2010/03/10

Origami at the Library


A couple of weeks ago I got in contact with Jackie, a librarian at Brookdale. She had taught hundreds of children how to fold a crane and then collected them all so that they could be displayed in the library!

We talked about the possibility of teaching more origami and we thought it would be best to try what is called passive programming. Normal programs are ones where a time and date is selected and announced, sometimes requiring registration. Passive programming is where any announcement is make at the time the event is occurring and the participants are people who are already at the library.

Monday, we tried it out! It went well. I still need to get better at gauging a student's skill level and minimizing confusing advice. Slow and simple usually works, but that's not always what is going on in my head. I want to point out the different folds, the math behind them and such. Or sometimes I'll want to jump ahead a step or two. I need to go at the student's pace. But I must have done something right, because everyone successfully made a box and a rabbit!

I will be there again this coming Monday and I'll teach something else to someone else, and it will be good practice for me as a teacher and good publicity for origami as an art form. Maybe I'll see you there!

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