Projects

Making Math

We are working to rethink how math is taught by using 3D printers, open source CAD and other tools to make concepts concrete. In particular, we have three books from Make: that use that approach. All three books have open-source 3D printable model repositories. Contact us if you would like us to do a teacher-training with your staff!

Make: Geometry is for anyone learning geometry, or perhaps for those of you who learned geometry a long time ago and are trying to repress painful memories. In the book, we get at both the practicality of geometry, without losing the puzzle-solving and the aesthetics that also make it joyful to learn. 

Make: Calculus Many makers are self-taught and avoid powerful math tools that might let them take creations to the next level. When Isaac Newton developed calculus in the 1600s, he was trying to tie together math and physics in an intuitive, geometrical way. But over time math and physics teaching became heavily weighted toward algebra, and less toward geometrical problem-solving. However, many practicing mathematicians and physicists will get their intuition geometrically first and do the algebra later. We want to let people get to that point directly without passing through (much) algebra, particularly people who learn best by making something. These ideas were first explored in this project. 

Make:Trigonometry is a bridge between the other two books, covering many practical ideas that helped take geometry into spheres like navigation and surveying, laying the groundwork for calculus. 

Online lesson plans

We have been honored to be a part of two grant-supported projects developing curriculum and teaching techniques using hands-on learning.  Each one has associated freely-available materials.

Geometry for Teachers of the Visually Impaired We developed lesson plans, a Teacher’s Guide, and an open-source repository of 3D printable models aimed at teachers of blind and visually-impaired learners. These cover various topics in geometry at the middle- and high-school level. Topics in the lesson plans are also covered in more depth in our books Make:Geometry and Make:Trigonometry. This grew out of an earlier project exploring teaching math to the visually impaired. 

Designing Role Play Props with Micro:bit Small microprocessors with built-in sensors, like the BBC Micro:bit and Adafruit Circuit Playground, lend themselves to creating interactive projects. Although many students will enjoy wiring and coding with electronics for its own sake, others who might not be drawn to these directly might be intrigued by the possibility for enhanced role-playing with these devices. This scaffolded series of three lesson plans describes creation of electronic role-playing accessories based on BBC Micro:bit processors and other components. This series of three scaffolded lesson plans was inspired by the NSF-supported Anywear Academy project managed by University of California, Santa Cruz, who have a lot more material available at the linked site. 

Other projects

Rich develops a number of other 3D printing and software projects that can be found on GitHub. Some older projects are also on Thingiverse.