This past summer I attended a major Ed-Tech convention. I expected to– and did– learn a lot about current technology trends, and what was absolutely cutting edge in this field. And I was thrilled and delighted by what I saw, and the potential for the learners getting to use some of these tools. But then I attended a session hosted by a world leader not just in technology, hardware and software, but mostly in innovative thinking. Participants were invited to create a multi-media activity based on… The Fibonacci Poem.
Cue shocking and dramatic music and thunder bolts and lightning.
Taking a written piece, we would add background music and sounds and then record ourselves reading…The Fibonacci Poem… that we wrote.
Cue even more strident music and boomier thunder and more lightningy lightning.
We would begin by writing… A Fibonacci Poem.
I’m trying to express the gravity and impact of this moment. I love language and expressive and creative forms of writing, and I have studied a lot of different sorts of forms of writing. I had never heard of the Fibonacci Poem. Add to that I have only one crush on one ancient mathematician, and that is… that’s right… Leonardo Pisano Bigollo. son of Guglielmo Bonacci, considered to be the most talented western mathematician of the Middle Ages. Fibonacci. Who pointed out to the world that math is all around us, in the beauty of nature with unwavering predictability, a magic that is scientific, a science that is magic. This Fibonacci sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377 can be found in the pattern of sunflower seeds spiralling as they grow at the centre of the blossom; or in the population growth of a colony of rabbits; or in the golden ratio of a spiral.
How does all of this equate to poetry? (Not that I couldn’t write any number of poems about Fibonacci himself…). The facilitator began thus:
Think about what you know about Haikus.
Now, think of a single word you would like to write about.
Now another one.
And next is two words.
Then three.
And five. And now eight. And there was the magic of the Fibonacci sequence in a whole new format.
And so… I have invented a challenge for myself, because I think it will be a fun way to capture a thought or reflection, and I just don’t think there can be too much Fibonacci in the world.
Check out my Day 1 Fibonacci poem here.
If you are looking for some Fibonacci activities that actually are math related, here are a few to get started: Don’t be put off by the dated look..
theUncoordinatedCoordinator 