Origami Math Geniuses (OMG)
To address gender inequality in learning, CSU Channel Islands will host the 8th Annual Conference for Social Justice in Education on April 16, 2016. Origami Math Genius (OMG) will be showcased as an inquiry based curriculum to meet girls’ needs in math education. The conference is free to public, registration is required. Conference information can be found at http://education.csuci.edu/justice-conference/.
Gender inequality in math participation remains significant in education and workforce. The girl’s math problem is not innate math skills, but rather the contexts in which students learn math -- the contexts give girls less encouragement and less confidence in their math abilities. Gender differences in math confidence and achievement disappear by simply changing the way math is taught.
When math is taught as inquiry-based learning, all students achieve at higher levels and girls participate more in math and science. Girls have a greater need for understanding than boys; girls have higher levels of anxiety when they do not understand. Girls prefer hands on experiences, project based curriculum, relevant application and collaboration opportunities. Math education must meet girls’ needs too.
OMG integrates origami art and math in K-12 education. Art is a gendered subject, it attracts girls overwhelmingly. Learning math through origami art suits girls’ interest and delights them. It harmonizes with their way of learning and unleashes their potential. It also infuses math with a sense of artistry that girls can identify with. Studies showed that teaching math through origami has significant effect on math achievement.
OMG visualizes math concepts embedded in origami. It develops spatial reasoning and engages students in relevant origami tasks to acquire mathematical skills. It also fosters collaboration and encourages diverse approaches to solve mathematical problems.
The showcase of OMG curriculum will demonstrate teaching math through hands-on and participatory origami projects. It highlights girls’ needs met in OMG teaching. It also discusses bringing OMG to schools through teachers’ development.
Gender inequality in math participation remains significant in education and workforce. The girl’s math problem is not innate math skills, but rather the contexts in which students learn math -- the contexts give girls less encouragement and less confidence in their math abilities. Gender differences in math confidence and achievement disappear by simply changing the way math is taught.
When math is taught as inquiry-based learning, all students achieve at higher levels and girls participate more in math and science. Girls have a greater need for understanding than boys; girls have higher levels of anxiety when they do not understand. Girls prefer hands on experiences, project based curriculum, relevant application and collaboration opportunities. Math education must meet girls’ needs too.
OMG integrates origami art and math in K-12 education. Art is a gendered subject, it attracts girls overwhelmingly. Learning math through origami art suits girls’ interest and delights them. It harmonizes with their way of learning and unleashes their potential. It also infuses math with a sense of artistry that girls can identify with. Studies showed that teaching math through origami has significant effect on math achievement.
OMG visualizes math concepts embedded in origami. It develops spatial reasoning and engages students in relevant origami tasks to acquire mathematical skills. It also fosters collaboration and encourages diverse approaches to solve mathematical problems.
The showcase of OMG curriculum will demonstrate teaching math through hands-on and participatory origami projects. It highlights girls’ needs met in OMG teaching. It also discusses bringing OMG to schools through teachers’ development.
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