My thoughts on Dancing Euclidian Proofs Video and Paper

Watching the Dancing Euclidean Proofs video gave me new perspectives on mathematical learning.


I paused and rewatched the part where Carolina served as an anchor point while Samuel ran around her in a perfect circle. This is a beautiful way in which a circle is illustrated, through an equal radius in 360 degrees. In fact, words like 'radius' and 'degree' aren't even necessary when watching the video. The simplicity of a circle is enough for understanding.

Another part which I paused on was when Samuels explained the choreography required a lot of thinking, which is a little unexpected. In my opinion, the choreography is an extension to the existing understanding of the Euclidean Proof which tests the person on his/her true understanding of the concept. This is how I approach mathematical learning as well, a true relational understanding should allow student to extend the topics further than just classroom exercises.


People have a stereotypical view of the tedium and dread of learning mathematics sitting at a desk unable to move or think. While mathematical education has been more progressive in the past decade, the reality is that most students still do not enjoy learning mathematics. Abstract concepts, symbols and definitions overwhelm the imagination of an adolescent. In my classroom, I would look into more project-based body activity which can test their understanding. Students must be able to break down their existing understanding and reconstruct it for extending the concepts. In some cases, it may even help them understand the purpose of learning the math concepts during their exploration in the project.

I would encounter students' resistance on an unconvential math project. It will take time for students to understand the purpose of having them 'do math' outside of a classroom without a pen or paper. Administrator and parents may also have varying opinion about the effectiveness. But I believe both of these issues require time and patience from my end to eventually prove that it can be effective for learning concepts.

Comments

  1. Erica HuangNovember 24, 2024 at 11:13 AM

    Thanks for sharing, Raymond! It's wonderful to hear that you are interested in implementing more project-based body math activity in your math classrooms. It's interesting that you consider it a way to assess student understanding. Try doing a search on “embodied mathematics” and you should find some research on this topic. Also, great point about getting student buy-in!

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