Ding-ay Tadena Teaches Math Through Art
Ding-ay Tadena is often asked, “Is this a math or an art class?” The teacher at Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California, makes math colorful and beautiful, and her classroom has come alive as a result.
Four years ago Tadena was teaching math at Hawthorne High School and came to the realization that her creative, visual, artistic, and curious students, who appreciate hearing metaphors and seeing associations when learning, would benefit from new teaching strategies.
After examining the best education practices for teaching geometry to her visual and performing arts students, Tadena realized that instead of changing the way her students learn, she herself could adapt and change her way of viewing mathematics in the world and how she taught it.
Tadena familiarized herself with works of art by Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky, and began to see geometry in not only art, but everywhere she looked. She focused on developing teaching strategies that connected traditional left-brain and right-brain skills.
Tadena’s “Geometry Meets Fashion” curriculum is now in its fourth year.
By learning geometry through Picasso, her students use their knowledge of the undefined terms in geometry to divide a plane into different regions and then use it as their canvas to create a piece that is inspired by Picasso’s art.
Using a compass and a straight edge, students construct quadrilaterals to validate their prior knowledge through their definitions, and create Kandinsky inspired art. Constructing with an index card and pencil, they prove the length of the longest side of an isosceles right triangle, look for numeric patterns, and create even more art.
She continued to adapt the curriculum to applied arts, where the students learned geometry through origami, and also used their knowledge of how to copy a segment, and construct perpendicular bisector and angle bisectors, to the design of textiles for a Kandinsky inspired backpack. They applied their understanding of reflection and symmetry to design a collection of sunglasses. Utilizing familiar and relatable fashion references, she teaches geometry to her students.
Her curriculum has grown to encompass skills to design functional fashion from recyclable materials, and even origami. The students demonstrate their current knowledge of geometry in the course and use their understanding of mathematics to not only apply precision, pattern, measurement, and attention to detail to their apparel and accessories, but they also learn how to work collaboratively as a team to produce a fashion show.
Her students have found their place through project-based learning—they started a Young Fashion Designers Club, participate in Los Angeles area fashion shows, partner with various organizations, and they’ve even been featured in the news.
Through her 2017 first place grant award in Voya Financial’s Unsung Heroes program, Tadena was able to provide students with materials and resources to further grow the innovative curriculum of “Geometry Meets Fashion,” ensuring its continued success for years to come.
Combining higher engagement with rigorous academics, the project-based learning has led to greater retention and student achievement.
Tadena has over 13 years experience teaching mathematics in Centinela Valley Union High School District, first at Hawthorne High School and now at Leuzinger High School.
FIDM had the pleasure of speaking with Tadena when she visited FIDM Los Angeles for a group campus tour and workshops including an Innovative Textiles presentation, with educators from her school district.
