"sit spot" and Geometry of leaves lesson reflection

 

 "I like to rise with the sun she rises........."

This class always surprises me on what a math classroom can look like. Being out in nature and our surroundings as a guide for teaching is a wonderful tool to keep students engaged. I personally don’t really like being outside. I enjoy the structure of the classroom and being shielded from the elements. I have, however, come to realize and appreciate the value of the outdoor classroom and its use as a teaching tool for mathematics. The “sit spot” activity is one that causes a lot of reflection on not only the environment around us, but of our own bodies and thoughts. It’s somewhat peaceful and calming to simply be in one place and to concentrate on one’s own senses. It allows us to slow down and reflect on what is happening all around us; to see what we normally miss in the hectic nature (teacher education….) of our daily lives. It’s a great activity for students to ground themselves and prepare for the learning that is about to happen. The next activity, using geometry to approximate nature was also one that was somewhat calming but at the same time educational. We use our more rigid systems geometry to approximate the seeming chaos and yet somehow ordered and symmetrical properties of nature into a piece of math art that can at the same time teach us about mathematical theorems. These two activities were great ways of keeping the students engaged and to be able to teach the students mathematical concepts in a new way was rather eye opening.

"and ramble in the new morn hay......"