Mathematical interactive exhibits and bodily engagement
Hear from speakers questioning the image of mathematics as immaterial and abstract by striving to create learning environments in which elementary and advanced mathematical ideas can be encountered in lively, playful, accessible, tangible, and open-ended ways.
The design of these learning environments elicits complex and significant questions. Can interactive mathematical exhibits be fruitful avenues for the introduction of mathematical symbolisms? Should their learning objectives be constrained by the school curriculum? Are normative solutions compatible with open-ended and exploratory inquiries? How to go beyond guessing pre-determined answers known by others? Can interactive exhibits bridge the dissociation between mathematics and bodily activity?
Facilitator
Manchester Metropolitan University
Session speakers
Mathematikum (Giessen, Germany) is a mathematical science centre that attracts each year more than 120.000 visitors of all ages and educational backgrounds. The success of Mathematikum is largely based on its exhibits, which are designed to allow visitors to:
- rapidly encounter the mathematical phenomenon
- not only solve problems but also to understand them ("Aha-moment")
- collaborate with other visitors in their investigations
- broaden images of mathematics beyond the school curriculum
MathsWorldUK is a charity currently developing a maths touring exhibition to serve as a stepping stone for the creation of an exploratorium (interactive museum). We have acquired a few exhibits, ranging from small puzzles to some large prototypes. Professor Brown — co-chair of the executive committee — will share the criteria we use to ascertain the potential of an interactive exhibit, and report the result of surveys gathered during two of our appearances at science shows.
National Museum of Mathematics
New York City
United States
Five years after opening, MoMath, North America’s only museum of math, continues to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually with its special brand of interactive math exhibits. Executive Director Cindy Lawrence, one of the original exhibit designers, shares the story of the Museum’s design and the lessons learned. See for yourself how deep mathematics can be combined with playful, engaging exhibits to create lasting educational impact in an informal learning environment.
Mathematical garden opened at the Tekniska museet in Stockholm in 2017 - and is probably the first playground on the theme of its kind. The project emerged from two important needs: partly to do something about the front of the museum that had turned into an unwelcome gravel plan, and partly the need to create a more positive image of mathematics as a counterweight to the general perception of mathematics as a school subject in crisis- - a picture which was reinforced by a PISA report that showed that Swedish children's mathematical skills steadily declined in comparison with other countries. The starting point for the park was to investigate how nature and maths are connected. And then, what happens if we add art, culture play and learning.
