An art gallery opens
Math + art makes sense !
An art gallery opens
The following day , the kindergarteners entered their classroom and discovered that their teacher had transformed a classroom wall into an art gallery ( figures 8 and 9 ). The students gathered around the “ exhibit ,” marveling at how different everyone ’ s starry art appeared , in terms of their colored night skies and villages , and the number and color of star stickers used to decorate the night skies .
Figure 8 Figure 9
Math + art makes sense !
Children are naturally inclined to observe and organize what they see so they can describe it logically . Thus , data collection and analysis are vital skills that need to be taught . The aforementioned integrated math-art activity demonstrates how the visual arts are a perfectly suitable choice for allowing children to engage in the exploration , organization , and interpretation of data . Encourage your students to put on their “ math goggles ®” and discover how art can be used to teach mathematics !
NOTE : The author would like to thank Samantha Ahern , Caren Roderick , Autumn Rosser , and Julie Yater , kindergarten teachers at All Saints ’ Episcopal School , who encouraged their students to put on their math goggles ® and contributed to the art featured in this article .
Robin A . Ward , Ph . D ., a former aerospace engineer and educational consultant for NASA , is a Professor of Mathematics and the Director for Curriculum Integration for the Rice University School Mathematics Project . Additionally , Robin teaches an integrated math-visual arts program for students enrolled in the Early Childhood Program at All Saints ’ Episcopal School in Fort Worth , Texas . Robin has written six books and over 40 publications , which focus on effective mathematics pedagogy , with an emphasis on integrating the visual arts and children ’ s literature in the teaching of K-8 mathematics . Robin provides extensive professional development to teachers interested in infusing the visual arts into STEM .
STEAMed Magazine
20
January 2016 Edition