Students learn math through mosaics

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - IPS kindergartners learned math Wednesday by breaking things. It's a unique concept an education group called Young Audiences is offering.

Most of the kindergartners at IPS school #114 had never heard about mosaics. But at the end of the class, the students were pros. And they learned about math at the same time.

Five-year-old Emahn Murray created a sun with pieces of broken tiles. But even she knows her art projects go beyond the jagged lines of ceramics.

"It's fun and you get to learn how to go farther, farther and farther,” said Emahn Murray.

Liza Hyatt is a Young Audiences teaching artist.

"Any piece of artwork will work your brain. But it's nice to know specific ways to apply it to state standards and how to really use the art form to it's best ability, to work with whole way of thinking and learning that kids have,” said Hyatt.

Siena Fitting said her students are learning pre-math concepts like shapes, patterns, sorting and classifying.

"...They are doing alternating patterns and they are looking at patterns in the mosaics as well,” said Fitting. "It has cemented the idea in their head when they see a number, they can relay it back to the experience they had hands-on. So, early childhood is really important to do a lot of manipulative activities,” said Fitting.

Hyatt said mosaics also carry another message to boost self esteem.

"Another part of the mosaics so important to me is you take a whole bunch of tiny little imperfect things and something beautiful is created,” said Hyatt.

Hyatt will return to the class next week to work on individual mosaics and create a community mosaic for the school.