Last year in a Year 8 Maths class I used Origami for the first time during a Geometry unit. I was very surprised by the enthusiasm shown by the students! They were much more attentive and focussed than usual and learning the meaning of terms such as diameter, circumference, trapezium, vertices, etc. took place painlessly. Students saying: “Can we do more origami please!”, plagued me in subsequent lessons.
Many topics in Maths can be taught using Origami including: area, volume, properties of parallel lines, angle facts, pythagoras and algebra!
My favorite model is the Sonobe Cube pictured below. Instructions for making the cube can be found here. Variations of the Sonobe cube such as tetrahedrons and an octohedron can be accessed here. Once students make their cube then they can calculate its surface area and volume, then check to see if Euler’s formula is correct (V + F = E + 2).
I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has used origami in the classroom.
I, personally, have not used origami in the classroom. However, if I were going to, I would almost certainly use the book “Project Origami” by Thomas Hull.