Innovative Induction and Mathematical Code Switching

In the first part of this paper, we provide an example of a project designed to foster mathematical creativity among students at an independent, all-girls school in the Northeast United States. The mathematical motivator for the project is a polyomino proof by induction first formulated by Solomon Golomb. We explain how the project has been implemented over the past two years at the school’s Innovation Lab in collaborative work between a mathematics instructor and an educational technologist, provide instructions and background information to facilitate the implementation of this project at other learning sites, and show examples of student work along with a discussion of their reactions and takeaways. We close by naming the practice of “mathematical code switching” and situate it within Rochelle Gutiérrez’s discussion of creative insubordination in mathematics teaching