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Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1462098
development at a young age, and this exhibit can help with such growth," Keirn suggests. "All the stations I experienced had [their] own way of helping with this progress and could easily be transitioned into the classroom setting. One station uses weights and fulcrums, which could easily be reproduced in a science or math classroom. Several stations used shadows to help understand ratios, proportions and scale factor, which could be easily done in the classroom. Another station used blocks to help understand proportions and scale factor, which helps an educator demonstrate how proportions can be viewed in a geometry classroom, too. "One of my favorite stations was trying to replicate specific graphs based on your movement. Trying to replicate these graphs while also understanding the correlation between distance and time could also be translated into a classroom setting with the right materials," Keirn adds. The exhibit could aid in helping both children and parents to better understand math concepts, especially since the methods of teaching math have shifted over the last decade, changes compounded by distance learning. "As a former teacher, I understand the struggle parents face in supporting their children in learning math, especially as more of the responsibility fell upon them as remote learning became the norm," Stolt says. "As math instruction moved from rote learning and memorization to a more flexible process with numerous options for finding solutions, everything about math appeared different for parents. "The process of following specific steps to the correct answer was replaced by multiple ways to approach solving a problem," he goes on. "Multiple approaches to what is (for parents) a simple solution can be frustrating, but leads kids to question, test, try, and discover how numbers, fractions, ratio and proportion are connected. This ultimately provides for greater understanding of math. When kids and parents experience the exhibits in 'Math Moves!' together, they begin to see how math is not a collection of memorized processes, but a connected set of disciplines that help make sense of the world." "Math can have a negative connotation with so many people, which I feel has compounded the struggle for parents since most of them would agree that they never experienced math in a different and meaningful setting," Keirn agrees. "This exhibit provides parents such an opportunity for their kids, which then allows parents to have those meaningful conversations with their kids about math. The hands-on activities allow kids to have fun, make mistakes, and try something different in hopes to also see how math moves all around us like in the music we listen to, the shadows we cast, the blocks we play with, and science we see every day that makes the world go round. "As a math teacher, it's always my hope that students see the importance of math and use it to create a brighter future, and this exhibit can do just that by introducing math in a fun and meaningful way for both kids and their parents." The exhibit will be part of the Amazeum indefinitely and is presented in English and Spanish. Access to "Math Moves!" is included in daily admission to the Amazeum. www.malco.com www.malco.com www.malco.com www.malco.com www.malco.com 6 WHAT'S UP! MARCH 20-26, 2022 BENTONVILLE FYI Be A Maker! The Scott Family Amazeum seeks makers and artists to work with the Amazeum staff during 2022. Makers in Residence collaborate with the museum's creative and educa- tion teams to develop unique interactive experiences for the community. Makers and artists interested in residency or ready to apply can find more information at amazeum.org/makers/mrez. "Sensing Ratios" allows users to listen, watch and feel what happens when you move the knobs along the fretted strips. (Courtesy Photo) "… When a child plays with an exhibit that scales to a grid, they hear, see and physically make proportions and begin to understand the relationship between sizes, parts and wholes," says Paul Stolt, marketing manager for Scott Family Amazeum. This exhibit, "Half, Whole, Double," invites children to use their bodies and shadows to express sizes by moving themselves further and closer away from a light source. (Courtesy Photo) Amazeum Continued From Page 5