aesthetic computing? hmm.

[jrtom]

http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=art_1577&issue=jul_06#

I'm all for giving people ways to approach math that aren't dull as ditchwater: games, applications, story problems, visualizations, you name it. And perhaps it's simply the case that the example used in this article is kind of dumbass. But I don't really particularly see the value in taking the slope-intercept form of a line and reinterpreting it as a hamburger recipe:

Aesthetic computing attempts to reach those frustrated by traditional math instruction by presenting abstract mathematical concepts in a more creative and personal way. Students break down difficult mathematical concepts, such as algebraic equations, into their basic parts, figure out how those parts relate to one another, then recreate the equation creatively. For example, a standard equation for graphing lines on a slope such as y = mx + b might become a hamburger, with y representing the whole burger, m referring to the meat, and x standing in for spices. Multiplication is indicated by the fact that the meat and spices are mixed together, and b is added to represent hamburger buns.

Students then write a story about the burger or draw a picture of it. (See "Five Easy Steps to Aesthetic Computing," in the sidebar below) Not only does the process enable students to understand the equation in a more meaningful way, the art and stories they create can later guide and inspire them when they need to solve the same equations using standard notation later on.

So I'm with them up to the "creative" recreation of the equation. I can imagine this being an interesting way of constructing a jumping-off point for the creation of art, but I don't see how the recreation, in this case at least, will help them do anything but remember that such an equation exists. In the case of this formula, I'm guessing that's not the usual problem.

If anyone sees more to this than I have, I'd be curious to know your reactions.

Comments

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I don't think the mnemonic is desiged as an existence reminder, but as a reminder of the form of the equation. Take another mnemonic device, that for remembering the spectral classes of stars, "Oh Be A Fine Girl/Guy, Kiss Me". A student who remembers OBAFGKM will not jump to the fact that stars have classes if they cannot remember the fact that stars have classes in the first place. But a student who remembers that stars have classes will use that trick to remember the order.

Similarly, SOHCAHTOA isn't an existence proof for sine and cosine, but will help the student use them.

In the case of "a hamburger is meat mixed with spices inside a bun," that device won't let a student know that there's such a thing as a slope and intercept in the equation of a line if they can't remember that those terms exist, but they will help the student remember the form of the equation.