Idyllwild Arts Academy: Innovations in Teaching Math and the Arts from a Collaborative Approach
Idyllwild Arts Academy, a pre-professional, college-preparatory boarding school in the San Jacinto Mountains uses an innovative approach to teaching math to art students.
Idyllwild, CA, November 28, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Idyllwild Arts Academy offers a pre-professional arts and college preparatory academics high school program for grades 9-12 using innovative teaching techniques to teach advanced math topics to its students.
The question is often raised, “Why should an art student study math?” Apart from the obvious, (because they have to), math strengthens knowledge, creates a framework for critical thinking and deepens the awareness of virtually every aspect of life. Idyllwild Arts Academy is dedicated to providing students with a foundation of arts and academic training that enables them to excel in the fields that have captured their passions: dance, visual arts, music, writing, fashion design and theater. What some might find surprising is the strong relationship between the arts and the study of mathematics.
Math department faculty member and former department chair Gary Gray offered a simple definition of mathematics, “In the simplest terms, math is defined as ‘the ability to see and find patterns.’ By exploring math concepts, our students are able to explore and change their perceptions and expressions of nearly everything they do. Math provides the opportunity for developing deeper creative thought, greater perspective and a more sophisticated way of experiencing the arts. Extend this to the Arts. If you look at each dance movement, each stroke of the pen or brush, each line of poetry, or sheet music, all contain patterns made up of simple elements that culminate in an elegant, ordered expression of thought and concept. All of these things are math.”
At Idyllwild Arts Academy, rigorous training in the arts is supported by college-preparatory academics which includes the offering of college-level mathematics courses. A case in point is Gray’s “Advanced Math Topics,” an elective course for seniors who wish to continue their studies of math beyond the courses required for graduation. The course encourages students to transform and expand how they think and evaluate complex issues. Gray commented, “In this class, students are guided toward discovery through a variety of modalities. They use active problem solving, readings, group study, written papers, and special projects as part of the curriculum. It’s this holistic approach to math, not just rote memorization of formulas, that leads them to a much deeper understanding of math, and helps guide them to a deeper understanding of their artistic passions.”
Gray recently introduced the notion of “looking at simple things deeply”, an oft-repeated credo throughout many college math departments which posits that by breaking a complex problem into smaller pieces, it becomes simplified as patterns and similarities begin to emerge. Through the provocation of creative thought, new ideas and solutions can be applied to the problem at hand.
To demonstrate this idea, Gray presented Leonhard Euler’s classic graphing theory problem, “Seven Bridges of Konigsburg” during a recent session. Students were presented with a map and challenged with the task of tracing a path that crossed all seven bridges once without retracing any section. After the initial attempts were unsuccessful, Gray suggested that by simplifying the data a solution could be found, “I offered the suggestion that by changing the map from a topological view to a geometric view, it would be easier to apply what they already knew about geometry to solve the problem. They haven’t reached a solution yet—that’s for next class period.”
Gray, in summary says, “This collaborative, experiential learning approach is the result of more than 20 years of development with my former colleague, the late Jerry McCampbell. What we came up with is a program that provides our students with the ability to think in an observational, critical and collaborative manner. Whether or not they choose to pursue advanced math, our graduates are well-prepared for their educational and professional pursuits in ways that no other program can offer.”
Idyllwild Arts Academy is a fully-accredited, college-preparatory academics and pre-professional arts training boarding school that hosts approximately 300 students from the United States and around the world. Idyllwild Arts Academy is located at 52500 Temecula Drive, Idyllwild, CA 92549.
The Idyllwild Arts Foundation, which supports the Academy, was founded in 1946 by Dr. Max Krone and his wife, Beatrice, to fulfill their dream of “creating a remote place where people of all backgrounds could come together to experience the arts”.
For more information about Idyllwild Arts Academy or its Summer Arts Program, call 951.659.2171 or visit the website at www.idyllwildarts.org.
The question is often raised, “Why should an art student study math?” Apart from the obvious, (because they have to), math strengthens knowledge, creates a framework for critical thinking and deepens the awareness of virtually every aspect of life. Idyllwild Arts Academy is dedicated to providing students with a foundation of arts and academic training that enables them to excel in the fields that have captured their passions: dance, visual arts, music, writing, fashion design and theater. What some might find surprising is the strong relationship between the arts and the study of mathematics.
Math department faculty member and former department chair Gary Gray offered a simple definition of mathematics, “In the simplest terms, math is defined as ‘the ability to see and find patterns.’ By exploring math concepts, our students are able to explore and change their perceptions and expressions of nearly everything they do. Math provides the opportunity for developing deeper creative thought, greater perspective and a more sophisticated way of experiencing the arts. Extend this to the Arts. If you look at each dance movement, each stroke of the pen or brush, each line of poetry, or sheet music, all contain patterns made up of simple elements that culminate in an elegant, ordered expression of thought and concept. All of these things are math.”
At Idyllwild Arts Academy, rigorous training in the arts is supported by college-preparatory academics which includes the offering of college-level mathematics courses. A case in point is Gray’s “Advanced Math Topics,” an elective course for seniors who wish to continue their studies of math beyond the courses required for graduation. The course encourages students to transform and expand how they think and evaluate complex issues. Gray commented, “In this class, students are guided toward discovery through a variety of modalities. They use active problem solving, readings, group study, written papers, and special projects as part of the curriculum. It’s this holistic approach to math, not just rote memorization of formulas, that leads them to a much deeper understanding of math, and helps guide them to a deeper understanding of their artistic passions.”
Gray recently introduced the notion of “looking at simple things deeply”, an oft-repeated credo throughout many college math departments which posits that by breaking a complex problem into smaller pieces, it becomes simplified as patterns and similarities begin to emerge. Through the provocation of creative thought, new ideas and solutions can be applied to the problem at hand.
To demonstrate this idea, Gray presented Leonhard Euler’s classic graphing theory problem, “Seven Bridges of Konigsburg” during a recent session. Students were presented with a map and challenged with the task of tracing a path that crossed all seven bridges once without retracing any section. After the initial attempts were unsuccessful, Gray suggested that by simplifying the data a solution could be found, “I offered the suggestion that by changing the map from a topological view to a geometric view, it would be easier to apply what they already knew about geometry to solve the problem. They haven’t reached a solution yet—that’s for next class period.”
Gray, in summary says, “This collaborative, experiential learning approach is the result of more than 20 years of development with my former colleague, the late Jerry McCampbell. What we came up with is a program that provides our students with the ability to think in an observational, critical and collaborative manner. Whether or not they choose to pursue advanced math, our graduates are well-prepared for their educational and professional pursuits in ways that no other program can offer.”
Idyllwild Arts Academy is a fully-accredited, college-preparatory academics and pre-professional arts training boarding school that hosts approximately 300 students from the United States and around the world. Idyllwild Arts Academy is located at 52500 Temecula Drive, Idyllwild, CA 92549.
The Idyllwild Arts Foundation, which supports the Academy, was founded in 1946 by Dr. Max Krone and his wife, Beatrice, to fulfill their dream of “creating a remote place where people of all backgrounds could come together to experience the arts”.
For more information about Idyllwild Arts Academy or its Summer Arts Program, call 951.659.2171 or visit the website at www.idyllwildarts.org.
Contact
Idyllwild Arts Academy
Julia Countryman
951-659-2171 x2311
www.idyllwildarts.org
Julia Countryman
951-659-2171 x2311
www.idyllwildarts.org
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