Exploring symmetry in professional development courses for mathematics teachers

Mathematics can generally be described as a science that studies structure, relationships, order, and patterns through its own language, helping us better understand the world we live in. These same elements are also fundamental to art. It is therefore not surprising that mathematics and art share a long historical relationship. Mathematics has inspired several artists and artworks are sometimes a good motivation for mathematical reasoning or learning. Combining artistic creativity and mathematical reasoning turns out to be a very appealing way to explore several mathematical topics, in particular symmetry. Learning the mathematical principles of symmetry by first observing artworks and engaging one’s own creativity has proven to be a powerful and appealing strategy. In recent years, I have explored symmetry with mathematics teachers of all grade levels through several professional development courses. In these courses, teachers were given the opportunity to create their own artworks using a variety of materials. The topics explored in these courses covered all types of planar symmetry, including rosettes, friezes, and wallpaper patterns. This paper presents the outcomes of three of these courses, involving about 50 primary and secondary school teachers (grades 1 to 12). In all courses, we studied symmetry and the symmetry groups of plane figures and developed applications using two specific craft techniques: patchwork/quilting and ceramics

Faculty Development · Geometry · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Professional development · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Mathematics · Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques · Psychology