Week 2 - Activity Reflection

This weeks activity started with an optimistic trip to the dollar store where I had high hopes and my purchases had high sugar. I started with the hexaflexagon but tried to use sour straps to make an edible one. I tried and tried and rewatched the videos but struggled with visualizing the folds and directions while doing it, ultimately having to bring my laptop to the kitchen where I was experimenting with these activities so I could watch the How-To video while making it. I initially had measured and cut just a tiny bit into the sour straps to help guide my folding but found the straps started to tear as I was folding it more tightly. Second(ish) attempt, I managed to get the sour strap together and had wet the sides to stick together to get the sugar off and make the candy sticky, I then put a jar of honey on top to weigh it down while it started to stick together. This worked temporarily and did allow me to get a hexi-flexi flip but quickly fell apart where I had tried to join the sides. I did my best to reassemble before eating it and similar to my experience it was a bit of a tough chew, sweet, sour, but overall enjoyable.

After the ups and downs of the Hexaflexagon I got out the rocket candies and decided to just start playing with them and see where I ended up, Vi Harts video was vary fast paced but felt very playful so I wanted to let myself experience the natural flow of experiencing the materials. I found myself thinking of how to consider symmetry with the rockets. I arranged them in various ways thinking about how many lines of symmetry each arrangement gave, considering the initial ones I gravitated to and their structure, which initially followed very clear lines of consideration for lines of symmetry along x and y axes before I tried to branch into more patterned arrangements. Some arrangements were made with eyes open before letting myself close my eyes to  focus on and consider the feel. Followed by trying to create some arrangements of symmetry with my eyes closed considering what this experience might feel more like for students who don't have the sight. Throughout this I gave little consideration for colour of the rockets in the arrangement thinking more about the feel of symmetry and the overall patterns that could be created with them, while I do not have any students currently who are blind or with limited sight, I have had students who had colour blindness. and with so many hues of the rocket candies being similar I felt it was not something I wanted as a central focus to this activity though it could be incorporated with the symmetrical arrangements if desired. 

Focusing on the experience of the activities from the videos was different than I expected. In particular I was surprised with how many challenges I had with the hexaflexagon. I felt more confused when I was making it than I did watching the videos feeling I could visualize what was happening well until I was attempting it. I believe that the experience of learning from real 3D things, object, with shape, texture, etc., make the learning more memorable, and easier to recall for students later on when their learning involves a more experiential or tactile component. I started the geometry unit with my grade 8 students this past week and I start off our exploration of nets with a dissection activity where students look at and hold wooden 3D objects, create a hypothesis for what they think the net might look like, and then they dissect paper versions of the 3D objects (cylinders, pyramids with various bases, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, cones, and cubes with a jolly rancher hidden inside) and they compare their resulting nets with their hypotheses. I had a discussion with some of my students that are now in grade 9 about the activity as I was preparing for it and they clearly recalled that day and experiment where as often when working with them if I remind them of a concept we covered they are not as consistent in recalling those lessons. The tactile component of mathematical experiences can present challenges such as in supporting all students through the experience and making the intended connections, as well as considerations for what resources/materials are available for teachers and students to have these experiences. I think there is great benefit to using hands on activities and experiments, it can support students who have sensory impairment to have another route of connection to the materials, ideas, and concepts related to the experiments/activities and it can support other students to strengthen and/or broaden their understanding and connection making.