(I try to include information in the title about which class, if any, this post is related to. Also, if it is at all related to a specific ED504 assignment. Sorry that this title is so jammed full of meta-data)
Hierarchy of Hexagons
When I first read the blog post, I didn't like it. Why would you call a hexagon made up of only right angles "Bob"? That doesn't make sense. What does "Bob" have to do with math? Then, I started thinking about rhombi. Yes, that is the plural of a rhombus. For a freshman in geometry class, is the word "Bob" or "rhombus" more familiar? Does either of them really communicate any information? It really depends on the student's prior knowledge. If a student has a heard of a rhombus before, then they can benefit from the image in their head and the definition that they might remember. Not all students have that.
So, the more I read, the more I liked the Hierarchy of Hexagons activity. It gets students thinking about how to create definitions of their own, how to recognize patterns and how to classify different objects. That's math. That's geometry. That's topology. That's cool. Even if calling a shape "Stacy", seems silly, I shouldn't be too critical. After all, I named my first car "Stacy" and my current auto is affectionately named "Hailey". Speaking of her, I need to go vacuum her before it starts raining.
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