Sept 19: Exit Slip

During our class on the 19th, we attempted to match paint swatches to different elements of nature. While we were supposed to explore near our sit spots, I found myself venturing away. This activity tested my tendencies to strive for perfection. I was often frustrated when the colour picked would fail to match the elements in the garden. To tackle this issue, I found it beneficial to move to different colours instead of being fixated on finding one. Ultimately, I was able to match three colours to various natural objects. This activity left me with questions on how this activity would work for individuals with disabilities, such as colour blindness. Furthermore, I wondered how this related to teaching math in a classroom.

The lessons of perfectionism may relate to how students often do activities within classrooms. For example, students tend to finish one question before moving on to the next task despite being stuck and frustrated. This is also common in test-taking. Thus, this activity allows them to reflect on their perfection tendencies and develop strategies for tackling abstract tasks. During our class discussion, Maddison also mentioned a Western need to quantify elements of nature. This was a concept I had never realized. Consequently, it inspires me to research ways to integrate other perspectives of analyzing nature, such as qualitatively.