Summary: Gerofsky & Ostertag point out the dominance of grids in modern society and schooling. Grids enforce a linear, square-box model and in schools can be exemplified by rectangular classrooms, rowed seating, block-time bell schedules, marking spreadsheets, and isolated subject time-tables. While grids can give the feeling of organization, completeness and control, they are problematic because they promote linear, visually dominant, binary thinking. They are a colonial structure that limits ways of knowing and being. In their paper, the authors share experiences that they have had engaging teacher candidates in garden-based environmental education as a way to teach beyond these grids and incorporate more sensory mathematics learning (beyond the visual.) Examples include a drama performance illustrating freedom and control in a grid-grown flax garden, a Nap-In to relinquish control and experience felt time, and a weaving of braids at small, hand-held scales vs. large scale, coordinated multiperson dances to look at mathematical scale. Key findings reveal teachers have a deep entanglement with the grid even when attempting to critique it. While it seems teachers cannot be without the influence of the grid, the paper illustrates how performative and embodied practices can enable a beside-ness to the grid. Working within the grid, but allowing for playful negotiation within it rather than a binary rejection or acceptance. The concept of parkouring off the grid shows use of the rigid grid structure as a platform to pivot and swing off of in a way that turns barriers into launch points for navigating and experiencing a landscape with newfound joy. It affirms that even within rigid secondary school structures and single-disciplinary blocks, there is potential to carve out spaces for multi-sensory maths learning that embraces many ways of knowing and doing.
Stop 1: “The sorting and ordering of things, people, beings, ideas, entities helps humans achieve a kind of power and control over a world.” (p. 174) Oh - I love a good table. I use them in my notes making, I use them to organize and make sense when learning and sharing - as you have seen in my discussion posts for our courses often, I use them in planning my day, week, month. These grids do give me a sense of control, and a visual calmness to settle chaos. I have never paused to think about the limitations that they also bring (like enforcing binaries - not everything needs to be in a box) and the colonial implications that they carry. Should I be abandoning this tool? Exploring and embracing others? It feels a bit tainted now.
Stop 2: I appreciated the examples of embodied activities for noticing mathematical scale. The authors have teacher candidates experience hand-weaving (small scale) and outdoor weaving as a dance pattern (image below). I would like to try this with students.
Stop 3: “We think of the garden (or other outdoor place where everything is alive — the forest, beach, park, mountainside, prairie) as having agency as a living co-teacher, rather than as an inert ‘background setting’. (p. 182) I think that this is a beautiful sentiment as we plan for outdoor experiences. While I think that this can start from the narrative that I share with students, I feel like I need to see more examples of how to frame activities and experiences this way.
Questions:
- I have not done much math learning outside. (If I’m outside it's often doing science learning.) Have you had successful math learning outdoors?
- What can “parkouring the grid” look like in an 80 minute secondary class with curricular outcomes to meet? With limited access to natural outdoor spaces within that timeframe?
Nichola,
ReplyDeleteI am a fellow table lover. I do love the order, although also question whether it is a false sense of order. Regardless, my brain loves an organized list.
My own math teaching outdoors has not been as authentic and embodied as I would like. It has consisted of "let's take our indoor work outside for fresh air".
On occasion I have had outdoor activities that are more authentic where students are finding examples of different angles and observing the structures in their environment.
The conclusion you mentioned about working within this grid is a powerful idea. I have a visceral negative reaction to the idea of just throwing away our present way of existing, so love the playfulness of thinking about how we can jump around it. Many of my students have a reliance on a predictable schedule so I wonder about the impact this could have on them.
One of the recommendations often given when students are brought to the school based team regarding behaviour difficulties in class has been ensuring there is a visual schedule for them. Of course every class, teacher, and day differs, but I do wonder if the rigid schedule following is actually helping or not. Within my own teaching practice, there will be lessons that students are clearly engaged, working hard and deep in a learning mindset. In these cases, I do not transition them on to the new thing right away. I flex the schedule to accommodate how the learning session is going. Similarly, if we are having a particularly challenging day, I will flex lessons to be shorter, take breaks to go outdoors, and connect with students.
I don't think I am unique to this approach for handling a daily schedule, I suspect many do this. Which leads me to think many of us play within this aspect of binary adherence to time within the school day.
How else can I push the boundaries of western views of time? Am I spending my time on valuable things? Some things I will continue pondering.
Thanks for this great discussion! Julia and I were working on taking a 'both-and' rather than an 'either-or' approach to grids -- since we all have internalized them and in many ways, love the way they sort out seemingly chaotic tasks, data, situations... And then, they are also instrumental in excluding, oversimplifying, missing the point so much of the time as well! So my advice would be -- start to be aware of all the grids that we choose and that are laid on us. Think about what good things they offer AND what harm they might be doing. And as Amanda describes, we can stretch, bend, swing and propel off the grid like parkour experts!
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