter, what’srequired, and how districts can prepare to save lives.
Content provided by American Heart Association
Register
Thu., May 14, 2026, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. ET
Teaching Profession Webinar Effective Strategies to Lift and Sustain Teacher Morale: Lessons from Texas
Learn about the state of teacher morale in Texas and strategies that could lift educators' satisfaction there and around the country.
Register
See More Events

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs
Create Your Own Job Search

Read Next

Mathematics Reports Student Achievement in Math: 5 Trends in K-12 Education
Based on a 2026 survey, this report highlights challenges that students have in math as they move from early grades to secondary schools.
Mathematics From Our Research Center Elementary Math Has Been in Focus. But Middle and High School Students' Struggles Are Daunting
An EdWeek Research Center survey finds that educators see older students' lack of progress in the subject as an acute problem.
Evie Blad
•
4 min read
McNeal Stewart, one of the math teachers at Algebra Lab at Adams High School, was teaching an Algebra class on Friday, April 17, 2026 at South Bend, IN.
McNeal Stewart, one of the math teachers at Algebra Lab at Adams High School, teaches an Algebra class on April 17, 2026 at South Bend, Ind.
Arthur Maiorella for Education Week
Mathematics How Two Schools Are Rethinking Math for English Learners
Schools in Oregon and Virginia are trying to build students' vocabulary in the subject—and their confidence.
Jennifer Vilcarino
•
5 min read
Tenth grader Thinh Vuong Phung works on a math problem at Annandale (Va.) High School on April 8, 2026. The class reflects the school’s approach of combining group work, language supports, and progress monitoring to help multilingual learners build confidence and mastery in math.
Tenth grader Thinh Vuong Phung works on a math problem at Annandale (Va.) High School on April 8, 2026. The class reflects the school’s approach of combining group work, language supports, and progress monitoring to help multilingual learners build confidence and mastery in math.
Marvin Joseph for Education Week
Mathematics From Our Research Center Fractions Scuttle Many Students' Math Ambitions. New Models Can Clear the Way
Pre-algebraic skills and basic operations also are stumbling blocks, the EdWeek Research Center finds.
Evie Blad
•
4 min read
A student at Annandale High School in Virginia takes on a math assignment on April 8, 2026. An EdWeek Research Center survey of educators found that many believe students have particular weaknesses in fractions, overall pre-algebraic skills, and fluency in basic operations.
A student at Annandale High School in Virginia takes on a math assignment on April 8, 2026. Many students wrongly see fractions "as things that sit outside the number system," said one researcher.
Marvin Joseph for Education Week