Art Project!

 

Reflections

This project allowed us a great deal of creative freedom. For me, above all, this left me inspired. Getting to have some choice in our adaptation of the art piece inspired me to jump head-on into this project. Mathematically, it prompted me to review many things and use a wide range of skills. First, I had to recall some calculus for the volume and area calculations of Gabriels horn. I used hands-on skills measuring the exact dimensions of the horn, sphere, cube, and octahedron. I also used some euclidean geometry with my compass to make equilateral triangles for the octahedron. In this regard, the project prompted me to use and explore a range of mathematics to calculate and construct the final art piece. 

In my own classroom, I think about setting students up with art projects which cater to their natural curiosities but also the curriculum I'm trying to teach. I would hope that students find a similar amount of inspiration as I did with this project. It makes me realize the power of being deeply engaged in something. Of course, this comes at some cost. The drawback of doing a project like this might be that you sacrifice some in-class time where you can be teaching new material in a slightly faster paced manner. Balancing the use of engaging projects like these and more traditional lecture style, or even discussion based teaching is critical.