Wk 5: In the Classroom

This entire week has truly captured my attention and my mind has been racing with many ideas I'd like to try! Every video I watched and lesson plan I read, I found myself thinking, "Oh! And then I could do..." 

This is exciting! I love feeling like my lessons are interesting and engaging and "real". 

But then I came up against the worry that my Middle School and High School students would think this was "dumb" and that I would have little to no buy-in. At which point, what am I to do? 

The "Math of the Move" lesson plan I looked at was the "Math in Your Feet Starter Kit". It was the video that I thought I would use right away and it sparked an idea for a lesson I can try in the coming weeks. 

My Grade 8 students and I are currently looking at patterns and linear relations -- this fits perfectly! It is a little advantageous to have them up and dancing, as they are in the throws of being too cool for everything, but I think I can get away with handshakes. 

Similar to the symmetry and movement that is worked with in the movement variables, I plan to have my students create handshakes that represent patterns they've constructed with numbers. Here's what I'm thinking: 

1. Students use the numbers 1 to 8 (or whatever number you want to cap it at) to create, in partners, a pattern. This pattern can be as simple or complex as they want. 
2. Once all students have created a number pattern, as a class, determine what each number represents. For example, 1 = left-hand high five; 2 = clap; 3 = ... and so on. 
3. Have students use this information to try out their newly created pattern handshake. 

Looking around the room, you should notice that all students have a unique, mathematically-based handshake. Discussions could lead to what needs to be tweaked in order for the handshake to flow, which in turn should be reflected in the numerical pattern as well. 

My hope is that this activity could then lead to something like the Math in Your Feet lesson plan in which students are up and moving. This also connects to the Karl Schaffer & Mr. Stern TedX  talk (2012) video we watched this week. 

I LOVE when students get to engage with math with their bodies. I danced for years while I was growing up, and I still find myself coming back to the basics that I learned there when I am stressed or nervous. Counts of 8 calm me in nerdy dancer ways that others will never understand. How cool would it be if, in 15 years, my students find themselves coming back to mathematical movements when they need grounding? How much deeper will their understanding of mathematics be if they are able to turn to a physical movement that immediately returns them to the learning they engaged in in my class? The ways in which doors will be opened by the movement of bodies excites me in many ways! I'm looking forward to try this out!