In the early 1980’s, James R. Murphy began teaching math using string figures to engage kids who didn’t like math. Then Robin Moore, a student of Murphy’s and a budding photograph…
I love doing string figures with kids at camp. It’s a wonderfully engaging & tactile skill. Some of my favorite string-figure-related phenomena:
When kids get better at perspective-taking and teaching each other how to do something
When kids with a lot of energy and short attention spans maintain their focus and achieve a visible success that they can show to others
When kids develop patience and tolerance for their own mistakes
When kids develop patience and tolerance for others’ mistakes
How there are lots of different figures at various difficulty levels (so kids always have something to learn, but can learn tricks in a different order than each other)
So that’s why I wanted to share this great little write-up of James Murphy’s work in NYC in the 80s working with a lot of racially minoritized kids.
