From: Marielouise (for Teacher2Teacher Service)
Date: Oct 12, 1998 at 00:18:49
Subject: Re: Teaching math

Hi Ninfa,

Many students do not like geometry because all they think is that it is all
about proof. The teacher has to make it more meaningful.   Are you at all
familiar with Maurits Escher?  He is a Dutch graphics artist, who died in the
mid 1980's.   His work appears everywhere.  He used geometry to cover the
plane in graphics art. No one can be a graphics artist without understanding
geometry. Most students like to create "Escher-like" pictures.  Go to your
public library or local art supply store or local "Barnes & Knobles"-type
book store.  I guarantee you can find some books on Escher.

What do you think about interior designers, construction workers, carpenters,
and builders? These people need geometry.  Have you ever tried to figure out
how much paint to purchase or how much wall paper to purchase?  These
decisions use geometry.   I once helped a man figure out how much wood he
would need to purchase to finish off a fan-shaped window. A construction
worker came to me once and asked me to determine how much insulation would be
used between three pipes that were arranged either inside a circular casing
or a triangular casing. Geometry is the study of the structure of life! How
do bees arrange their beehives?   Why are the cells hexagonal? How are
cobwebs designed? How does radar locate "blimps" on a polar graph? The
application of geometry is seemingly endless.

Start with Escher.

 -Marielouise, for the Teacher2Teacher service

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