Math ArtSo many adult learners have been taught that math is a set of rigid procedures to be memorized, applied to meaningless problems, and then forgotten, leaving memories of worksheets, panic, and self-doubt. Art and mathematics are both fundamental human activities, yet how many adult learners have had the opportunity to create something beautiful with math or use math to explore artifacts of their own making?
The theme of the 2021 ANN Teaching & Learning Institute was Experiencing Harmony and Beauty in Mathematical Patterns. Browse the padlet to learn more on incorporating math through music and art into your class (and your life). Classroom-Ready Activities Include:
Seeing Math In Art: A colorful exploration of probability - Probability is a topic that often doesn't make it into adult education math classes. However, being able to reason about probability is an important life skill (as well as a topic that shows up on tests). The Seeing Math in Art lesson plan is a resource for teaching about experimental and theoretical probability through art.
| |
Visual artist Tia Keobounpheng got into geometry in 2021, through distance learning with her then 4th grader. Her art is focused primary on the circle. "To me geometry symbolizes the natural order that we all belong to and we all stem from. What I try to do in all of my geometric work is practice belonging as I am to it. When we feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, it allows us to nurture our unique strengths, and everybody benefits."
|
Annie Perkins, a MS/HS teacher in the Twin Cities, defines math art as something which inspires curiosity about structure. If you are looking for activities to teach your students math through the making of beautiful art, check out her Math Art Challenges.
Explore Celtic Knots, Sona drawings, probability designs, Islamic Geometry, Hitomezashi stitching, Hilbert curves, Mondrian puzzles, spirals, and more. Some are advanced, but most are accessible to all.
A good place to get started is to scroll through the Math Art Challenge page linked above. Annie included a picture of each project in the list, so it's easier to find one to try. You can also browse the #mathartchallenge hashtag on Twitter to see what others have done.
| | |
| |
Islamic Art and Geometric Design: "Surface patterns on works of art created in the Islamic world have been prized for centuries for their beauty, refinement, harmony, intricacy, and complexity. Fine examples of Islamic art, from the seventh to the nineteenth century, can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection. This publication features a selection of those objects in which geometric patterns predominate. By using these materials teachers will be able to show their students how Islamic artists applied their imagination to an underlying geometric framework to create the patterns in these outstanding works of art. Students will also learn the principles of geometric patterns and be able to create their own. We hope that these activities will spark in your students a life-long interest in art and design."
|
Paula Beardell Krieg is an artist who makes works with paper, teaches book arts, and thinks a lot about math. Her website, Playful Bookbinding and Paper Works is filled with activities for students to explore paper folding, lines, fractions, patterns, symmetry, rigid transformations and familiar shapes (like triangles, hexagons and pentagons) and unfamiliar shapes (like kaliedocycles and hexaflexagons).
| | |
Samira Mian is an artist and educator with a passion for Islamic Geometry. Her website is a treasure trove of activities and videos for constructing Islamic Geometric Patterns using a compass and straight edge. She offers live and recorded online classes as well.
Samira Mian's YouTube Playlist How to Draw Islamic Geometric Patterns
| |
Samira Mian's YouTube Playlist for Kids
|
Clarissa Grandi hosts Artful Maths where she shares Math Art lessons with full instructions to explore geometry and draw curves of pursuit, impossible objects, mandalas, Celtic knotwork, and more!  
Math teachers and enthusiasts across the world have been connecting over Twitter for 10 weeks a year to respond to weekly math photo challenges, including things like #Arrays, #Equivalence, #Shape, #Number, #Reflections #Rotations, #Scale, #Estimation, #Beauty, #Solids, etc. Create a math photo challenge with your students! (if you do, let us know. We'd love to share their photos!)
| |
Here are the collections from previous years:
|
Do you have any resources for teaching math art to share on this page? Click HERE to let us know!
|
|
