I read about Victoria Hart (Vi Hart) last year when the NY Times did a write up on her and her mission: to make math exciting. Her instructional manner and way of speaking is definitely not the traditional way that math has been taught in the past, so her videos will probably capture students’ attention right away. She is full of knowledge about the subject and mentions silly things in between math facts to keep students engaged. Indeed: I have learned things from her videos!
The force driving me to become a math teacher is exactly the same energy that drives Vi Hart in her videos. I want to show students that math is not merely a boring and useless subject. I feel that there is almost some complacency in this country about math being too hard for most people, and there is not much you can do about it. However, I believe that people like Vi Hart can open up the world of math to students to show them how it truly does relate to things all around them. Math helps explains things that you would hardly think related to math at all.
Since this video is a bit advanced, I would reserve it for 8th grade students who were familiar with geometry and critical problem solving. I would use some of the elements to work in a lesson on probability because the possibility tree is similar to the snake “Slithers” she describes in the video. I would probably play the video twice since she speaks so fast, or I would be sure to stop the video during the second play to discuss things in more detail. Either way, this is a video that would capture a student’s imagination by showing how math can be related to something as non-math-sounding as a snake toy.
Tessellations are a visual way to show the power and beauty of geometry. They have been used for thousands of years in many kinds of art: paintings, jewelry, fabric making, architecture, etc. This video shows a simpler version of a tessellation, so it could be used for elementary students. If I had a middle school class, there are other YouTube videos with more complex versions. A discussion on tessellations could be enhanced by showing art by the tessellation master, M.C. Escher, as well as Roman mosaics, fabrics, etc. This video could also be used to enhance lessons on symmetry and geometry. Students of any age will love choosing a shape to create a tessellation of their own using scissors and construction paper. This hands-on exercise will help to motivate students to be interested in mathematics.
This would be a fun video to show in class because kids love card tricks and this one demonstrates the power of numbers. From a choice of cards, the narrator directs the listener to choose a card, multiply, add and subtract certain numbers to the card value. At the end of the experiment, the listener is told that the last number they arrive at is their exact age (I tried it and it works). This would be a great exercise to use for any age where students are very familiar with arithmetic (probably from 4th grade upwards). It could also be used as part of a more advanced lesson with older students to talk about number systems. However it is worked into a lesson plan, students will be excited to do the calculations to see if the narrator gives them their actual age.
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