Creative Ways to Teach Surface Area and Volume - Essay Example

Students are not motivated to remember (formulas) and it does not connect geometry to real life in the “real world”.

There are different ways by which teaching geometry, specific surface area, and volumes can be made more interesting. One way is by giving students different types of shapes (cube, prism, cone, etc.) and asking them for calculating surface area and volume, or asking them how they will calculate. In another way, ask every student in class to explain the calculation of the surface area and volume of specific objects and let them choose the objects or it can be given to them by lottery systems. The most important aspect of teaching is to explain to students how they can derive the formula they use for calculation. If a student knows, the basic idea behind the formula they use and how they are derived, then it will be a lot easier for the student to calculate the surface area and volume of any other shapes or objects for which there is no formula given in the textbook. Sometimes we see different types of shapes that cannot fit in any specific shapes such as cubes, spheres, pyramids, or any other shape. Now, for calculating the surface area and volume of these types of shapes (which do not have any specific shape), one must know a basic understanding of the subjects not just only remember formulas.

In conclusion, there should be more emphasis on the basic of the formula that is derived should be taught to students. In addition, students should be encouraged to find new shapes and study them and later discuss them with other classmates, whatever findings they come across. In addition, some types of projects should be given to students in which they make any specific types of shapes with the help of paper, cardboard, etc. and later calculate the surface area and volume of that.