Math Art - Individual Response

The origami art we chose appeared to be a very complex structure, which I feared that we would not be able to recreate. However, it turns out to be manageable, with the expertise of Minami of course. The process showed very interesting relations in geometry concepts during origami steps. It required some specific angles and edge alignment to manipulate an initial square piece into the piece we need, and some valleys folded for marking purposes also demonstrated the concept of assistive assumptions used during geometric proofs. Learning these relations through origami art is a new experience for me, and it opened opportunities to maybe help others learn math concepts through origami.

Overall I find origami to be a value tool for teaching geometry and problem solving. The process natually encompasses the divide and conquer technique in problem solving, its hands-on process makes it memorable to people through repeatedly working on same pieces, and it is a great activity to teach teamwork and responsibility. Then the result shows complexity, so it brings sense of accomplishment to the individual or groups finished it. Last but not least, it is cheap and simple enough to be implemented in all levels of education, with adjusted difficulties all grade levels can benefit from origami projects.