Dancing Euclidean Proofs

 

It is weird re-looking at this video while on practicum, because I start asking myself how would I be able to incorporate this into the classroom. Especially because I don't think Euclidean geometry is included in the curriculum anywhere. Compared to when I first watched the video I thought: "wow, this is beautiful and really brings another layer of life and beauty to the proofs I love". I suppose that the main message I'm going to take from this video, with consideration of my practicum, is that teachers can make Math more exciting for students that are drawn to other fields, in this case dance and art. 

Actually, just yesterday I had given my Math 8 students a puzzle that had a story element to it. While walking around the room and checking on their progress, I asked the first student that I had talked to who had solved the puzzle, if she would be willing to present the solution to the class and she exclaimed "Of course, I'm a theatre kid". It was exciting to see her be so excited about solving and presenting her solution. Later when we were working on linear equations in the class, you could see her enthusiasm diminished. 

The article also pointed out that these multi modal understandings or different modes of cognition deepen mathematical understanding and makes it more holistic. I find that this finding is true in our mathematical practice. One of my school advisors also teaches a Workplace Math 10 class where students sometimes still struggle with identifying the radius of a circle. I have seen an Education Assistant go to student and make a big circle with both her arms to demonstrate the different between diameter and radius. Although students just watch her do it, I think I might start asking students to actually do it themselves in my classes. Even a simple activity, that is similar to the dance may help students understand these ideas more. 

I am kind of excited about trying to maybe incorporate some these smaller math movements into my classroom. I think they also double up as a brain break, as well. 

One last thing I wanted to note from the article is that made me stop was the considerations and affordances of the environment. I think that this also teaches students something that is applicable even in a typical math class. We have to work with what is given to us, and sometimes this requires a little bit of imagination and flexibility. I think it is important to empathize these skills in a classroom.