Techniques that incorporate folding and paper cutting can produce beautiful designs. Explore with us the ideas of symmetry and spatial reasoning in the playful artistic realm of making Mexican paper banners.

Together we’ll explore symmetry, spatial reasoning, puzzles, and more that all come from this exciting and simple world of manipulating paper.

Materials Needed

• Paper

• Scissors

• Pencil

• Single Hole Punch

• Pencil or Pen

Aileen Rizo

Aileen has worked in math education for 20+ years. She has served in state capacities with the California Department of Education and various community organizations. She has earned two master degrees - one in Educational Technology and another in Mathematics Education, and is currently a PhD student in STEM education at Texas Tech University. Additionally, she is an adjunct faculty member at Fresno Pacific University teaching both math and engineering courses. Aileen’s work in the STEM fields fueled her to realize the importance of providing young children with powerful educational experiences and the need for advocating for the equity of women and girls within these fields.

Steve Pauls, Ph.D

Steve received his doctorate from the University of Kansas in Physical Chemistry and over the past 15 years he has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses for FPU in science, mathematics, and teacher education. He is currently teaching the undergraduate general physics sequence and several different courses for the graduate STEM Master’s Education program. Steve also works closely with teachers in the valley through a variety of Math Science Partnership (MSP) multi-year grants looking to improve both content and pedagogy of our regional teachers. For the AIMS Center, Steve has been tasked with understanding and interpreting the latest research involving the cognitive development and conceptual understanding of young children in science and mathematics. He is interested in developing an integrative program involving spatial representation and learning within context of science education.

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