Information and Resources for the Final Project

Read these articles about giving a good (math) talk: Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, Article 4. Visit this web page, and this blog.

Purpose and Skills: The purpose of the final project is to help disseminate accurate information on the subject to a general audience. We will do this in two distinct ways: a public presentation to a live audience, and a math lesson for teachers and students of mathematics. In the process you will develop a number of valuable skills such as working in a team, engaging with a community much different from the campus community, public speaking, communication in multiple modes, technical skills in creating digital storytelling materials, giving and receiving feedback and revising your work based on feedback.   

The final project has 2 components: (1) a public presentation, and (2) math lesson that can be used in a middle school or high school class. The presentation will be given live  at the end of the semester (Friday, May 3 in  the evening). You will be working in groups of size 2 or 3 on each component of the final project. The  presentation should be accessible to a general audience. The topic for the math lesson can be any topic in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or trigonometry that we did or did not cover in class. This component must involve a lesson plan and activities along with some animations. The primary purpose of this component is to produce materials that will be useful for  teachers and students. In doing so, you will solidify your understanding of the subject while being useful to others. A sample of such animations can be found at this link.

For the presentation component, choose a topic in history of mathematics or science in the Islamic World.  It can be a topic that we did not discuss in class, or it can be an extension of a topic that we did discuss. For the mode of presentation, you have 3 options: a talk (power point/google slides presentation),  a digital storytelling video, or a poster. If you choose the story telling option, please check out some resources here. You can see previous digital storytelling projects by Kenyon students here, and the products of a summer project here. It is never too early to start thinking about the final project topic and your partners for it. It would be great if at least one group makes the presentation specifically appealing to younger audience (middle school and high school).

Important Note: Please do not choose a topic without looking at resources first. Therefore, get the books (order them from Ohio link if necessary) well in advance of the first deadline.

Timeline and Deadlines for the Project

Proposal: Let me know, in writing, what topic you choose by midnight, Sun, March 24  (beginning of week 9). You should submit, in writing, your choice of the topic, the group members, what you plan to cover in the presentation, the format of the public presentation (which of the 3 options), and an annotated bibliography. If you choose a topic that we covered (or will cover) in class, make sure you go above and beyond what we did in class and explain how.  You need to come up with a good title for your presentation as well. It will be announced publicly, so it is important to have a good title. 1-2 pages + bibliography would be sufficient for the proposal (one proposal per group). It is very important that your presentation is based on  research, primary source evidence and documentation. Strive for being as accurate as possible and avoid exaggerations and unfounded claims. The source of your information and your claims must be as rigorous as writing an academic research paper. 

First Draft: Next, you submit a draft of your presentation by midnight Sun, April 7 (beginning of week 11). The purpose of the draft is to help you specify and clarify what you will cover and how you will cover it and  to help you make progress towards the final product. If your presentation is a digital storytelling, then you submit your narrative at this time.  If it is a talk or a poster, it should include an outline of the sections to be covered. Submit the draft of your presentation. If you are doing a poster, submit your draft as a slide (ppt, google slides or similar software). Everyone must submit an updated bibliography as well. The more you include at this stage, the better. You may modify the original title of your project as well. Remember, it is important  to come up with a good title for your project since it will be used in advertising the event. We will make a flyer after everyone submits their outline. If you are interested in making a flyer, let me know. If you design a good flyer you will earn extra points. Submit your outline to Moodle, one per group.

Complete Draft and Topic for the Math Lesson: This should be a complete draft of your presentation that includes all major parts and most details. The deadline is midnight Wed, Apr 24 (week 13). If your presentation is a digital storytelling, then you must submit a complete draft of your video as well. It is also required that you receive feedback from CIP prior to submission of your complete draft. You need to document that you received feedback from CIP. Also due at this time is the topic for your math lesson. Specify the  topic, the level of the course it is intended for, and sources you will use. 

Rehearsal Presentations: You will present your project to the class (talks should be about 15 minutes, digital stories 3-5 minutes, and posters will be hung around and presenters will interact with the class) to receive feedback from your peers and the professor before the main public event virtually hosted by NICC in the evening of Friday May 3. All groups must be prepared to present on Friday April 26 in class. By noon on May 3, you must submit the final version of your presentation. This will be the final submission of part 1 of your final project. 

Part 2 of the Project: The complete math lesson  is due at the official final exam date for this course which is 11:30 am, Tuesday May  7. The complete submission includes a lesson plan with activities along with an animation which can be a video, slides or a similar media.  

Here are some possible topics to give you an idea and get you started but this is not an exhaustive list. You may choose another topic with the approval of the instructor.

Some Useful Books and Other Sources for the Project (can get ideas for possible projects from these sources too)

More resources on Islamic art here.