Are You A Math Teacher? Why You Should Start Teaching With Art

As a teacher, it's your job to convey certain concepts to your students in hopes that they will be able to grasp them.  Although this might be relatively easy to do with most subjects, math can sometimes be considered a totally different kind of beast.  Some students already have it made up in their minds that they are simply, "Not a math person."  As a math teacher, you have to fight through these erroneous beliefs and show your pupils that they can conquer the subject material.  That's why you should start incorporating art into your teaching methodology.  Once you see how effective this approach can be, you'll realize why you should start implementing it right away.

Art Can Help To Make Math More Understandable

If you've ever gotten caught up in the reverie of using watercolors to paint a sunset at the beach, you understand just how captivating art can be.  When you combine this creative flair with mathematical concepts, you have a winning combination on your hands.

Some students just can't grasp the hard-and-fast rules that come along with math.  They need more than just the logical side of their brain activated--they need to incorporate something creative or artistic into the mix so that they can understand it.

For example, if you're teaching your class geometry, why not set up easels at everybody's desk and ask them to draw the first few geometrical shapes that come to mind.  You'll undoubtedly see a few shapes that resemble hexagons and octagons, along with a host of other shapes.  You can then take the pictures and write the mathematical formula for each of the shapes alongside it.  This fuses the two ideas together in the minds of your students and could be the key to helping them gain a sure foundation in geometrical studies. 

You can use various guides, such as the Mary Smale guide book, to give you ideas about how to utilize drawing while teaching math.

Music Can Be A Powerful Artistic Force

While you might only envision picures or images when you think about art, you're likely forgetting that music is also a powerful form of art.  Take some time to have the students create little jingles that describe the math theories that you teach them each day.  The music can truly be the very thing that helps them to recall various concepts when it's time to put them to work.

You have what it takes to make math fun and interesting for your students.  Don't wait; start implementing these tips today so you can show your class that math and art can have a wonderful marriage.


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