Reading Reflection
Saex de Adana, F. (2018). Surfing the Möbius Band: An Example of the Union of Art and Mathematics. Bridges 2018 Conference Proceedings, 423-426.
The reading begins with an introduction to the Mobius band, explaining different examples for understanding that the band is a continuous loop without a distinct inside and outside loop. It also explains that the Mobius band is a non-orientable surface, meaning that when the beginning of the band is reached it will be in an inverted rotation. The paper explores the story of Silver Surfer, where the Mobius band is used in the plot of the story as well as for the layout of the comic story. The story takes place on a Mobius band and the reader must follow the band to read the comic in order. Silver Surfer is immersed in a loop that causes him to repeat the same events over and over again. The story shows the reader what a single-sided geometric figure like the Mobius band is. This paper brings forth the excitement that has come from this mathematical figure and has been used multiple times.
The paper briefly outlines different storylines that use the Mobius loop as a part of the plot, these include Star Trek episodes, films and stories. After reading this I got looking online at different fictional uses of the Mobius band and couldn't find a ton easily. I thought it would be cool to teach students about the Mobius band, have them create one with paper and then look at the story, show or video that has a fictional aspect to it to allow students to understand what the band is a little better. It may also be a fun activity to have students create their own Mobius band comics where the characters are caught in a loop or sorts. As much as I love the idea of these activities and can see how they could easily be used in an elementary or middle school math class, I continue to struggle with how we can implement them into more secondary classes.
I liked how the comic used the Mobius band as both as an idea for the plot as well as for the layout of the story. I got thinking about other mathematical shapes that could be used in this way to help students understand them better and as a fun way to connect art with math. I was thinking about different 2D and 3D shapes, or perhaps something similar to what was explored in the week 2 Kepler reading with rhombic figures of pomegranate seeds. I'm still pondering about what other objects or shapes could be used in a similar way aside from standard geometric shapes.
Questions
- What are some other mathematical 'objects' that could be used to shape the plot or layout of a story?
- How can we bring these sorts of stories, poems, and mathematical art activities into high school classes when there are time constraints for learning curricular concepts?
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Activity
For the activity this week I chose to write a Fib poem. I always struggle to come up with a topic to write about when it comes to these sorts of activities. I decided to write one about my dog because she was sitting with me as I did this activity and one about dancing. I had spent my day in a PE class learning hip hop dance moves, this brought a lot of joy to me especially since all of the high school students were engaged and participating without any complaints, it was a great feeling so I wrote about how learning this new activity felt.
PAISLEY
My
Dog
Big ears
Lots of love
Full of energy
Always excited to see me
DANCING
Joy
as
I move
my body,
Dancing to the beat
Learning new things is a fun time
I then thought that first poem writing was fun so tried one of the second method as well, this was inspired by my bluebird day skiing on the weekend. This method of writing a poem was quite a bit harder for me, and I found that as I wrote the same words over and over again they seemed to look weird and incorrectly spelled to me. I don't think my whole poem makes sense with the word combinations but here it is!
Bluebird Day
Blue skies over snow
Skies blue, snow over
Skies snow, blue over
Snow skies over blue
Snow over, skies blue
Over snow, blue skies
Over blue, skies snow
Blue skies over snow
Hi Jodi,
ReplyDeleteI love your poems! The middle phrase in your PH4 poem - "Snow over, skies blue" is such a beautiful complement to the first line, and it feels very hopeful to me.
Your first question reminded me of the Paul Glennon dodecahedron book that Susan referenced in the introduction this week. Using shapes like a dodecahedron, or something simpler like a pentagon, might give kids a structure in which to write. That could lend itself well to infusing mathematics into English Language Arts, or combining literacy with numeracy. I can see this being more acceptable, though, in an English class rather than a math class. It's tough because our school subjects are still very much siloed in the way we are required to assess and report, that it becomes a challenge to blend subjects and plan cross-curricular activities. Because English Language Arts seems to have fewer "rules" than mathematics, I would expect fewer students (and parents) would question infusing math into writing. I don't have to imagine, though, the many who question infusing writing into math, as I am working with them this year. What do you think it is about math class that inspires such a rigid thought process? Is it because people (mistakenly) see math as having one "right" answer?
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ReplyDeleteThank you for your post and the beautiful poems you shared. Your question is indeed a challenging one: How can we integrate stories, poems, and mathematical art activities into high school classes amid the time constraints imposed by the curriculum? I face a similar dilemma teaching middle school. Despite my best efforts, I often find myself "behind" in covering the curriculum, which can feel overwhelming. The limited room for taking risks with new and different approaches is disheartening.
ReplyDeleteLike you, whenever I venture away from the strict curriculum to try something more creative, the students absolutely love it. Yet, I can't shake off the guilt for not sticking to what I'm "supposed" to teach according to the curriculum. Is this something you experience as well?