Eco-Mathematics Education Nataly Chesky and Jack Milgram - 9789004466807 Downloaded from Brill.com02/22/2022 12:00:38AM via free access Brill Guides to Scholarship in Education Series Editors William M Reynolds (Georgia Southern University, USA) Brad Porfilio (Seattle University, USA) Editorial Board Donna Alvermann (University of Georgia, USA) Antonia Darder (Loyola Marymount University, USA) Petar Jandrić (Tehničko veleučilište u Zagrebu, Croatia) Lagarrett J King (University of Missouri, USA) Sherell McArthur (University of Georgia, USA) William F Pinar (University of British Columbia, Canada) Pauline Sameshima (Lakehead University, Canada) Christine Sleeter (California State University Monterey Bay, USA) volume The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/bgse Nataly Chesky and Jack Milgram - 9789004466807 Downloaded from Brill.com02/22/2022 12:00:38AM via free access Eco-Mathematics Education K-8 Lesson Plans for Ecological and Social Change By Nataly Chesky and Jack Milgram leiden | boston Nataly Chesky and Jack Milgram - 9789004466807 Downloaded from Brill.com02/22/2022 12:00:38AM via free access Cover illustration: Artwork by Trevor Grassi All chapters in this book have undergone peer review The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available online at https://catalog.loc.gov Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill” See and download: brill.com/brill-typeface issn 2590-1958 isbn 978-90-04-46678-4 (paperback) isbn 978-90-04-46679-1 (hardback) isbn 978-90-04-46680-7 (e-book) Copyright 2022 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Hotei, Brill Schöningh, Brill Fink, Brill mentis, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Böhlau Verlag and V&R Unipress All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher Requests for re-use and/or translations must be addressed to Koninklijke Brill NV via brill.com or copyright.com This book is printed on acid-free paper and produced in a sustainable manner Nataly Chesky and Jack Milgram - 9789004466807 Downloaded from Brill.com02/22/2022 12:00:38AM via free access Contents About the Authors vii Introduction 1 Integrating Nature and Mathematics 4 The Art of Mathematics 6 EcoJustice Mathematics Education 9 Organization and Outline 16 Nature’s Growth Pattern 21 Background for Educators 21 Introductory Lesson Plan 1 23 Introductory Lesson Plan 2 30 Advanced Lesson Plan 37 Nature’s Balancing Act 44 Background for Educators 44 Introductory Lesson Plan 46 Advanced Lesson Plan 51 Nature’s Monstrous Shapes 58 Background for Educators 58 Developing Lesson Plan 61 Advanced Lesson Plan 68 Nature’s Circles 74 Background for Educators 74 Advanced Lesson Plan 1 76 Advanced Lesson Plan 2 83 Advanced Lesson Plan 3 88 Nature’s Networks 95 Background for Educators 95 Introductory Lesson Plan 97 Developing Lesson Plan 103 Nataly Chesky and Jack Milgram - 9789004466807 Downloaded from Brill.com02/22/2022 12:00:38AM via free access vi Contents Nature’s Curves 109 Background for Educators 109 Advanced Lesson Plan 1 111 Advanced Lesson Plan 2 116 Nature’s Creatures 121 Background for Educators 121 Developing Lesson Plan 123 Advanced Lesson Plan 129 Nature’s Symmetry 135 Background for Educators 135 Introductory Lesson Plan 137 Developing Lesson Plan 141 Nature’s Numbers 146 Background for Educators 146 Developing Lesson Plan 148 Advanced Lesson Plan 154 Conclusion 162 A Pedagogical Reflection 162 A Utopian Vision 166 Appendix: Alignment to Standards 171 References 184 Index 193 Nataly Chesky and Jack Milgram - 9789004466807 Downloaded from Brill.com02/22/2022 12:00:38AM via free access About the Authors Nataly Chesky is an Associative Professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz She has authored two books, many peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and presented in local, national, and international conferences Dr Chesky’s area of specialization is the intersection of critical analysis of STEM policies, ecojustice education, and philosophy of mathematics and mathematics education Her research interests focus primarily on the way in which mathematics is entwined with society at large, particularly in relation to social justice and ecological issues Her other interests are understanding how the philosophical assumptions about the nature of mathematics influences pedagogical and curricula choices Prior to coming to SUNY New Paltz, Dr Chesky taught at Bergen Community College and was a graduate research assistant at Montclair University, where she completed her doctoral studies Her dissertation work analyzed the philosophical assumptions embedded in STEM education policies Her public education teaching career began in 2001 in a middle school just outside New York City, where she taught mathematics and writing It was there where she first experienced the challenges and triumphs students face learning mathematics and the vital role politics, culture, society, and ecology play in shaping a child’s view of mathematics, themselves, and the world at large Jack Milgram is an elementary school teacher in upstate New York He graduated from the State University of New Paltz where he received his bachelor’s degree in Environmental/Organismal Biology and his masters degree in Childhood Education grades 1–6 As an elementary education teacher, he hopes to incorporate these studies in shedding a new light towards the youth of today to be reconnected with their natural environment Milgram strives to bring aesthetically engaging new approaches to look at mathematics beyond just numbers and equations, but rather look at it as a building block and integral component of understanding the world around us The lesson plans and formatting of the book are designed to rekindle that spark of learning through new approaches and more applicable instruction that will reach a wider range of students with diverse alternative ways of comprehending mathematics and learning Milgram aims to this by providing engaging inquiry based instruction with lessons that range in complexity to suit the correlating intellectual imagination of students, where students are engaged in artistic discovery, reimagining mathematics, and providing introspective appreciation to the intrinsic beauty and mystery of our natural environment Nataly Chesky and Jack Milgram - 9789004466807 Downloaded from Brill.com02/22/2022 12:00:38AM via free access Nataly Chesky and Jack Milgram - 9789004466807 Downloaded from Brill.com02/22/2022 12:00:38AM via free access