Bodily Experiences, Soft Skills, and Math

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"Where is the math/ science?
Is doing the craft the same as doing the math?
We were skeptical about the mathematical value of the craft in and of itself, but thought that with good questions and reflection, the math could be found in the activity. For example, inspiring students to play with different patterns and see what shapes result. Like in most activities, not just the art-based kind, reflection is key for solidifying learning." -Jacob's Group

 What Jacob's Group had to say really resonated with me. I agree that with inquisitive questions and reflections, doing such crafts can help solidify our understanding and relatability to mathematics and physics. Yes, it is an unorthodox way of teaching maths and could take longer than the traditional ways of teaching geometry and patterns but the experience will stick in the students minds for longer than copying something down.

"We talked about soft skills that come from doing these sorts of projects, even if the process might not be immediately applicable to life: teamwork, discovery, experimentation."-Jacob's Group

I didn't even think about this until now. The extra time used to conduct these longer tasks with the class is made up for with the teamwork,discovery, and experimentation. Students need the classroom and school to help them build social skills. Something that I realized later in university and was put into perfect words by one of my professors was "Get used to group projects. Life is a group project." In high school, I was shy and didn't like group projects but nonetheless, teachers would still encourage them. Teamwork helped develop my social and communication skills, something that is essential in our everyday. Yes, maybe the math isn't the main purpose anymore at some points with these crafts and activities but it's still educational.



 

 

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