Creating a Generation of Mathematicians

My second year of teaching, I was having difficulty getting my students engaged. I was teaching an Algebra 2 Remedial/Repeater course and students just weren't interested. One day while I was trying to find engaging activties, I ran across: http://www.ccd.rpi.edu/Eglash/csdt/subcult/grafitti/index.html



I was soooooooooo excited, but knew my students wouldn't be able to understand how to do the computer program so I created my own version. The students really enjoyed the project (or least they faked really well) and I have been using pop culture in my classroom ever sense!

Many people know about Graffiti as part of hip-hop culture, but few realize that graffiti is also a part of mathematics. Graffiti artists often make use of geometric concepts when they create their work.

Graffiti has a long and proud history. The subculture surrounding graffiti has existed for several decades, and it's still going strong. The graffiti artists (or "writers" as they prefer to call themselves) are passionate, skilled, community-oriented, and socially conscious in ways that profoundly contradict the way they've been portrayed as common criminals and vandals.

Graffiti existed (and still exists) as a major part of the urban environment. Young rappers growing up and wandering the city streets still see graffiti all around them. For some, graffiti represents decay, but for hip hop culture, graffiti provided the visual inspiration that encouraged other forms of creativity and expression, such as emceeing. Maybe you don't have to know about every element of hip hop in order to be part of the culture, but you do have to know about it if you want to know what inspired some of the best the hip hop artists of today--who grew up surrounded by graffiti, learning the moves of the best b-boys, and rocking to the beats of the freshest DJs.

Graffiti artists often work on a piece in sketchbooks before they actually begin painting it. The sketchbooks sometimes use a grid to help plan out the design. Sometimes they go beyond planning, and create visual effects that look as if they were stretching or folding the grid. In the picture, you can see someone who actually shows the folded grid, although this is rare. More commonly, you might see graffiti writers use the actual brickwork as a grid itself. 

Whether it's a grid in a sketchbook, or a grid of bricks on a wall, these grids are much like the Cartesian coordinate system in mathematics.

Additional Teacher Resources:
http://www.hiphop-network.com/articles/graffitiarticles/streetmathwildstyle.asp