Videos and applications

Hi everyone!

Today I show you two one video one webpage that could be interesting.

The video show children geometrical shapes through the main character that is a train called Bob. First, it is made a presentation by each character. Then they ask questions of the spectator to know what they need to build a house, a car, a table, etc. Therefore the video introduces and makes children think meanwhile they are relating the geometrical figures with the quotidian objects.  It is a long video in which they work with language and other aspects, however, in the class, we can put the part of the video that is adequate for the subject. This video came from a series called Bob el tren de Aventuras, in which we could get other resources as a song with the figures among other aspects.

The video is adequate for children of the first cycle of primary education, and concretely for the first course. It could be used as the starting point of the topic or as a motivational video. In the first of primary education, we have to introduce them to several concepts, but we have to keep in mind the transition. For what a song could be a great way.

Smartphones and tablets are the devices most used by children of different ages. For this reason, the use of these elements as an instrument to learn could contribute to the interest of the students to the subject.

There are a lot of applications for Android or iOS that can be used to learn geometry. Dragon Box Elements is one good example of them. In it, children learn geometry through games. It has different chapters and puzzles. In addition, it has so attractive graphics. The following video show different puzzles of the game.

Geoboard

The geoboard is compounded by a board with nails that stand out the board. With it, you can use an elastic band to create different geometrical shapes. It was invented by Caleb Gattegno in 1960. In its beginning, he created the geoboard with a square tabletop with nails that formed a weave. Currently, there are different types of geoboard:

                                Orthometric                Isometric                  Circular

It is a useful didactic resource to work geometry, and it introduces geometrical concepts in a manipulative way. We can use it as an initial/motivational activity or as a synthesis activity. In the geoboard, children can build geometric shapes as well as discover the polygons, solve mathematics problems, perimeters, areas...

Another application of the geoboard could be the own fabrication by the students. It will involve them more in the activity, and they will work with more skills. 

In the following video, you can see a group of children of 4th grade of primary education. They are working with the geoboard, the geometric shapes and the coordinates. It is only one example of the variety of possibilities that gives us geoboard. We can design also a dynamic activity that challenges the students and in which the geoboard could be the way to achieve another aspect.

References and other resources: geoplano

Geogastronomy

The art of cooking is closely related to geometric shapes. Some examples are:

The preparation of a sandwich, cutting a fruit, poke olives with chopsticks, we can create multiples geometric shapes when we take the spunk of soap.

The creation of these means, that you have to combinate space, shape and position, which are elements related to geometry (Vervi, 2016). The application of the geometry in the foodstuff is another way of artistic creation, and it could challenge the creativity of the students. It could determinate significative learning of the geometric shapes since it begins from the close experience of the students and with a manipulative combination. Therefore, it could foster the assimilation of the shape of a triangle, for instance.

On the one hand, in this video, you could get an idea of the different shapes and geometric figures that children could make. All of them are easy to do by the children.

On the other hand, in this video, you can see a practice in which children of primary education are making a workshop of cooking. It is one example of how it could be a great way of motivating the students and let them learn through their experience and manipulation. In our case, we could make cookies with geometric shapes, and it is not a dangerous practice because all instruments are prepared for being used by children. So, we do not have an excuse to change our geometry lessons and let children develop their creativity and their knowledge about geometry. Moreover, it is a way of relating geometry with their daily life. They eat every day and maybe the food they eat represent some geometrical shapes. In addition, we are not thinking only in geometry in the plane because we can work with solid geometry too.

References and other interesting resources:

Vervi, S. (2016). El rinoceronte temático. Retrieved from https://elrinocerontematematico.wordpress.com/2016/10/17/la-geometria-en-la-cocina-2/

https://www.stone-ideas.com/21510/design-geometry-meets-gastronomy-2/

Tangram

The manipulative resources are another type of material that also foster the learning of the geometry. Today, we are going to speak about the game Tangram, which is formed by geometric shapes.

The original Chinese puzzle tangram is an old game composed of seven pieces; they are known with the name Tans: a square, a rhomboid, a parallelogram, and five triangles. The use of the tangram allows children to learn mathematics concepts at the time it fosters their creativity, concentration level, and their analytic skills, among other benefits (Regina, 2019).

It is a manipulative resource with a didactic application for teachers and students to the recognition of geometric shapes, composition and decomposition of shapes, development of the area notion, addition and subtraction. 

Moreover, it fosters creativity, and it is a motivational aspect to let the student create their own tangrams in the art class. Therefore, it could be one element to connect different subjects and work in an interdisciplinary way. 

We can find the game in a different format: as a board game, didactic material, online game, templates, own creation, etc.

In the following video, you can get an idea of the functioning of the game. It is also an interesting video to show for students. Maybe the reproduction of the video could be the introduction to the game and it could be the first step for the children. During the video, the spectators have enough time to think where to put the figures, which is ideal to start children in the visualization and mental movement of shapes.

References:

Regina, M. (2019). Educación 3.0. Retrieved from educación tres punto cero

Jclick

Hi everyone!

In this occasion, we are going to speak about the ITCs in class. 

Students know very well the technological resources, and they are used to it, for this reason, the use of new technologies as smartphones, tablets, or computers, is a great option to motivate students and foster the learning and acquisition of different knowledge. Although they are used to it, the school has an important role in leading children in the save and correct use. 

For the topics of geometry, we can get a lot of resources that could have a great collide in children and draw their attention. In this case, we have Jclic.

Jclic is a platform in which people can play games, create it or asses his knowledge. In this platform, you could find a huge variety of games and activities for children of all the ages and for all the subjects. In the activities, students have to do different things as a classify element, select or write the correct options, or memorize pairs of images or words, among others. In each game, it records the time that the person spends in each activity and the mistakes that have made, and the attempts he has made, so it provides us with a useful tool to assess the knowledge of the students. 

An interesting aspect is that you can create your own game and you don't need to have knowledge about programming! This possibility gives us a great opportunity to create the game according to the interest of students a, therefore, it will become a better resource and more motivated.

In the following pictures, you can observe some activities to work geometry with the students. In the inferior right corner, you can see the number of attempts, the number of correct answers and the time you spend in the activity.

Here, you have the link the web: Jclic

Art and geometry

Mathematics and art are two fields related in which the symmetry, proportions, or figures are elements present in the art. Every artist has a mathematician inside, so it is not a coincidence that the most famous artist has been great mathematicians.

In the teaching, we can work Mathematics and Art education jointly in all the stages. It should be simultaneous learning in which the students tackle the subjects in a global way. We have a multitude of models or examples of Painters as Picasso o Kandinsky that could be used in the lessons of geometry. Also, we have an older example in the mosaics from the Alhambra in Granada.

The compositions of the universal art are based on the combinations and properties of the basic geometric shapes. This compositions of figures have millions of years and had influenced the art and the design of our quotidian life.

 Negro y violeta (1923), Kandinsky.

Femme assise (1909), Pablo Picasso

How does teach geometry?

The subject of mathematics is one subject that children hate or love but there is not a medium place. Usually, it is a boring subject for students. However, It used to be taught in a traditional way in which the teacher explains the content, the students accept the concept, ask questions that only the teacher can answer and finally the students make a lot of exercises without seeing the objective or the application.

This classic process of learning Mathematics could be one aspect that determines the low motivation of students toward the subject and the problems they have with it.  The way of teaching the subject has a huge influence on how the students perceive the subject. So, it is necessary to revise it and find other resources and strategies to apply, in order to get the curiosity and the interest of the students in order to get significative and productive learning.

First, we have to think about different methodologies and dynamics to draw the attention of the student and get their curiosity. In the application of a huge variety of them, we could get other results.

Methodologies that we can be used are the flipped classroom, creative thinking, or cooperative learning among others. Moreover, the motivation of the students could be determined by the resources and the variety of materials used. For this reason, in geometry lessons, we can use the ITCs and manipulatives materials that let students get experiences with the figures or with the different aspect of the subject.

The following video shows us the experience of a teacher that changed his lessons of geometry with the objective of getting the curiosity and the motivation of the students. In his cases, he explains how through the new technologies, the use of closed examples, experiences and challenging the students, he gets better results and more involvement of students in the subject.

What is geometry?

Little by little, we are going to go in deep in the didactics of geometry, but first, what do you understand when you read the word "geometry"?

If we analyse the word, we obtain other words that give us an interesting concept of geometry. First, we get "Geo" it is referred to the Earth. And then, we get "Metry" it is referred to the measurement. 

If we go on the Internet and search it, the RAE (2019), define the Geometry as the study of the properties and magnitudes of the figures in the plane or in the space. Also, we have to include or keep in mind that the geometry study ideal objects obtained by the abstraction of qualities from the real space

From this broad definition, you get a better idea of what we are talking, and maybe you feel very interested in the theme. But...
Do you think it is important to learn geometry at school?

The geometry is present in our daily life through the language and in all objects we touch. It is applied in reality in different field of knowledge as in the architecture, sculpture, sports, etc.  Probably, you did not take into account that we are surrounded by geometry. In schools, children should start to observe and understand these figures, as well as understand the geometrical expressions that citizens use in their quotidian language. As the geometry is present in every day of each child, it is easier to get a relation with their closed world and the activities that they practise daily. It will allow children to learn the different aspect in a significative way in which they can apply to their life. In addition, it fosters the development and improvement of the spatial perception of the student which is a necessary skill that facilitates their lives.

In the following pictures, you can see different quotidian images that I see every day, which are examples of the presence of geometry in our lives. I encourage you to observe your surroundings and discover the geometrical figures! Maybe you will be surprised by the number of different figures you find!

Own creation

Own creation

References:

RAE. (2019). Diccionario de la lengua española. Retrieved from 

dle.rae.es