Professional Development Program
Teaching 7th Grade Geometry Through Sculpture and Architecture
A Joy2Learn Professional Development Mini-Course
Joy2Learn has created a dynamic online mini-course to help teachers incorporate the arts into middle grades math instruction. The content for the course, facilitated by online professional development experts, is centered around Joy2Learn’s artist video presentations, plus other resources, and supports teachers to design a lesson for use in the classroom.
- Completion Time: The course requires 3 hours to complete (two hours of work on your own plus participation in a one-hour live and interactive webinar)
- CEUs: 3 CEUs will be awarded to participants who complete the course.
Course Overview
This mini-course introduces middle grades educators to creative, inquiry-based strategies for teaching geometry through architecture and sculpture. Participants will explore how buildings, monuments, public art, and sculptural forms can serve as engaging entry points for understanding geometric concepts such as curvature, spatial reasoning, and real-world design.
The course demonstrates how using the work of renowned artists like Frank Gehry and Richard Serra can support students to connect mathematical thinking to the designed world around them. Get a taste of how Joy2Learn’s artist video presentations can enhance your teaching!
Course Goals
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the work of architect Frank Gehry and sculptor Richard Serra
- Define concave and convex shapes using precise mathematical language
- Use visual and real-world models to support spatial reasoning
- Facilitate student discussion that moves from observation to classification to justification
- Design a standards-aligned Grade 7 lesson using Joy2Learn videos as mathematical texts
Course Structure/Expectations
- One-hour of advanced preparation tasks (asynchronous): Participants watch several short videos and read a brief online article on their own time.
- A one-hour live and interactive webinar: Participants may choose to attend the webinar either on June 30, 2026 from 4-5 PM Eastern or on July 23, 2026 from 4-5 PM Eastern. Contact us at info@joy2learn.org if you’d like to schedule the webinar on a specific date and time for your school or district!
- One-hour of follow-up tasks (asynchronous): Participants design and submit a lesson plan, plus offer feedback on the course, on their own time.
CEU Information
Joy2Learn has been approved as a professional development provider by the New York State Department of Education, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Nevada Department of Education, the Texas State Board of Education, and the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Educators who complete the course can earn valuable professional development education credits from New York, Massachusetts, Nevada, Texas, and Washington. Check with your state or district to see if you can earn professional development credits for this course.
This course changed my thinking around creativity in the classroom and gave me some awesome practical exercises to try in my classroom.
Theodore Follini-Press Middle School Teacher