Introduction to Mathematics and the Arts
Exploration of Mathematical Task
Using Marcela Chiorsecu’s Sakura Pythagorean Tree as a model, I sketched a 2D version of this art piece. This re-creation required trial and error as well as prior knowledge of pythagorean theorem, right triangles, angles, and lines to create a perfect pythagorean tree. Creating this piece required me to first draw a perfect square, mark 45 degrees on each side of the square and find the point where these two lines intersect, measure one of the new “side lengths” created by connecting the lines, then repeat. I loved the exploration that this activity required. Rather than having students create a step-by-step art piece that incorporates mathematics, students could instead be shown an image, such as this one, and have students recreate it. This type of activity allows students to explore different ideas to find ones that work. Students could then explain the connection between mathematics or how they used mathematics to create the piece to ensure it was proportional.
Summary of Bridges: A world community for mathematical art
Bridges: A world community for mathematical art provides the history of Bridges Conferences since their beginning in 1998. These conferences have created a community of people who are passionate about the integration of mathematics in art and art in mathematics. These conferences are not your typical education conference where you sit through lectures. Although there are elements that include lectures, participants are immersed in activities that integrate mathematics and art seamlessly through events, such as art exhibits and mathematical music nights.
My first stop while reading this article was the following quote:
“Mathematics creates art”; “Mathematics is art”; “Mathematics renders artistic images”; “Hidden mathematics can be discovered in art”; “Mathematics analyzes art”; “Mathematical ideas can be taught through art.” After eighteen consecutive years of Bridges gatherings, we can say that the inverses are also true: Art creates mathematics; Art is mathematics; Artistic images render mathematics; Hidden art can be discovered in mathematics; Art analyzes mathematics; Artistic ideas can be taught through mathematics (Schattschneider, 2006; as cited in Fenyvesi, 2016).
This left me thinking about how subjects in school are often taught independent from one another. Students are given blocks of time for art and blocks of time for mathematics. How can we create an environment in our classrooms and in our school where we can have students participate in an experience, similar to Bridges, where they are exposed to authentic connections between mathematics and the arts?
My second stop when reading this article was when the variety of participants were discussed. “In addition to mathematicians, scientists, and art and education experts, they attract painters, teachers, musicians, architects, literary scholars, computer programmers, sculptors, dancers, craft people, and model-builders” (Fenyvesi, 2016). Having various people with expertise in such diverse areas all meeting together to share the commonalities amongst their diverse fields, allows everyone the opportunity to learn from each other. This is how I dream of my mathematics class running. Having each student share their own experience and connections to mathematics.
After immersing myself in this week’s course content, I am left wondering:
How can we create more opportunities for students to make connections between subject areas such as mathematics and art?
References
Fenyvesi, K. (2016). Bridges: A world community for mathematical art. The Mathematical
Intelligencer, 38(2), 35-45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00283-016-9630-9
As my school has been without a music specialist this year and we've had to teach our own music, I've realized just how important music education is for kids in terms of mathematical understanding (not that I didn't know it before, but there's actually a ton of math in music and it's felt and heard with your body!).
ReplyDeleteMy class played around a little bit with the Google Music Lab and there's a tremendous amount of mathematics and art within it. Tempo being one of the big ones. I think we have a lot more opportunity in Elementary school to "cross-pollinate" between subjects - my reading on Dylan Thomas and his symmetrical Salish art has led me down the path of looking for Haudenosaunee art, as we are studying their way of life right now in Social Studies. I've found a lot of mathematics, symmetry, geometry, within the art and plan to share that later this week with my students.
I wonder if there are some connections between the colour wheel in the Alberta grade 1 curriculum and math that you could explore. Fractions, maybe? Something about the primary colours being 3 equal parts to introduce that idea of equal?
I struggle with the fact that all subjects are separate to one another - when I was a generalist it was so easy to make my subjects fluid and feel that interconnectedness within each subject. Now as a math specialist, it feels so much more challenging and time-consuming to feel that connection between the subjects. I try to work with my grade 7/8 team to ensure the students are making those connections between subjects but this often takes a lot of planning outside of our regular house as we do not receive a ton of "team planning" time. Also, because I teach on a reserve, we do follow the Alberta Program of Studies but it is a bit more lenient - because of this, we do not have an art specialist or a music specialist so we are left to integrate these into our classroom however, I find we often don't due to a lack of time, resources, and high needs in our classrooms. It's one of my goals after taking this masters course, to make my classroom have more of these aspects and push myself out of my comfort zone.
ReplyDelete