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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eighty-two: A city portrait -- impressions of Havana, Cuba. > Math whiz, Elementary school, Havana, Cuba, 2012
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11-MAY-2012

Math whiz, Elementary school, Havana, Cuba, 2012

I built this image around the light reflection behind the face of the child working on a math problem. It outlines his profile and seems to symbolize the knowledge that may be flowing through his mind at this moment.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
1/50s f/2.2 at 6.4mm iso400 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time11-May-2012 07:27:18
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-LX5
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length6.4 mm
Exposure Time1/50 sec
Aperturef/2.2
ISO Equivalent400
Exposure Bias-0.66
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis02-Mar-2013 21:42
Thanks, Katlyn. I'm not sure why "learning differently" is sad, but if this image makes you think about how other cultures teach and learn mathematics, it is doing its job.
Phil Douglis30-May-2012 19:18
Thanks, Celia -- yes, it is an intense confrontation. And quite intimate, as well. I had the feeling that this child already knew more about mathematics than I ever knew. And thanks, Tim, for bringing your math teaching background to bear on this image. I find it fascinating that this bare bones Cuban school seems to be teaching a more flexible and less rigid approach to mathematics than we are teaching in here in the US.
Tim May30-May-2012 17:01
As a former elementary teach who taught math - I find this interesting as a portrait of the flexibility in mathematics which we don't normally teach. He is clearly doing division - yet his set up is different from the way we are taught. Mathematics is a fluid and dynamic field, unfortunately we teach it as a rigid set of rules.
Cecilia Lim29-May-2012 22:46
Your vantage point and proximity gives us a very intimate experience of this young boy working hard on his math. I can almost physically feel his immense concentration!
Phil Douglis27-May-2012 21:48
A point well made, Carol. He is indeed learning to actually think in mathematical terms, something that you can't really do with a calculator. I would never have made this image if not for the halo of light outlining his profile. I could actually sense the gears turning within his head.
Carol E Sandgren27-May-2012 18:58
I am intrigued by the math calcuation on the board. These days it seems that kids rely way too much on calculators and computer electronics to figure a simple math problem. Yes, it's been a while since I was in school learning this stuff. I do love the halo the highlight on the board around the boy's head, maybe suggesting that he is learning the right way even though it is slower and non=automatic.
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