Blog Post #5 Sebastian
The first time I watched Hair Is Love, I just watched it because it felt like it was easy to understand. As I rewatched it in class, I noticed smaller details in the film that helped me connect it to the readings in the chapters. While the general plot was still there, the actual worksheets helped guide me on how to approach complex readings and media. Specifically, for me, it was more useful to think about how you can apply it in math. Even then, it is very useful to create. Especially when writing songs, as I do for fun. Going back to Hair is Love, though, connections can be made mostly from the tiny details. Notice how, when the girl showed her mother she had hair just like her daughter's, the girl wanted to do it just like her mom's. At the same time, we see her father's persistence in helping his daughter achieve her desired hairdo. The film was wholesome because you can see how strong their bond is and how, in the end, after her daughter doesn't like the hair type, she begins to accept it. That part is relatively easy to understand, but if you look at her room, the girl has many types of hairstyles on the wall, most of them being of her mother's, and has her calendar notes when she is visiting her mother. The biggest detail I noticed from the video was the drawing her daughter made. Notice how darker colors are on the back and lighter colors towards the front. It was symbolism for light ahead of you and hope. Those small context clues are what help you get guidance through media. If I could use that same strategy in math, I would actually try to use images in problems. For example, maybe I can explain how (x+2)^2/x+3 cannot be cancelled as most would excpect by showing a burger with 3 onions and a burger with 2 tomatoes and asking to remove the onions from the burger with tomatoes. Showing that visual example of different variables.
I really liked how you connected Hair Love to the idea of paying attention to small details and then applied that strategy to mathematics. Your example shows that literacy is not limited to reading words; images, symbols, and visual clues can also help students understand difficult ideas. I especially liked your burger example for explaining why terms cannot simply be canceled in an expression. Using familiar objects can make abstract math concepts easier to understand. I also agree that rewatching or rereading something can reveal details we miss the first time. This shows why careful observation is important in both media analysis and mathematics.
ReplyDeleteHi Sebastian!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your point about how rewatching Hair Love helped you notice smaller details you did not recognize the first time. This connects well to disciplinary literacy because sometimes we need to slow down and look beyond what is immediately obvious to understand the deeper meaning. I also liked your idea of using images to explain math concepts because students may understand a difficult concept better when they can visualize it in a familiar situation. As a future math teacher, I think finding creative ways to connect abstract concepts to real-life examples can make math less intimidating for students. Your burger example is a good way to show that different variables cannot simply be canceled out when they are part of different terms. It made me wonder: what if students were encouraged to create their own pictures or real-life examples to explain mathematical concepts instead of only solving problems using formulas? Could this help them develop a deeper understanding of why a mathematical rule works rather than just memorizing the steps to get the answer?