The YouTube video from “The Dodo” titled “Mother Duck Leads Ducklings Through School” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH_ERme5EQw) follows a mother duck travelling as her ducklings follow behind. The mother duck’s intuition, trusting her ducklings in herd mode, without any systematic order. Fascinating how well nature works. Compared to me, always worried that my group of secondary students would run off, misbehave, or is too loud as we travel from point A to point B. For my own comfort, ease of mind, and control, pairing students in a systematic way helps me keep an eye on all my students’ behavior and whereabouts.
This week’s reading “Off the Grid” (Doolittle, 2018),
Doolittle suggests that “the grid has become a near universal method of
organizing space and time” and implemented because of the “sense of control, familiarity
and comfort” and used various examples to show the flaws with the grid system
and how alternative perspectives and measures could be used for time and space
(Doolittle, p.102). An example he shared was how farmers used time of day,
months, seasons, a calendared and clocked grid system to determine when they
would sow, plant, cultivate and harvest their crops highlighting the control a
schedule and grid system can negatively impact the farmers. As opposed to the Indigenous traditions where
they use “natural timing of plants and insects” as cues to farm and harvest
crops (Doolittle, p.113).
Doolittle’s pointed out another example on how the grids of
maps being may not accurate or true to the aspects of the land, not accounting the
spherical shape of our planet, which is a flaw.
He highlighted how people in his reserve, the Six Nation Reserve, found Western
gridded maps of their land confusing and noted how easily people would be lost
because of it. He made it clear that
these gridded maps were not made by the Indigenous people and how Indigenous
people would rather use the natural environments, like the rivers, mountains, and
land as markers to navigate through their land than be dependent on a flawed
grid system. The reading reminded me of the
podcast “The Stars that Guide Us” (2018) from Cynthia’s course, where Nainoa converse
with Neil deGrasse Tyson an astrophysicist, on how the Polynesian Wayfinding
uses the patterns in the celestial sky to navigate through the oceans, using
nature to guide and find their paths.
The Drawing Activity
My best friend made me an April voodoo doll (that’s me on the left) which I chose to draw for my first artistic piece. While drawing my animated self, I started to think about the intricacies, time and planning my friend Holly took to make the doll. The math involved with the proportions of my measurements, my patterned outfit, the symmetry of my glasses, the highlights in my hair, and my shoes was impressive. The backpack was a perfect fit, and the laptop are removable. And the structure of the handkerchief on my right hand was in perfect 3D shape.
While I was tutoring at lunch, I thought I take the time to sketch my peanut butter sandwich in a tin box. The sketches of the man-made objects of the April voodoo doll and my lunch, had more solid straight lines, rigid edges, and sharp angles.
My aunt upstairs drew a pair of fruit using line paper. She told me, when she was in school, her art teacher used lines to separate the sections of the drawing to help keep focus on the maintaining the realism of the fruit. Hence her drawing on line paper.
A student in my Career Life Connections course did his own
self portrait, a piece he used in his portfolio submission to Emily Carr. He wanted to show his technique, using acrylics, watercolour, soft pastel, markers, and collage (magazine
pages, painted paper, and silk-screen printed paper) all in this one piece. I was impressed with
his high level of critical and creative thinking, having the ability to blend
the multiple mediums in this one cohesive piece.
With the life drawings the fruit and my student’s self portrait I notice the lines and angles are smooth and curved. Lots of shadowing and shading to give the perception of depth and life to the drawings.
My last set of drawings are from two different students in my
Workplace Math 10 blocks this week. The two photos are final drawings of their
own man-made car ramps.
My Workplace Math 10’s final project was on slopes and
angles. Teams of two, students were to propose how the “Hot Wheels Car
Tournament” was to be run, where the event would be held, and what should be
measured to define a win (speed, distance, time).
Students proposed a variety of grids systems to organized
teams scheduling the event. The consensus was to measure the farthest
horizontal distance travel accounting for the range in ramp sizes built. They
wanted the event held outside the classroom, in the long hallway, because of
the amount of space for multiple teams to race at a time, and the smoothness of
the floor. Random draws using a random generator wheel online will determine the
order of the teams to choose the hot wheels car. The reason they used to plan
this event involved math and thinking.
Once the collaborative planned event was set, each member of
the team must propose on paper the design and structure of their ramps with
dimensions using the provided building materials: 1 folder paper and a ruler. They will receive the pair of scissors and
tape once I approved their initial proposal.
When the students started to build their ramps, they recognized the
flaws in their plans and started to veer off from their initial designs, which was
permitted and will be noted and reflected at the end. The teams had to choose of the two ramps
built which one they would use on race day.
Students asked to test out the variety of hot wheels’ cars to have an
idea on which to choose for the race. The
testing of the ramps made teams return to the building phase to revise the
structures.
The tournament was a success and was followed up with a
reflection, where I made them draw out their final man-made ramps as a
blueprint so that someone can clearly visualize and see how to build it. They also had to reflect on how successful
their ramp was on the tournament and what they could do to make it better.
The drawings during the proposal compared to the blueprints
of their ramps significantly improved after the ramps were built. I questioned if it was necessary to use the
abstract drawing during the brainstorming phase? Should I have just allowed my student to play
and explore with the resources first, using their hands, building the ramps? Am
I too set on a grid system, which may inhibit my students from finding other
brilliant ways to build a functional ramp? One of my students commented on me, saying
“Ms. Jung, you need to trust us, we know what we are doing, so don’t worry.” Which made me think, “Am I not trust my
students? If so, why?” Perhaps,
Doolittle is right, the grid system and practices I am set in, hinders my
thinking to allow students to create and think mathematically and solve
problems one their own. And how I can
learn from others, if I allow my perspective in my set ways to veer off the
grid. It may take time, but I am
starting to venture and try new things ahead.
References:
DeGrasse Tyson, N. (2018). The Stars that Guide Us (August 31,
2018, Season 9 Episode 32).
Doolittle, E. (2018). Off the grid. In Gerofsky, S. (Ed.),
Geometries of liberation. Palgrave. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72523-9_7
The Dodo. (May 2019). Mother
Duck Leads Ducklings Through School. [Video stream
on YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH_ERme5EQw
I completely understand when you say, "Am I too set on a grid system, which may inhibit my students from finding other brilliant ways to build a functional ramp?"
ReplyDeleteMy favorite line you wrote is when your student says "you need to trust us, we know what we are doing, so don’t worry.”
How often do we "do" something for others rather than allowing them to do it themselves. Do we fear failure? wasting of time? finding a better way? Perhaps we are all stuck to a grid and the more experience (older) we get, the more attached to our coordinates we become. This article, and your reflection, have me thinking of ways I can encourage my own students to move away from the grid and this is very timely as we begin graphing next week.
I would just like to say, I love reading/learning of your activities with your students. Your projects are amazing and so inspiring!!
I didn't get very far into reading your entry when I felt the need to comment: baby ducks imprint on their mothers and will follow them anywhere. It is a genetic survival trait. Human children have no such trait, especially when it comes to teachers :) That being said, once a relationship is developed between student and teacher, systems are negotiated much more effectively. I'm sure you know all this...I just felt the need to defend our teacher concern with training kids to walk safely and respectfully.
ReplyDeleteNo worries Jen W. I was just fascinated how the pools of ducklings in the video was following the mother duck in a non systematic grid verses how I order my high school students in pairs and rows.
DeleteI love the parallel lines on the dress of your voodoo doll. Reminds me of the blogger logo a little bit. It creates an adorable effect especially on the arms. The glasses are so symmetrical. How do you think she got them to be so perfect? Do you think she cut the shapes on the fold?
DeleteThe "grid" system to farming is interesting to me. I wonder with the challenges of our changing climate it will become less advantageous as we have more seasonal variability year to year. For example, March this month may not be as warm as usual this year. I wonder about what cues I will need to take from animals and insects to put my seedlings out in my garden
Jen- Pandemic kindergarteners are like baby ducks. I can't do anything without a couple of them in my shadow
DeleteAnd now to your activities! I have had experience with the "play, then document" vs "design, test, redesign" methods. In the former, students come to know the limitations presented by the materials and some end up working well within those limitations. If they design first, the designs are often not realistic and need to be adjusted to address the limitations of the materials. Both approaches have their benefits. I like the former option (play, then design) because extra time can be given to students to investigate how others approached the task. They then readjust their designs in light of the new insights. They inspire one another and the redesigns are often more intricate and effective.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious: What aspects of mathematical learning stood out to students on their final reflections?
The students used knowledge that linked math and science, commenting on how the weight of car affected the horizontal distance travelled and tying it to the effects of gravity. The problem solving aspect of mathematical learning stood out. For example: how they could increase the height to make the slopes of the ramp steeper, or add panels to keep their cars going straight.
ReplyDeleteJen W. forgot to thank you for sharing your insight with the "play, then document" vs "design, test, redesign" methods. Breaking from traditional worksheets is still a work in progress for me and to hear your experience with this has helped me think about this process for semester 2.
ReplyDeleteThanks April for a thoughtful post, and thanks everyone for a great conversation! The Hot Wheels Car Tournament sounds like a fantastic learning activity! Like Debby, I love how your students said, "you need to trust us" -- it's evident that your students were engaged when they wanted to take ownership! Indeed, we tend to follow the "grid system" and set practices. During my master's in Dr. Peter Liljedahl's class, I learned about co-constructing the learning activity and rubrics with students. I also really like Jen's "play, then document" vs. "design, test, redesign" methods. We don't often incorporate design thinking in math classes. It's great that you've developed a hands-on math project that can engage students in both mathematical thinking and design thinking.
ReplyDelete