Sometime last year I discovered the Danish concept of 'Hygge'.
Unfortunately, there really is no English word that can do it justice, so for now I will describe it as a theory of content and happiness (which in Canada we may refer to as absolute coziness). It is warm reading socks, a cup of tea and the perfect book, next to a crackling fire and snow flakes dancing beyond the window. It is a concept that, like Canadians, helps Danes maintain their sanity through the dark and frozen winters.
It is also largely associated with the warmth delivered by candlelight. For the last year the thought or sight of a classic, cylindrical candle would immediately bring me to the beautiful concept of Hygge. However, that immediate connection has changed in the last 6 weeks (well, maybe not changed, but it has gained company). Now, when I see or smell or hear this same candle, I think of math.
(side bar: for those of you interested in the concept of Hygge, please read Meik Wiking's 'The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well' and any other book you may find on the topic - Indigo has lots!)
Candles and math? How does that make any sense. Candles are romance and warmth; they are comfort. They are also, cylinders and circles and rectangles. They are the grade 8 geometry and measurement unit and they represent everything we try to teach our students when they ask the question....
One of the number one things I have learned during my teaching block thus far is that one of the most important parts of teaching is helping students to understand the real world connections of what they are learning. They want to know when they will ever see a concept or need to know a particular skill before they are really willing to learn it.
Why is this important?
As we all know, it is very hard to learn things or to make them stick if we are not invested in knowing about them. This really does apply to any age or situation. Our students are far more likely to demonstrate engagement if they are interested in something and they are far more likely to be interested if they can see a tangible application for it.
This is where my post comes full circle (punny, right?)
Learning is all about making connections.
My interest in Hygge developed because I was able to connect with the dreariness experienced by the Danes. My interest then sparked my engagement with the topic and my desire to learn more and more about how to attain a 'Hygge' lifestyle. I then built this connection with candles through my connection with the concept. Any candle I saw would remind me of something meant to create happiness which would, in turn, do just that.
Interestingly enough candles have now become a connection to math and therefore a connection to happiness (read back to my first post if you don't understand why this is so strange for me). I have spent hours and hours trying to find and create opportunities to connect learning about surface area, volume and capacity of cylinders to tangible things in my students lives, one of which being candles.
I have actually seen how building these connections makes my students more interested in the topic. For instance, when prompted by the classic question above I was actually able to explain a real life application for understanding the formula's for measuring circles by connecting it to firefighting. Although this exact example wasn't the future of all of my students, it's tangibility strengthened there engagement and understanding of its importance.
It is also largely associated with the warmth delivered by candlelight. For the last year the thought or sight of a classic, cylindrical candle would immediately bring me to the beautiful concept of Hygge. However, that immediate connection has changed in the last 6 weeks (well, maybe not changed, but it has gained company). Now, when I see or smell or hear this same candle, I think of math.(side bar: for those of you interested in the concept of Hygge, please read Meik Wiking's 'The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well' and any other book you may find on the topic - Indigo has lots!)
Candles and math? How does that make any sense. Candles are romance and warmth; they are comfort. They are also, cylinders and circles and rectangles. They are the grade 8 geometry and measurement unit and they represent everything we try to teach our students when they ask the question....
BUT WHEN WILL I EVER USE THIS?
One of the number one things I have learned during my teaching block thus far is that one of the most important parts of teaching is helping students to understand the real world connections of what they are learning. They want to know when they will ever see a concept or need to know a particular skill before they are really willing to learn it.
Why is this important?
As we all know, it is very hard to learn things or to make them stick if we are not invested in knowing about them. This really does apply to any age or situation. Our students are far more likely to demonstrate engagement if they are interested in something and they are far more likely to be interested if they can see a tangible application for it.
This is where my post comes full circle (punny, right?)
My interest in Hygge developed because I was able to connect with the dreariness experienced by the Danes. My interest then sparked my engagement with the topic and my desire to learn more and more about how to attain a 'Hygge' lifestyle. I then built this connection with candles through my connection with the concept. Any candle I saw would remind me of something meant to create happiness which would, in turn, do just that.
Interestingly enough candles have now become a connection to math and therefore a connection to happiness (read back to my first post if you don't understand why this is so strange for me). I have spent hours and hours trying to find and create opportunities to connect learning about surface area, volume and capacity of cylinders to tangible things in my students lives, one of which being candles.
I have actually seen how building these connections makes my students more interested in the topic. For instance, when prompted by the classic question above I was actually able to explain a real life application for understanding the formula's for measuring circles by connecting it to firefighting. Although this exact example wasn't the future of all of my students, it's tangibility strengthened there engagement and understanding of its importance.
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