Over the last several months, Autumn Dillaman, Elizabeth King, and Kevin Goodwin have been working with Origametria, a hands-on learning program designed to introduce students to geometry through paper folding. Starting in middle and high school, King says, many students struggle in geometry classes, which tend to rely heavily on visual thinking. Origametria’s goal is to take advantage of younger students’ imagination to begin developing spatial awareness, inquiry-based learning skills, and a basic understanding of geometric principles at an earlier age. 

The program, created in Israel and approved annually by the Israeli Ministry of Education, is facilitated through a digital platform containing over 200 lessons. Once a week, Goodwin and King log in to the Origametria system and launch a lesson, which is selected based on grade level and topic. The platform then walks students and teachers through a series of exercises, using terms like vertex, edges, parallel, and polygon to guide each step. The lessons also include discussion prompts to help students think critically and draw conclusions.

The process is easy to facilitate, and that’s intentional. In addition to building vocabulary and improving spatial understanding, another of Origametria’s goals is to create an accessible entry point for teachers who might not otherwise be confident teaching geometry. With Origametria, you don't have to be a math specialist to bring geometry into the classroom—it’s attainable to everyone. 

Another guiding principle of Origametria is that all students must complete the exercises on their own, without help from their teacher or peers. Based on the philosophy that when the strong help the weak, the weak give up, teachers are encouraged to demonstrate steps and answer questions, but they never undermine a student’s autonomy by fixing or folding the paper for them. 

Additionally, the innovative nature of the program supports Falk’s emphasis on universally accessible learning by offering students a variety of ways to absorb information: watching the digital animation, following along with their teacher’s in-person example, reading and processing the instructions on the board, investigating and testing hypotheses, and reflecting on discussion questions. Students who tend to struggle with more traditional math instruction are excited by Origametria’s offerings, King says, and teachers have already noticed a difference in classroom engagement and precise use of vocabulary. 

Moving forward, Dillaman says she hopes to capture and analyze these themes with data, as well as think about how best to integrate the program with Falk’s existing curriculum. Katrina Bartow Jacobs, Falk’s research coordinator, also hopes to connect Falk to the Origametria pilot program at Carlow University, an ongoing research study focusing on teacher comfort with geometry instruction.