Creativity and the Design of Music-Mathematics Activities in a Virtual Simulation Learning Environment

Abstract

Defined by digital age learning, the current education landscape offers unparalleled opportunities for creative and transformative experiences for students of all ages. Navigating the complexity of this new landscape means that students must be equipped with skills that foster creativity, and are poised to develop unique and innovative solutions. This requires educators to rethink what instructional design should look like and how students should be engaged. Mathematics classrooms, in particular, are fertile places for activities that integrate creativity. This chapter explores the role of creativity in mathematics learning and examines the intersection of mathematics, music, and virtual spaces. Built on Koestler (The concept of creativity in science and art. Springer, The Netherlands, pp. 1-17, 1981) work on creation and creativity, the chapter suggests how environmental (technology) and conceptual (music) frameworks can be juxtaposed to mathematics teaching to create more engaged and productive learning. It is in these unique collisions that new knowledge and new ways of knowing come to pass. A classroom simulation example involving practice teaching experiences in a virtual setting exhibits how technology and music can be incorporated into preservice teacher education. Implications of this work include an expanded idea of what contributes to feelings of efficacy and student success in the mathematics classroom as well as how music may help with challenging mathematical concepts like fractions and patterns.