Abstract:

In this paper we describe some innovative teaching experiences that aim to bring mathematics inside different museum settings in a STEAM logic.

The idea is to design short thematic tours focusing on specific artworks or themes, followed by hands-on activities and educational games that allow students to interact with the exhibits in a more tactile and engaging way and, at the same time, review math curricular topics placed in an unusual context.

It is well known that one of the causes of failure in mathematics is a negative attitude toward the discipline, which depends mainly on emotional disposition, view of the subject and perceived competence. The proposal of playful educational activities in a museum setting makes it possible to work on emotional aspects, improving self-esteem, enhancing students' perception of the subject and encouraging them to be active even in more traditional teaching situations.

In addition to the benefits for students, incorporating these kinds of educational game experiences within a guided tour can also have several benefits for the museum itself, as this can help the museum build partnerships with schools and other institutions while promoting the importance of art and culture education.

In this paper we focus on two different museum settings: a botanical garden, where we proposed outdoor activities based on science and math and an art museum, where we make students interact with the exhibits in a more tactile and engaging way.

Regarding the first experience, we worked in the Botanical Garden of Città Studi of Milan, where we proposed different guided tours, tailored to the age and interests of the school group and followed by hands-on activities. In particular, we developed a didactical game connecting the flowering periods of plants with math activities on equivalent fractions, proportions and percentages, and we proposed an origami workshop starting from the observation of the greenhouses in the botanical garden and their use for research and conservation of plants to introduce students to 3D geometry, the concept of scale and problem solving activities for the design of new greenhouses.

The second experience was proposed in the Tadini House Museum Space of Milan and started from the guided tour of the museum. Instead of a general visit, we chose to focus on some paintings and some sculptures that allow mathematics and art to come together in a workshop inspired by the works of Emilio Tadini and his visionary perspectives of the city. In particular, we produced a game board placing some origami elements on a reproduction of a Tadini painting and we used it to propose a game about the four operations for children of primary school, who had the opportunity to play in the room where the original painting is on display. Moreover, starting from the 3D sculptures that need to be watched from multiple points of view to be savored, we made a 3D version of the “skyscrapers game”, making it more accessible to primary school children.

Both the experiences have been tested with different school groups and the results have been very satisfactory. Students participated in the activities and enjoyed the visit, while teachers came up with new ways to engage their students in math learning.

Keywords:

Math learning, museum, outdoor activities.