An investigation of using the visual and performing arts as a means to teach arithmetic and geometric patterns.

The purpose of the study was to determine what effect the integration of the visual and performing arts to a seventh grade mathematics curriculum would increase students’ understanding of arithmetic and geometric patterns. This four week study involved five classes of seventh grade students. There were two control groups and three groups which were exposed to instruction involving the integration of the arts to teach mathematical patterns. Three different assessment tools were used to gather information to explore the results. The primary instrument, the Cognitive Abilities Test (Thorndike and Hagen, 1993), focused on the quantitative and nonverbal growth in the students’ understanding of mathematical patterns. Answers to questions regarding two images were analyzed for the Experiencing the Arts (Timms, 1997) assessment. Finally, the Data Project Transfer Assessment, the DPTA, exposed students to a variety of graphs which were related to advertising and the media and asked them to make and explain predictions for the year 2000. Transfer of the mathematical pattern concepts was the focus of the Data Project