Tuning into Measuring Length Unit

To help us get tuned into our new unit on measuring length and to help us further explore how mathematical thinking is about creativity, we watched the YouTube version of the book: How big is a foot?

 The story tells of a carpenter needing to build a bed for the Queen,but makes the bed too small because the King's foot is larger than his which he used for the measurements. 

At the part of the story where the apprentice carpenter was sent to jail and was thinking about the problem we discussed what had happened and why.  It helped us to understand the need for accurate and formal units of measurement. Some of us wondered what happened before we had formal units of measurement and we discussed our theories. 

We then thought of creative ways the carpenter could rectify the problem. 

We talked about using other people's creative ideas to help us expand upon them as a creative strategy. To allow for this type of thinking, groups of 4 drew their creative ideas on the same paper so that the group members could be inspired by others. (see below)

We then shared our creative ideas and then as a group, wrote a reflection on what this activity helped us to understand about mathematical thinking in the centre. 

We then reflected together and some of the following wonderings emerged:

° Do all mathematicians believe maths is creativity?

° Why don't maths text books encourage students to think creatively?

° Can you still be successful in maths if you find being creative difficult?

° What do people who are blind do to visualise mathematical thinking?

° What discoveries really needed creativity to be discovered?

Such rich and deep questions and the theories answering them were profound and equally rich.