Life in geometric shapes

Geometry can also be found in art, as we already saw in other entries such as in the one about Ancient Greece. However, the centre of attention in this entry will be focused on Islamic art.  Geometric patterns are combined and intertwined, they start from simple shapes like the circle and the square, resulting in these becoming a distinctive feature of Islamic art. The four basic shapes that were usually the most repeated ones to build complicated patterns are: circles and interlaced circles, squares or four-sided polygons, the ubiquitous star pattern and multisided polygons (Department of Islamic Art, 2001). Below, there is an example.  Figure 1 Fragment of a Cover with Geometric and Interlace Decoration   Note. Department of Islamic Art, 2001. So, one idea for a primary school activity related to what we've just learned is to make Islamic tiles. This activity is connected to geometric shapes, and therefore to geometry and Mathematics. It also combines the subject Social...

As we have mentioned in the previous entry, there are manipulative resources for children to practice geometry but there are also other type of resources. The type or resources which I am going to talk about in this entry are the digital tools. Some very good examples could be Geogebra and Geoclic that we have already been working on in our class in university and they are a great idea to use due to the amount of content and concepts that they integrate, and which, therefore, can be practiced. However, in the entry of this blog I will focus on other examples I have found out.  One of them is the digital tool Desmos Geometry , which is specially aimed at interactive geometry and allows the creation of geometric shapes and their construction. Demos Geometry makes the construct of elements such as points, segments, lines, parallels and perpendiculars possible. Furthermore, thanks to this platform, it is possible to draw circles and polygons. Moreover, this resource has the possibil...

Another great idea to do with children when teaching them geometry is to use manipulative resources, as it was mentioned in the previous entry. These types of resources are very helpful to take into account in the class of geometry because a lot of students need to have those figures in their hands to understand them.  Sometimes, letting students freedom to do geometric shapes by just giving them some materials to work with without actually telling them what to do is a positive suggestion. It allows them the possibility to be more flexible and think creatively while practicing content. For example, an activity related to this is to give them materials such as strings and to ask them to draw a circle and its radius. In groups, a student could be holding the string in the centre of the circle and one of his classmates should turn around the circle with the string tightened. Video 1  Note. Edutopia, 2023. Another example of a manipulative resource to use when teaching geometry i...

As Alsina indicates in its definition of the pyramid of mathematics education, this tool presents the teaching resources that can be used in the classroom and the recommended frequency of use for them. That pyramid shows that the resources that should be used more are manipulative resources, play-based resources and relating mathematics to everyday situations (Alsina, 2010, as cited in Álvarez-Rey & Muñiz-Rodríguez, 2023).  In this entry specifically, the focus will be on play-based resources, that is, on gamification. But what is that? According to Sánchez Rivas, Colomo Magaña and Ruiz Palmero (2020), this is a methodology that involves incorporating techniques and elements typical of games, which in the educational field means creating teaching and learning experiences with a motivating and playful approach. Its essential purpose is to encourage students’ participation by making learning a more interactive and stimulating experience.  This year, in the practicum, my tuto...

Once we've looked at the different environments where children can observe various geometric shapes from urban and natural settings to their own homes, we can't forget the environment where they learn every day: school. Shapes are present everywhere, from objects in space to school supplies. The notebooks they often use for writing are rectangular, as are books. Rubbers can be either square or circular. Glue sticks are cylindrical, and markers and pencils are generally cylindrical as well. If we look at the rest of the environment, the classroom clock is circular, and rectangles appear constantly on doors, or blackboards. Balls used at break are spheres. Figure 1 Note. Book with rectangular shape. Figure 2 Note. Rubber with square shape.  Figure 3 Note. Glue stick with cylindrical shape.  When teaching students each of these geometric shapes, which have already been mentioned and whose definitions have been explained in previous blog posts. Students could be asked to indivi...

If we keep talking about geometric shapes in our daily lives, one of our daily habits for maintaining a healthy lifestyle is eating. Therefore, we have food that provides us with references to different geometric shapes. A very common example chosen for teaching, due to its potential to explain various mathematical concepts, is pizza. It's a food that children generally enjoy, making it a great example of an element of interest for students. Its shape is primarily circular, although rectangular pizzas also exist. When circular, it is usually cut into triangular slices. Furthermore, it is used as an example for teaching fractions: “If I divided the pizza into eight pieces and five were eaten, 3/8 remains". Figure 1 Note. Circular pizza in triangular slices  We can also find other foods, fruits, for example, are classified as healthy and recommended for daily consumption. Many of them are spherical, like oranges, grapes, or watermelons. But what is a sphere? A sphere has propert...

In the previous entry, we saw how we can bring geometry into a classroom of primary education from a more realistic perspective, specifically by observing the geometric shapes found in our urban environment. However, we don't only find geometric shapes in human-made spaces. Nature also provides a landscape full of shapes, symmetries, and patterns. According to Stephen Skinner, many shapes and other geometric concepts found in nature have been studied since Antiquity because of their harmony. The author highlights figures such as circles or spirals, explaining that they frequently appear in elements from nature and from architecture (Skinner, 2007).  When we incorporate these elements with the pupils in our classroom, it doesn't just allow us to work geometric content but it also fosters observation and critical thinking, connecting mathematics to the real world around us. Thus, learning becomes more experiential, motivating and relevant to students’ everyday lives.  Once all o...