To explore the mathematics behind the immense man-made structures of China and the delicate artistic compositions of Japan to create authentic, real-world Geometry problem sets that draw connections between engineering, architecture, and the arts.
I just completed my twelfth year teaching. I'm approaching the middle of my career. I'm not a novice teacher anymore, and yet I'm not quite a veteran. I'm in the middle. This opportunity came at a perfect time for me. To be a Fund For Teachers Fellow was a humbling and invigorating experience. I feel like this fellowship reinvigorated me with a sense of wonder about learning that has been waning over the last couple of years. My students will surely benefit from my increased enthusiasm.
This opportunity has opened my eyes to using my own travel experiences as fuel for teaching practices. I can't unring the bell. I will forever travel with the intention of applying my experiences in my classroom. My students will learn about corners of the world that they may never have even thought about. They will see that those places share a common thread in the language of mathematics. Hopefully, they will see that places near and far are not so different than their own community.
I had no idea how much the culture and religious structures of China and Japan would have a foundation in mathematics. The temples and shrines of Kyoto were geometric jackpots and so many of the customs and traditions of China are based in numbers and number systems. While I may not be able to "use" every fact I learned on my trip, the experience will inform my foundation of knowledge about these faraway places.
I hope my students see my quest to seek out hands-on math as an inspiration for them to do the same. I hope that creating problem sets using my own measurements, my own experiential learning, my own photographs as visual aids, will be far more motivating to my students than the typical problems we provide to which they have no real connection.
I would like to teach origami workshops at my school. I think our students would love that interdisciplinary extension of art and math. Also, I plan to create problem sets based on the structures that I explored. These problem sets will be shared with the entire Geometry cohort (over 200 students).
I intend to present my experience and research to my colleagues at a future Conference Day and in my Department Meetings. I would like to share my problem sets that I create based on what I learned with my Geometry team. I would also like to start a paper crane origami project. Paper cranes are said to bring good luck, good health, and wishes granted. I would like to teach my students how to construct them and then decide how we should display or even donate them.
I want to instill a sense of wonder in my students. Math is so awesome. Math is at the very core of our civilization. I tell my students that modern civilization only exists because of Euclidean geometry and they laugh! I ask them how would we function without parallel and perpendicular lines? How would roads work? Stairs? The list is endless. Now I can show them how stepping outside of their little corner of the world yields the same discovery of mathematics-based art and architecture.
This type of teacher learning is "put your money where your mouth is" learning. I want my students to look for connections between what's on the graph paper and their lives. I ask them to make those connections and see real-world applications. This grant allows me to discover and dissect the living, breathing, functional applications of the math I teach. I can turn around and show my students where in the world they can see such math concepts in action from the Great Wall of China to sushi!
I love to travel. I have been traveling since I was 21 years old. I definitely have a wanderlust to see the world. However, as I check off countries on my bucket list, I never once thought about traveling to a place with intentionality, with purpose, with implications for my professional life. By allowing me to design my own professional development and apply it to my travels, Fund For Teachers has given me the gift of seeing the entire world as my classroom, not just a playground.
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