Exit Slip - Geometry of longsword locks

 I wasn't able to participate in the dance and the associated activities, as I had to excuse myself from being in class due to sickness. However, seeing the photos of the models my colleagues made and observing their engagement is rewarding.

The idea of making shapes through dance is fascinating. It raises my curiosity regarding the participation of my classmates and friends in this fun activity. To me, watching the films, drawing the shapes, and making the shapes with the stir sticks sounds like a step-by-step scientific process where we watch and observe, then draw using the ideas, techniques, and strategies observed. The drawing is then followed by applying the ideas we watched and tried on paper.

Moreover, it is worth noticing that drawing the shapes after watching the films allows room for exploration and emergence of new ideas that can be tested and implemented in addition to applying the techniques showed in the films.

It also me reminds me of the common topic we have talked about in this program, i.e. Passive Consumers vs. Active Producers. Making the shapes with the stir sticks allows us to transition from being passive consumers to active producers.

Also, the issue of varying learning styles are implicitly addressed where visual and auditory learners benefit from watching the films and drawing the shapes, and kinesthetic learning is maximized via making the shapes with the stir sticks where dancing is another interesting layer of learning that can be a motivation factor for some students.

I absolutely look forward to including hands-on activities in my lesson plans to allow students to test and implement what they learn in addition to having students watch films to open doors for creativity and student-centered learning. I would want the students to see the gaps in what they learn and prove it if they can in contrast to absorbing the knowledge with the notion that the teacher is always right.

Inquiry Presentation - Math & Music by Iqra, Pacus & Sid

Here is the link to the presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nGAjc6jO6Z6uzi04mjFjnOZpC2knl3A3rJFi3aY2Ur8/edit#slide=id.g74c1212f0_0_85

Enjoy!

Annotated Bibliography

Research Question: Can music and poetry help make Math fun, relevant, and accessible? What are the common grounds shared by these domains?

1. Major, A. (2014). Barbers and big ideas: paradox in math and poetry. Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, 8, 54-58. doi:10.1080/17513472.2014.943999

This article is one of the unique instances that is accessible by both mathematicians and artists. It relates the common  paradox between Math and poetry, and illustrates the resonating forms of expressions between Math and poetry via five beautifully constructed poems. 

2. Burgin, J.S., Pearson, L.C., & Szirony, G.M., (2008). Hemispheric Laterality in music and math. Learning Inquiry, 2, 169-180

The article mainly deals with the hemispheric laterality, i.e. the common perception that left hemisphere is for logic and reasoning, whereas the right hemisphere is for emotions, etc. While this article does not serve as the primary source for our research question, it will be useful in integrating this perception into the inquiry project and draw extensions. 

3. Edelson, R.J., & Johnson, G. (2003). Music Makes Math Meaningful. Childhood Education, 80, 65-70. doi:10.1080/00094056.2004.10521259

This is one of the articles that we, as a group, will focus on for concluding our inquiry project, i.e. implementation. One of the things we, as educators, want to learn and bring forth is how to make Math fun and accessible, this articles does exactly that. It presents ways, activities, and ideas that we, as Math  teachers, can use to add rhythm and fun in the form of music to teaching and learning Mathematics. 

4. Daniel, T., Margaret, C.M., & Song, A. (2013). Elementary Teachers Integrate Music Activities into Regular Mathematics Lessons: Effects on Students' Mathematical Abilities. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 9, 1-21

This article will be one of our primary sources, as it examines the results and outcomes of integrating musical activities into teaching Elementary Math. A study including two classes of first grade and third grade students are observed to have positive effects on multiple mathematical ability areas after having covered a variety of music-math interdisciplinary lessons.

5.  Jan, L., & Kathy, D. (2004). Reading & Writing Poetry in Math. Reading Horizons, 45, 1-53. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol45/iss1/3

This article deals with the curiosity we had when we first discovered our inquiry project, i.e. parallels between Math and poetry. Although poetry and Math may seem to be unrelated, there is an overlap that specifically addresses rhythmic language and language skills. This article features an annotated list of mathematical poetry books and a variety of writing ideas for math poetry. We want to see what it means to have students write poetry about math and whether it will encourage them to find a deeper meaning of math concepts as they develop their poetic voices.

6. Vaughn, K. (2000). Music and Mathematics: Modest Support for the Oft-Claimed Relationship. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 43, 149-166.

Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3333641

It is one of the many articles that discovers and inquires into relating Math and Music. Additionally, it addresses the need to learn Math specifically ratios (2/4, 3/4, etc) and repeating patterns for deeper understanding of Music. 

7. Davidson, D., & Keller, R. (2001). The Math Poem: Incorporating Mathematical Terms In Poetry. The Mathematics Teacher, 94, 342-347.

Retrieved From http://www.jstor.org/stable/20870705

This article is another effort in making Math relevant and accessible, i.e. it incorporates Mathematical terms into writing a poem. This can also be extended to including Mathematical ideas.

8. Emmons, C. (2013). How to Cook Up a Math Poem in n Easy Steps. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 3, 108-114. doi:10.5642/jhummath.201301.09

This article digs deeper than most other articles in incorporating and integrating Math and Poetry. It uses mathematical concepts and present them in a literally and visually compelling way. It also personalizes the process of composing such poetry.

 

Inquiry Project - Primary Sources

1. Edelson, R.J., & Johnson, G. (2003). Music Makes Math Meaningful. Childhood Education, 80, 65-70. doi:10.1080/00094056.2004.10521259

This is one of the articles that we, as a group, will focus on for concluding our inquiry project, i.e. implementation. One of the things we, as educators, want to learn and bring forth is how to make Math fun and accessible, this articles does exactly that. It presents ways, activities, and ideas that we, as Math  teachers, can use to add rhythm and fun in the form of music to teaching and learning Mathematics. 

2. Daniel, T., Margaret, C.M., & Song, A. (2013). Elementary Teachers Integrate Music Activities into Regular Mathematics Lessons: Effects on Students' Mathematical Abilities. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 9, 1-21 

This article will be another primary source, as it examines the results and outcomes of integrating musical activities into teaching Elementary Math. A study including two classes of first grade and third grade students are observed to have positive effects on multiple mathematical ability areas after having covered a variety of music-math interdisciplinary lessons.

 

3. Burgin, J.S., Pearson, L.C., & Szirony, G.M., (2008). Hemispheric Laterality in music and math. Learning Inquiry, 2, 169-180

The article mainly deals with the hemispheric laterality, i.e. the common perception that left hemisphere is for logic and reasoning, whereas the right hemisphere is for emotions, etc. While this article does not serve as the primary source for our research question, it will be useful in exploring the concept of Musical Mathematics and drawing extensions.

 

 

 

Response to Inquiry into Assessment and Evaluation of Learning

After the discussion we had in class, my mind is focussed on the following two questions:

1. Are marks accurate?
2. Are marks effective?

For both questions above, I found myself to be in the middle of yes/no. This is mainly because it's not easy to give a definite yes/no answer to such questions as they can easily lead to never-ending discussions. For instance, accuracy of marks/grades can be multifaceted depending on many factors including personal experiences, the way marks are computed, teachers, subjects, etc. Speaking of personal experience, marks were more/less accurate for me especially during Secondary education. For me, marks were an excellent indication of the areas I needed to wrok on. Moreover, I almost always knew the marks I would get based on my comfort level, confidence, and effort I would put into mastering the test/exam/course content. This is different from my understanding of my classmates' experiecnes.

Furthermore, depending on how marks are computed, whether or not teachers modify marks once they are calculated, and the models used to do that, grading may/not be effective. The effects of grading is highly dependent on the personality of studernts and their perceived notion of grades. For example, grading was definitley effective for me as a student that is not willing to accept anything less than A or A+. Low grades or grades not meeting my personal expectations and standards became a great motivation for me to improve, do better, excel, and enhance my leanring/studying.

Databases Search Plan

Ideas for Inquiry Project

I'm considering the following to focus on for the inquiry project:

- Integration of Culture into Mathematics (and/or the implications)
I wonder if we can interview Susan...
- Math & Poetry
- Embodied View of Mathematics

Note to self: Make connections with the real world!

I've finally decided my inquiry project!

Math & Poetry/Dance it is with Sid and Pacus.