My hope is that students will find joy in math. Right now, I'll settle for delight in design.
Since returning from Christmas vacation, I've been slowly organizing a design center in our school. Right now, it contains various and sundry wool felt blocks, student needle cases, plastic canvas and thread for curve stitching, and printouts of curve stitching designs. I want this center to be a source of delight: the beauty of design and the truth of accuracy. The design center is for recreation, or play.
Several students have gotten involved, and some have asked for their own captain idea logs. Most of them are avowed math haters. A few have gone through nearly all my designs, so I'm churning more during this three-day weekend.
This girl is doing the complicated heart pattern. Her mother says she comes home and plays with these during her free time. Gladly. She feels great joy when she sees the final product. Think about all the mental habits that this form of math play is fostering: attention, perfect execution, and perseverance. Feel free to download my next offering: the eight-petal flower curve stitching I just finished.
Since returning from Christmas vacation, I've been slowly organizing a design center in our school. Right now, it contains various and sundry wool felt blocks, student needle cases, plastic canvas and thread for curve stitching, and printouts of curve stitching designs. I want this center to be a source of delight: the beauty of design and the truth of accuracy. The design center is for recreation, or play.
Several students have gotten involved, and some have asked for their own captain idea logs. Most of them are avowed math haters. A few have gone through nearly all my designs, so I'm churning more during this three-day weekend.
This girl is doing the complicated heart pattern. Her mother says she comes home and plays with these during her free time. Gladly. She feels great joy when she sees the final product. Think about all the mental habits that this form of math play is fostering: attention, perfect execution, and perseverance. Feel free to download my next offering: the eight-petal flower curve stitching I just finished.
flower_8_petals.pdf |
Another idea I would like to explore is visual proofs in the form of puzzles. The next PDF is a pair of puzzles: one with a blue frame and another with a red frame. I recommend printing them out in cardstock, which is less flimsy. On the last two pages are shapes outlined in blue and red to cut out. You must find a way to assemble the blue shapes in the blue frame and the red ones in the red frame. Scotch tape may help you keep pieces together once you've figured them out.
mathpuzzles.pdf |
This may shock you. If you successfully complete the red puzzle, you will have proven a fundamental theorem of mathematics! Read about it in the spoilers if you dare....