Exploring the Math and Art Connection

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Jarvis, who has co-authored a teacher resource text, with Dr. Irene Naested, of Mount Royal University, exploring the connections between math and visual art through more than 100 rich learning experiences. The connection between math and art is as ancient as the disciplines themselves. Mathematicians-philosophers in ancient Greece, such as Plato, studied the golden proportion while artists and architects applied the concept in their work. But the majority of students today are unfamiliar with the intimate link between the two subjects, which have often been segregated and taught separately in most schools.

Jarvis and Naested highlight the natural association between math and art in a series of practical ideas for the classroom because when students understand the math/art connection, their understanding and confidence increase in both subjects.

Through innovative teaching strategies and more than 100 rich learning experiences, the authors give teachers a wealth of engaging tools to explore the math/art connection with their own students. This connection is established through examinations of natural and human-designed objects, from how pinecone scales spiral out in a Fibonacci sequence to how geometric shapes combine in architecture to form some of the most beautiful structures on the planet.

The book contains 32 pages of colour images, glossaries of key math and art terms, a list of related print/digital resources, and sample integrated projects.

Brush Education: http://www.brusheducation.ca/book_details.cfm?bid=284