Are patterns created or discovered? Examining mathematical patterns in a TOK Think-a-thon!

Our DP students enjoyed a collaborative Think-a-thon on the 11th of July, 2018, in which they integrated their understanding of Mathematics with the tools of TOK! As an international school that prides itself in a culture of collaborative thinking, the Think-a-thon was a perfect platform for our inquirers and thinkers of the Diploma Programme to make their thoughts heard.

Even as our students took sides and justified their positions on whether they thought mathematical patterns like the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio, questions such as ‘do patterns exist in the real world?’ and ‘are patterns subjective?’ had everyone think aloud.

Our students dissected their essays, shared artefacts such as sea horses and shells, and presented their research and insight into patterns and their links to other Areas of Knowledge, and the branches of mathematics itself.

The Think-a-thon was truly collaborative and saw our students think on their toes to connect their knowledge of mathematics with larger knowledge issues!