Abstract

Learn about shapes, angles, and the fundamentals of arithmetic—everything children should know around the time they enter elementary school—all through the fun of origami! Triangles, quadrilaterals, trapezoids, rhombuses, right angles, and isosceles triangles are all concepts naturally utilized in origami play. By engaging their hands with the traditional Japanese art of origami, children can naturally develop "mathematical thinking skills" and "spatial perception."

This book presents the original method developed by Takeshi Sonoda, a teacher who established the "Mathematics Museum" at Doshisha Junior High School to share the joy of learning through his unique approach. Designed to prevent children from developing an aversion to arithmetic, this book explains interesting theorems based on the philosophy of "understanding through hands-on experience, which leads to true clarity." This includes engaging activities like learning about probability using a fortune-slip cylinder or guessing the weight of snacks by balancing a scale.

Author’s Information

Mathematics Teacher at Doshisha Junior High School

Director of Do★MATH: Doshisha Junior High School Mathematics Museum

Born in 1965 in Namerikawa City, Toyama Prefecture. After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering at Kyoto University and working for an electrical contracting company, he assumed his current teaching position in 1993.

In 2016, he co-founded "Do★MATH: Doshisha Junior High School Mathematics Museum" on campus alongside his colleagues. The museum showcases hands-on teaching tools that explain mathematical principles in an easy-to-understand manner, as well as math puzzles, student projects, and a wide array of math-related books and articles. Through these exhibits, he spearheads initiatives designed to help students enjoy and fall in love with arithmetic and mathematics.

He is a member of the Association of Mathematics Educators (Suugaku Kyouiku Kyougikai) and the Japan Society of Mathematical Education (JSME).