Dancing braid into being

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Today’s class sparked an engaging discussion on religion and spirituality’s involvement in the classroom. We argued that religion should be left out of public schools and independent schools are free to worship whatever they choose to. If public schools (who is mainly funded by the government) emphasized and pushed towards one religion specifically, other religions may feel left out and may cause tension between cultures. Despite this, it is important to acknowledge the importance of multiculturalism and fostering a safe and inclusive school environment for students and staff. We also discussed how math should not be kept within its own disciplinary boundary as math is the most applicable subject to many fields such as physics, finance, economics, and art. As educators, it is our responsibility to teach math as an interval to everything, while taking advantage of the technologies available to us. Reducing the emphasize on computation and encouraging critical thinking and analysis will be useful to students when they enter the real-world.

The Dancing Braid into Being video introduced me to algebraic group structures through braiding ribbons and dancing outdoors. This forms a connection between abstract math and beautiful bodily movements.

 

Dancing braid into being from The Orchard Garden.

 

Sources:

Gerofsky, S. 2020. Dancing braid into being: Exploring mathematics through dance. Retrieved October 1, 2020 from https://vimeo.com/269321443.

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