On Tue, May 5, 2015 at 6:38 PM, Andrew Hudson <[email protected]> wrote:
> Any tips on teaching reverse-folds more efficiently? Right now I usually > have to walk around and check each student individually to make sure they > get it right, and when you're working with a class of 30 kids, that's a big > drain on their attention span. > It partly depends on what your objective in teaching is. Are you wanting them to learn and understand what a reverse fold is, or do you just want them to be able to complete the model. If it is the latter then there are sometimes cheats that allow you to make a reverse fold without making a reverse fold. The crane/flapping bird would be a perfect example. When it comes time to reverse fold the head and the tail, instead of trying to explain a reverse fold you can have them fold one layer to the left on each side, like a page in a book (sometimes called a "minor miracle"), then the neck and the tail can be folded up as far as they can go, with the head being folded down a bit after. Then the layers can be put back into place and the head, neck, and tail can all be pivoted into place by pulling them out a bit. However, if your objective is to have the students have a good understanding of what a reverse fold is then I usually try to explain it as opening up the layers, reversing the direction of the crease between them, and then closing the layers. If you really want them to understand it then you could start by just showing them how to do a reverse fold with a square of paper folded in half or with a simple model (probably a bird) that consists of not much more than folding the diagonal, folding a couple of flaps, and making a reverse fold or two. http://cdn.toy-tma.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/origami-penguin.jpg (not sure of the provenance of that diagram, but it is a perfect example) Beyond that I don't have any great suggestions aside from typical teaching tricks like making sure you use paper large enough for the students to see and if there are any students who "get" it, have them help their neighbors. I tend to avoid models with reverse folds when dealing with large, inexperienced groups. With elementary school aged children I usually start out with a jumping frog using an index card and decide how to proceed based on how well they do with that. malachi
