Summary: Karaali (2014) notes that mathematics is the “perfect model for what makes an activity human” because it involves the three aspects that makes our species unique: cognition, consciousness and creativity. (p.38) When mathematicians create new work, they do so with passion, frustration, analysis, intuition and creativity (often in flexibility to interpretations and approaches) in order to reach truth; a parallel to the work of a poet. Both poetry and mathematics then, are human endeavors. Unlike poetry though, math is usually not perceived this way by those outside the field. Traditional teaching methods tend to mask the humanity and creativity of mathematics. Karaali suggests that poetry can be a bridge for teaching mathematics (and for reaching the public) in a more humanistic way, a way that “studies the human face of mathematics.” (p. 41)
In an attempt to do this at a post secondary institution, Karaali taught a first year course introducing humanistic mathematics called, “Can Zombies Do Math?” It explored ideas about what makes us human and how mathematics is related to humanity. As part of this class, students created mathematical poetry and Kataali found it to be the “perfect ambassador for humanistic mathematics.” (p. 44) While she does not answer the question “can zombies do math” in the article, the answer is clearly no, because zombies lack the human qualities like emotion and creativity that engaging in mathematics (and poetry) requires.
Stop 1: “Both poetry and mathematics may, in fact, be conceived of without or before language, but only with words will they become communicable and complete.” (p. 39) This connects to the idea that we often understand emotions, movements and patterns before we can articulate them with words. In week 1, Antonsen (2016) stated in his TED talk that it is OK to make up notation and language to represent mathematical patterns as we learn and explore them. It can be a step in solidifying deeper cognitive understanding and lead to a level of cognition where we can then articulate it. Words can give this level of understanding to concepts, experiences, and emotions.
Stop 2: In mathematics “a wide range of emotions is involved too.” (p. 40) “We encourage the timid to venture into the world of mathematics, as they too have experienced both mathematics and poetry, in very emotional ways, and now they have the chance to unleash these emotions and share with others.” (p. 44) This article reminds me of the work we have done in previous courses with Francis Su’s book around the human connection to math and with the role of emotions in mathematical thinking. Connections that I still find underrepresented in math education. Everyone has connections to math, experiences with math and emotions linked to math. These can be expressed through poetry and/or drawn out from poetry examples by everyone. A very accessible way to approach humanistic mathematics, and remind us that math does not have to be a stand-alone discipline. It is interconnected to languages, arts, our world and culture, etc.
Stop 3: “Everybody accepts without question the place of poetry in our world…On the other hand, mathematics for most is a dreary subject, and even those who find it appealing are oftentimes unaware of its connection to poetry.” (p. 44) This made me a bit sad, that math continually gets a bad rap. It also made me a bit hopeful. What if we could teach and represent mathematics in a more humanistic way that connected with more people? How would the world look differently if mathematics was as accepted with its place in the world as poetry?
Question:
How would you structure the use of mathematics poetry in your classroom? Would you host an open mic? Would you analyze sample poems? If so, would you do it from a place of knowing the mathematical structure first or would you let that be discovered? If getting students to create mathematical poetry, would you start with the math structure or have them write and then look for any mathematical connections?
References:
Antonsen, R. (2016, December 13). Math is the hidden secret to understanding the world [Video]. TED. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQElzjCsl9o
Karaali, G. (2014). Can zombies write mathematical poetry? Mathematical poetry as a model for humanistic mathematics. For the Learning of Mathematics, 34(2), 26–32.
I love your question, and in reading it (and after writing a few Fib Poems) I have been playing with the idea of using Fib Poems as a "exit ticket"/check in in students emotions/ learnings of the lesson. A calm, quiet, reflective end to a lesson.
ReplyDeleteNichola, your stops and connections to past readings was very effective. I felt like I was nodding in agreement the whole time. In my readings this week about an interview with JoAnne Growney, she mentions that she has been collecting poetry to use in her classroom to share and introduce mathematical concepts. I love the idea and have been thinking of various ways I could do something similar – introduce mathematics concepts through visual arts, or audible poetry. These are not connections that are frequently made in math classes and would serve to widen perspectives when connections are processed.
ReplyDeleteTo address your question: YES, to all. The predictability of weekly poetry analysis might make it comforting and help to develop familiarity and confidence. Aside from directly using the poetry to apply concepts like Prime Factorization or Fibonacci numbers, I would use it as a hook. Due to the variety of poems and poetic forms, there would be something that could relate to any mathematical topic… if it didn’t, we could create one for analysis.
After introducing poetry and their mathematical properties over time, I think it would be neat to do an exploration starting with some mathematical rules, then develop a poetic product with them. We’ve seen the PH4 braided poem using four words or ideas, but bringing in a little geometry, create a poem using 7 syllables for 7 lines for a 7x7 square poem. Reverse the process and show the poem, and have students figure out what is mathematically interesting about the poetry!