The article (Radakovic, Jagger & Zhao: Writing and reading multiplicity in the uni-verse) explores the relationship between mathematics and poetry and suggests that poetry can provide a meaningful way for students to explore mathematical ideas. The authors found that students engaged with mathematics in different ways through their poems, sometimes through structure, sometimes through metaphor or personal experience. They also argue that the meaning of a mathematical poem depends partly on the reader, meaning that different people may see different mathematical ideas in the same poem.
Reading this article connected closely with my own experience working with poetry this week. I initially expected mathematical poetry to focus more explicitly on mathematical topics, similar to poems like Sarah Glaz’s What Can We Do If We Crave Certainty in Mathematics? I was also familiar with poems that follow mathematical structures, such as Fibonacci poems or Pi Day poetry where word lengths follow the digits of 3.1415…, and even traditional poetic forms like haiku which follow a 5-7-5 syllable structure. In the bridges poetry I also really enjoyed Marian Christie's Tree Clambering", which follows inspired by the Markov tree, a technique for obtaining solutions to the Markov equation π₯ 2 + π¦ 2 + π§ 2 = 3π₯π¦ - reading it in a different context, I would never have associated it with math. What I had not really thought about before was the idea that mathematics might simply exist within the poem itself, rather than being the explicit topic or rule guiding the poem.
First stop
My first stop in the reading was the poems themselves, particularly the ones structured around circles of increasing size. In Sakaki’s poem, the scale grows from one meter to ten meters to one hundred meters and continues expanding outward. While the poem describes everyday experiences and reflections about place and life, the structure reflects mathematical ideas about scale and patterns of growth. The mathematics is not necessarily the subject of the poem, but it shapes how the poem unfolds. It helped me see how math can exist in the structure and relationships within a poem rather than only through explicit mathematical language. As I read the poem, I also found myself imagining what I would place within my own concentric circles, which to me is a mark of a good poem.
Second stop
My second stop in the reading was the quote: “when we invited students to write mathematical poetry and necessarily consider what it might mean to read and to write mathematically and poetically.” This stood out to me because it made me realize that reading and writing mathematical poetry is not as straightforward as I first assumed. The authors explain that the meaning of poetry is influenced by the reader’s own experiences, understandings, and beliefs. In other words, different readers might see different mathematical ideas in the same poem. This made sense to me because the students in the article didn’t always show mathematics in the ways the instructors expected, but they were still engaging with mathematical ideas in their own ways.
Third stop
My third stop connects to the activity we did creating the four-word poems. I liked this activity because it followed a clear pattern, which felt very mathematical to me and by the end I didn't even need to sketch out the pattern anymore, it just flowed.. At the same time, I struggled to find words that actually worked within the structure. I tried the suggestion of using words that could function as both nouns and verbs, and I also experimented with whether punctuation helped the lines make more sense. I tried several different word combinations and, somewhat surprisingly, I found the process quite soothing. There was something calming about following the pattern and watching how the meaning shifted as the words moved. This is also the type of poetry I feel safest with, where there is a clear structure to follow. In some ways it reminded me of mathematics, starting with a pattern or rule and then exploring within it. At the same time, it made me realize that both poetry and mathematics probably ask us to move beyond the structure at times and I need to become more willing to experiment.
While working on the activity, I was also listening to a session from a virtual math conference last weekend. When the host was introducing the speakers, she mentioned Pam Harris' (from math is figureoutable!) philosophy is that Students math with confidence. She joked about struggling with using the word math as a verb, and I immediately wanted to try that combination in the four-word structure. I ended up with:
Question for the group
After reading the article and trying the poetry activity ourselves, do you think mathematics in poetry needs to be explicit, or can structure and pattern alone be enough for something to feel mathematical?
“The authors explain that the meaning of poetry is influenced by the reader’s own experiences, understandings, and beliefs. In other words, different readers might see different mathematical ideas in the same poem.” I was a little bit confused when I read my reading option, where it states writing contains cognition, consciousness and creativity that only humans have. After I read your example and quotes here, I’m clearer with this concept. Yes, I really support this idea as well. In my reading this week, “Can zombies write mathematical poetry?”, the author talks about how the expressions are different from his first language, Turkish and English when he wrote poems. Writing is a very personal thing, and that makes everyone different. That’s why it contains cognition, consciousness and creativity. You can never find two pieces of the same writing, so all the works are original and meaningful. I do think somehow the school math is opposite, where most students follow the same instructions, write the same solutions and get the same answer. I guess that’s why we need to engage in some innovative activities and explore different methods in math teaching.
ReplyDeleteNicole, I really enjoyed your reflection on how mathematics can exist within the structure of a poem rather than being the explicit topic. That idea connects well with Karaali’s discussion in Can Zombies Write Mathematical Poetry?, where mathematics is described as a creative human activity that can appear through patterns, structure, and interpretation rather than only through formulas or numbers. Your experience with the four-word poem also reminded me of Karaali’s idea about moving beyond “zombie learning.” Following the pattern created a starting structure, but the meaning and creativity emerged as you experimented with the words. It really highlights how mathematical thinking can involve both structure and imagination.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful, evocative PH4 poems, Nicole!
ReplyDeleteAs I read your "gather light, shadows morning" poem I kept imaging it as mourning instead of morning, which gave a nice double meaning to your poem. I loved the imagery of shadows squeezing into a tiny place to hide from the light and feeling sad that their reign had ended.
ReplyDeleteI ended up also reading this same article and found it very interesting. I suppose for one, I had never thought that elementary education students might feel worried about learning math so that they could teach it. This seems so brave! As a secondary teacher I am comfortably in my niche.
To answer your question, I think structure and pattern are enough for the poetry to be mathematical, but it may need to be explicitly taught at least at first.