At the end of Grade 8/MYP Year 3, students finished group projects with a combination of geometry (predominantly triangles), installation arts, and service-as-action. Originally, the project was planned as a hands-on experience and students were expected to investigate the decoration needs on Lanya campus. The semi-lockdown and 6-week online learning disrupted the plan, and all students learned to collaborate online alternatively. Their products sufficiently demonstrated how creative they are in terms of producing, how open-minded they can be for communication, and their growing IB / conceptual / inquiry-based thinking.
Here comes the task description, and the project speaks to Criterion C (Communication) and Criterion D (Real-life application) in MYP Mathematics:
Goal: Design and create an installation artwork to demonstrate your understanding of how geometric shapes have been influencing modern aesthetics.
Role: Form a group of 3 or 4. One of you investigate into the decoration needs at Lanya campus and propose a decoration plan. One or two of you design the artwork and write an artist's statement. One of you make a 5-minute video to introduce your investigation, design and artwork to the public.
Audience: Your artworks will be exhibited at Lanya campus for all students and teachers here. Your videos will be published on YouTube and included into secondary school blog for sharing with any Kuei Shan stakeholders.
Situation: Consider ATL of the unit "Create original works and ideas; use existing works and ideas in new ways" and brainstorm how geometry (as an old discipline) can be combined with installation art before your design. During your investigation, think about how sustainability can play a role to extend the life expectancy of your artworks.
Product: (1) a group artwork (with clear demonstration of your understanding of geometry, the artist statement and the service-as-action statement) and (2) a 5-minute video.
During the preparation process, students were given 4 checking points to brainstorm and receive feedback from the instruction, Miss Lai. Students were welcome to explore any online design softwares, handicraft skills, as well as video-filming and editing tools. While some groups preferred hand-drawing/making their products, some chose Desmos or Python to explore the technological application in mathematical learning. Staying flexible turned out the key to welcome their creativity :)
Here comes some brilliant works:
This group brings their environmental awareness, information about extinct animals in Taiwan, geometric art skills together for this delicately designed video. Through the engaging visuals, well-balanced textual representation and articulate voiceover, you would appreciate how precious these creatures are.
This group highlights inquiry-based learning skills, various perspectives of looking, and their growing knowledge in geometric terms through the video. The simplicity and harmony of font choice, music, and voiceover showcase their crystal-clear planning.
The girls in this group are experts in visual arts, idea organization, mathematical knowledge and storytelling. You would enjoy their careful guidance to appreciating hidden geometric patterns in a functional artwork and the melodic voiceover.
There is nothing more delightful than hearing a group of students expressing their desire to “explore things on their own,” rather than following the textbook directions all the time. This group demonstrates their mastery of transferable skills via Desmos application, their well-rounded understanding of Kuei Shan Campus and a subtle sense of humor.