Fall Saturday SAVY, Week 1, In the Mind’s Eye: Truth vs Perception (5th-6th)
Hello families! The theme of our day was “Investigating Reality”. We started out, once we had memorized each other’s names backward and forwards, with a Socratic seminar in a circle about the nature of reality. We came up with several different definitions and then discussed how we understand or know reality. Is it empirically with our senses and experiences in the world? Or is it through abstract concepts and mathematical or geometric rules? Or is it both?
Next, we went outside to take some notes and reflect on what we could see around us (or feel or hear) and what drew us to that particular thing. This would come up later in our closing activity. We then investigated and studied the ways that perception can be manipulated to show different types of realities. We studied optical illusions (Is it an older woman or a younger one? Is it a skull or a vanity mirror? How many legs does the elephant have? How many people are in the painting of the couple? Perhaps your experiences in life influence what you see first!), and we learned about the artistic work of M.C. Escher. Perhaps you could ask your student if the Escherian Staircase is possible (and where) and if it is real or simply a trick of mediums and staging. Bonus question for your student – and something fun and mind-blowing to research – in what type of ‘space’ or type of geometry would it exist? Hint: It is not Euclidean!
Finally, we returned to our original notes outside on what we saw, but this time, we viewed the world through prism glasses. It definitely warped and refracted our perspective!
Next week, we will begin to investigate how perspectives can be changed or used to convey messages and also the ways in which our perceptions can limit us. We will discuss the philosophical concept of the truth through some ancient Platonic wisdom, and we will explore the effects of music and color on our emotions and sense of being in the world.