How can I learn geometry in a fun way?

Hello again creative bloggers! Today I have a question to you, do you think that is possible to learn geometry in a fun way? Let's discover it!

Geometry is undoubtedly one of the most intuitive branches of mathematics and the one most closely linked to our everyday lives; this is why teaching it in primary school can be made easier by connecting aspects of pupils’ daily lives with geometry, so that they do not end up seeing it as something abstract and boring. 

As well as establishing this link between what children observe in their daily lives (buildings, objects, nature, etc.), how we teach geometry is also crucial. Through learning techniques such as gamification and project-based learning (PBL), we can guide pupils in acquiring this new knowledge. Gamification is defined as the use of mechanics, components and dynamics typical of games and leisure in non-recreational activities (Valda & Arteaga, 2015), such as, in this case, school and education. Through this technique, we incorporate educational games into the classroom as an alternative to more traditional teaching, understood as that which employs an approach far removed from the humanistic vision of school mathematics (Franco & Sánchez, 2019). As Franco & Sánchez (2019) state regarding games in school geometry, we can identify seven groups: fixed 2D and 3D models, geometric puzzles, tangrams, geoboards, dynamic transformations, origami, and objects from the real environment. 

On the other hand, Martín (2018) states that “in recent years, there has been a shift from content-based learning, in which the pupil was a passive participant, to a form of learning that is primarily pupil-centred” (p.110) and emphasises two basic methodological aspects: problem-solving methodology, which involves presenting problems for pupils to solve, and the geometry laboratory, where pupils work in groups. He also advocates the importance of using manipulative materials to boost student motivation and help them create mental images through the construction of models, in addition to technological resources such as photography, videos and software for learning geometry, such as Geogebra, Paint…

 

Figure 1

Geometric game

  Note: Recovered from https://montessoriparatodos.es/juego-geometrico.html

Finally, I would like to focus on more specific ideas to help us connect with students and show them, in concrete terms, the creative side of geometry. For example, when teaching about two-dimensional shapes, one could suggest creating mosaics or tessellations, where students explore how polygons such as triangles, squares or hexagons fit together to cover the plane without leaving any gaps. This type of activity not only reinforces concepts such as sides, vertices and angles, but also fosters creativity and visual thinking.Furthermore, creating three-dimensional shapes is also very interesting, as pupils will come to understand, through the creative process and upon seeing the final result, exactly where concepts such as faces, edges and vertices are located. Another interesting approach is the use of geometric drawing as a creative tool. Through symmetry, transformations (rotations, translations and reflections) or the creation of geometric mandalas, students can experiment with patterns and regularities, visually grasping concepts that might otherwise seem abstract.

In short, making geometry tangible, visual and accessible is a simple matter, but it requires a willingness to teach our pupils through inquiry, experimentation and educational play, as mathematics is one of the subjects that generates the most anxiety and insecurity. It is within our power to prevent this, and there are many resources we can bring into the classroom to achieve it. 

References

Franco-Mariscal, A. J., & Sánchez, P. S. (2019). Un enfoque basado en juegos educativos para aprender geometría en educación primaria: Estudio preliminar. Educação e Pesquisa, 45.

Martín, M. L. N. (2018). Geometría en la Educación Primaria, de Manuel Barrantes López y María Consuelo Barrantes Masot. Edma 0-6: Educación Matemática en la Infancia, 7(1), 109-113.

Valda Sanchez, F., & Arteaga Rivero, C. (2015). Diseño e implementación de una estrategia de gamificacion en una plataforma virtual de educación. Fides et Ratio-Revista de Difusión cultural y científica de la Universidad La Salle en Bolivia, 9(9), 65-80.