Susan guided our minds in class today to the beautiful coast of some foreign land. I decided to recreate myself as Jacob, the 21 year-old chemistry student (how original!) who, because of the army, was unable to complete his studies. I pined at the loss of my chemical acuity due to inactivity. Remaining unemployed on the coast, I found myself just wasting the days away. That was the case until that fateful night when I was awakened to the harsh knocking on my door. I was brought out to the field in the cloak of night and told that my services were enlisted by a small faction of rebels seeking to overthrow the current army regime. Their request: work with several other math-oriented locals to solve problems vital to the rebel alliance's work. We (Jacobi, Ruth, Alma, Doran, Captain and I) gathered in the cave (also known as the underside of two desks) to discuss two problems: one involving scouting for enemy camps with possible traitors in our midst and one involving distribution of rations. With only a dim candlelight in the cave, we had to work together and solve the math problem.
This has to be one of the most memorable math curriculum/methods lessons I have had so far. The incorporation of drama into getting students to solve simple yet practical problems was excellent. It appealed to my sense of a need for something interesting and it appealed to my sense of getting math done. We worked together on simple problems and it was fun. Overall, I thought it was great. I just hope that I can learn to adapt this method to suit my science courses, as well. (It would be great if I could try this!)
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