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Observer's
Notes

First Projects

When students started to work on projects, the two boys rushed to work on the computer. One in particular came up with a construction that really let him use the power of the computer to explore the design space of symmerty in two mirrors. Two girls started working more slowly, but quite productively. The other three girls seemed to have more difficulty. They chose to work in other media (mostly colored pencils) and seemed to mostly be sketching aimlessly. One girl quickly produced a schoolish exercise in response to the problem and then seemed bored. My sense is that in many ways the traditional media were not as provocative an environment as the computer (although folding and cutting might work better than drawing), it was good to have them available, so students did not feel forced onto the computers.


 



Design with mirrors

The energy level began to fade toward the end of the first project session, and some of the usual issues of students finishing at different times made for a somewhat abrput and arbitrary ending as I called the gourp back together for gallery time. Same problems of students being reluctant to speak, but little difficulty in bringing out the idea of "focus" in the various pieces.

I thought that the escher pieces were not as successful as I had expected in showing mirror symmetry. I think it was a mistake not to include an obvious and interesting example that WAS prefectly symmetric. Also, the idea of "playing with symmetry" seemed lost on the students. The Escher sphere picture did communicate the idea of focus quite nicely.

Lunch was fine--a little more formal than at the last workshop, and a little less comfortable, especially for me. These students seemed more reserved--as if they were better at playing the school game and less willing to abandon their vision of me as a teacher. I think that in the first workshop my contact with at least some of the students over a period of time (months) before the workshop helped break down some of these barriers. But I also think that these students were just more savvy and cynical in some ways.