Skip to main content

Medievil Math Problem

This will just be a short post today...just some thoughts on a multidisciplinary problem.

I am in Edinburgh, Scotland currently...here for the Learning without Frontiers conference in Olympia,UK next week and taking the opportunity to explore prior to the conference. Walked around the city today, which is so beautiful, especially the view from the castle. Just taking in the gorgeous scenery and getting a feel for the incredible history that is here. Quite amazing.

As I climbed the hill to the castle, I couldn't help but be awestruck as I looked up the cliff at the intricate stone wall, built right on the edge of these steep rocks. The natural question is, how the heck did they do this so many hundreds of years ago, especially without the convenience of the modern day construction tools? It's really just mind boggling to think of the sheer man power, time, and mathematics that went into constructing this castle. Yes, even on vacation, I have to think about the math!

So... For those math teachers out there, struggling to find some real world math problems to engage your students, head to the castles! A great interdisciplinary activity in fact....history, math, physics, english. How did they do it? How many years? How many stones and what tools did they use? Where did the tools and supplies come from? What were the reasons behind the design? If we were to build the castle today using modern tools, how long would it take? There are so many questions that could lead to not only learning in multiple content areas, but could also incorporate the use of technology in a variety of ways, such as research or virtual tours.

Just some thoughts as I close the day here in Scotland and get ready for another adventure tomorrow.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Implementation Dip - It's Not Just Test Scores, It's Any Change

I read this article yesterday by Andrew Ujifusa entitled New Tests Put States on Hot Seat as Scores Plunge . Basically, states that have implemented new standardized tests to address revised academic standards, such as the Common Core State Standards, have seen a drop in student scores, so panic has ensued. What I want to know is: has no one ever heard about the implementation dip? Whenever you try to implement something new, there is going to be a period of adjustment, scores will go down if we are talking tests, classroom behaviors will change and achievement will go down if new teaching strategies are being implemented - in short, any time you try something new, it is NOT going to go exactly as planned!  Mistakes will happen, things will be bad before they get better - it's part of the whole change process.  Which is why we need to be implementing changes slowly, early, and over time so that things that go wrong can be adjusted. Image from images.google.com What is th

Social Media's Impact on Personal Life - Personal Reflections

The question - does social media impact personal life? The answer - yes.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing? The answer - it depends. I have been on vacation the past week or so and am currently on personal leave to finish writing my dissertation proposal (which, as you can see, I am procrastinating!) During my vacation, I swore I would take a break from blogging, Twitter, email, and all things electronic. I lied. I admit - I did honestly make the attempt and in fact, did not turn on my computer one time.  However, the iPad is a constant companion, especially since the books I am reading (currently, the Game of Thrones series) are on there, so I had the iPad with me a lot - even on the beach.  It was very easy to check if I had emails, to check out my Facebook or to send a Twitter or two.  Long story short, I failed miserably at the disconnecting aspect. View from chair and under canopy! Which brings me back to the question of does social media impact personal life? The o

Lecture, Direct-Instruction or Talk - There's the Confusion!

In yesterday's weekly #edchat Twitter collaboration the discussion focused on the flipped classroom, where, naturally, there was quite a bit of debate around the idea of video lectures. What became apparent was the many different interpretations of the term 'lecture'. This came to the forefront for me when I offered up the idea of TED Talks as one option for learning rather than a teacher's video lecture, and someone said "TED talks are just lectures, so how is that better?" This stumped me as I have never thought of a TED talk as a lecture, which is funny, because now, forced to think about it, I guess they could be construed as lectures, depending on your definition. Which of course has led me to this post!  Obviously, my perception of a lecture is not the same as others. What is MY definition of a lecture? Perhaps it's my many years of being both a student and a teacher, but for me a 'lecture' has rather negative connotations, as I envisio