Group microteaching reflection

I thought I would take a risk; rather than explore calculus, computing science, pre-calculus, or even the standard "mathematics" curricula in K-10, I thought I would explore workplace mathematics. I do not mean to be the gatekeeper of privilege and close doors in pupils' faces, but sometimes, higher academics is not the right path, and I need to be able to teach everyone, not just the ambitious types. Thankfully, Danielle agreed with my idea. That was just the beginning.

Danielle can drop encyclopedias at the drop of a hat; I do not know how she does it. While I was contemplating what area to select and teach, she already had something in the 3D shapes area completely mapped out and she signed us up; it would later turn out that she had a sculpture that she had crafted during her childhood.

So, the research began. I began to pour over what actual teachers would post on their blogs. Sketching 3D shapes from various viewpoints on a dotted paper (called perspective diagrams in the BC curriculum, in spite of having nothing to do with the one-point, two-point, three-point perspectives as taught in visual art) seemed to be a common enough task. I had a massive writer's block over how to cover exploded diagrams- it is not exactly handy to fetch Lego, IKEA, or industrial machinery parts at the drop of a hat! So, we ignored the exploded diagram part.

Thus, the plan was born: first, make them notice how viewpoints "reveal" or "conceal" different parts of a 3D object; next, have them sit around in a circle, staring at Danielle's sculpture, and sketch the sculpture as best as they can from their vintage- that is, based only on what they can see while in their respective seats, where the sculpture is to be placed in the centre of the table and not to be interacted with; finally, provide materials so that they can try to reconstruct Danielle's sculpture... without the original sculpture on sight, using only their own sketch.

The point is that inferring depth from paper sketches is difficult- after all, in two dimensions (i.e. on paper), there are only two axes! Furthermore, they would have had only one viewpoint to work from.
This is why people try to add shading lines that suggest lighting (as seen in dessin sketches), or draw sketches taken from multiple viewpoints within the same picture (as seen in exploded diagrams and industrial blueprints).

As a side note, I do not know how it feels like from "out there", but from my own perspective, I still feel like I am not comfortable with silence. It is so funny how it works- when I recite acting scripts, deliver presentations, et cetera, I have a way with using silence and pauses, yet when I am "explaining" something in front of the class, and I feel like I am "running out of words", it is so panic-inducing. This is incredibly ironic since I generally find myself to be a very terse speaker- I mean, I know that I am not the type to go on and on and on, yet I feel so uncomfortable when I cannot, and this just about only happens when I am in front of a "class"!