Perth Waldorf School
Class 11 Projective Geometry Main Lesson
Teacher’s Perspective:
Projective Geometry goes beyond the security of known space and seeks to understand the world beyond our physical based senses. We can only do this by being open and thinking flexibly and creatively.
It was exciting to see the class 11s grapple with some of these concepts. I could almost feel their minds expanding. Discussions about life took on a philosophical nature as they courageously and tentatively tried to imagine a world that can’t be seen or known. I was impressed with their determination to discover the truth for themselves and not just accept a theory. The room buzzed with concentration and presence of mind as we headed on our way to infinity.
What a joy and a privilege it was to be their tour guide.
John Bluntschli
Infinite thoughts from the Projective Geometry Main Lesson:
Life is life. It’s not perfect like these lines are but over time, if you keep investing interest, it will be.
– Dayna Grubisin
Some may say, “it’s just stupid maths”, but the person who listens would say, “it is a metaphor of life”.
– Tia Miragliotta
When I think of infinity it does not stop, it goes out to the furthest point of the universe, even further than we can imagine. It’s like a thought never stops, just changes slightly.
– Annie Viljoen
When I think of infinity it makes me feel uncertain about things and unsettled. It frustrates me that all the questions we have for infinity will never be answered and will always be unknown, unanswered. Though it is an interesting concept, personally I find it as if I am walking in circles trying to figure out something that is hard to understand. Yes I feel more safe and stable if I don’t think about it, which for some people may seem as a dead end in a way. But for me, I’m happy to discover smaller things around me and have more analytical thought about this space that I live in.
– Lili Stiedl
Infinity is a very hard concept to grasp. It can make me feel very inspired but also very lost. Spaces that are infinite guarantee infinite possibilities to grow but also infinite possibilities to fail and stagnate. I stand here at my starting point. Looking into the void of infinite possibilities, chances and outcomes. When pondering any issue in a space of infinity where parallel lines meet I feel a sense of freedom. Freedom from any constructs that might restrain me from any of the infinite futures I may move towards. It feels like there is no roof to the successes or failures that could approach my life at any point. I feel ready and prepared to pave my own path through this void of infinite, where I posses no fear of failing but fear of not failing. My fear lies in stagnation of ideas and growth. The more I ponder infinity the more inspired I feel to continue to strive for more than I know.
– Finian Unseld
Projective Geometry opens our mind to imagine a world beyond what we can see. No one knows what is beyond the finite world, so it is an exercise of acknowledging that there are things that are of higher worlds to be understood. It is a reflection of how we can often close ourselves off to what we already know, but this hinders us in moving forward as humanity.
I think whether the infinite parallel lines meet or not is irrelevant, in that it is more the imagination that is important. After all, no one knows. The ability to entertain the idea that things could be different from what is normally believed is invaluable, especially in this time when great change is needed.
Without thought that extends beyond our current knowledge, nothing new will be achieved, nor will anything be improved.
For me personally this Main Lesson has been instrumental in seeing that there are many perspectives in seeing the world, that open mindedness is the way.
– Atsu Tsuru
