Start to Focus Students’ “Mathematical Lens” with the Math Cam Template!

The Math Cam template encourages students to start looking at the world through a mathematical lens. Every day, we encounter mathematical curiosities that are so easily dismissed, yet have great potential to bring real-world problem solving into our mathematics classrooms. Our students have never been better equipped with technological tools to record these moments. Taking a picture and filming a brief video clip are occurrences that happen daily as cell phones and other hand-held devices serve as cameras too.

Start to focus that “mathematical lens” in your students by providing them with a sample project, such as the one included in this document. Students are guided through a 5-step problem-solving process with a digital photo as the "subject" of the problem. Students formulate their own questions and follow through the problem-solving process to find a solution. Perhaps students can try the other 3 sample photos included in this document for inspiration as well. The hope is for students to be on the lookout for mathematical curiosities worthy of sharing and exploring, so that they are the ones providing the images (blank template is included for this).

Besides capturing still-shots, encourage students to also use video as a means to record things they encounter in everyday life that would be worth exploring. Perhaps a student can use a still-shot from a video clip as the featured image on this template, but show the video clip in its entirety to the class for consideration. The template is very versatile – this could be used as an individual project or a problem to pose to an entire class. The purpose is to get students motivated about problem solving, to guide them through the process, and to find and capture mathematical moments in their everyday lives. Enjoy!