The introduction to the weekly readings along with Roger Antonsen’s TED Talk highlight the importance of changing perspectives to understand mathematics in a different way. Antonsen’s representation through different perspectives of the fraction 4/3rds is inspiring and reminded me as I listened to him speak that mathematics can be truly enjoyed and learned through play and through manipulating simple objects. Antonsen eloquently emphasizes the role of imagination in deep understanding of mathematics and science.
It wasn’t in a garden, but this week in my Grade 6 classroom we were exploring the concepts of symmetry and congruence between geometric shapes. After briefly reading the introduction of the week’s theme I saw an opportunity to have students use their bodies to further explore and represent these ideas. My students’ challenge this week was to use their bodies to demonstrate symmetry and/or congruence. After some initial hesitation, I found them in bizarre places trying to contort themselves in order to get their point across.
Students ended up on the floor mapping out their limbs with masking tape (think the chalk outline of a dead person in a murder mystery). Others chose to choreograph mirrored mime-like movement routines. One reluctant group eventually came around and devised a cleverly timed handshake. I’ve included a photograph of students using the sliding double-doors in my classroom to attempt a reflection of a shape.
I can see some potential in the handout on Math and Measurement in the Garden and how I could use it to extend some of the activities the students engaged in already this week. I can imagine some rich discussions about standardizing measurements, as I’ve already heard students using some of this language as they struggled to find congruence and symmetry with their bodies already.
Wow! What a fantastic idea to get students thinking about mathematics and helping them see where they can find math in the classroom. I think it is important for educators to allow students to have time to play through the role of imagination in math classes. This is something that I often have to remind myself. I am left thinking about how I could use open-ended questions with my primary students to elicit the same engagement and learning.
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