![runix cube saying hi runix cube saying hi](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iIyjpkBwquA/U3GVdlciJAI/AAAAAAAACug/mOvCEyvTmuk/s1600/mp4.jpg)
I didn’t incorporate paper-and-pen worksheets because I wanted them to practice mental math and approximation-useful skills that will help them as they progress through math. I wanted to provide students with opportunities to use estimation and reasoning skills while still having fun.
![runix cube saying hi runix cube saying hi](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/5b/3a/54/5b3a54d51d1cb3ac8546514dabdfb74a--homemade-costumes-holiday-decor.jpg)
On different days, I would ask students questions like, “What percent of the mosaic is finished?” or “If three students are each able to solve one face at an average rate of two minutes, about how long will it take to complete the mosaic?” Once the students began to experience success in solving a face of the cube to build a mosaic, they became more open to mathematical conversations around the three-dimensional puzzle. I incorporated informal math conversations throughout the mosaic process. And after learning about students creating mosaics of historical figures, famous landmarks, and animals out of the cubes, I saw a way to promote critical thinking and algorithmic problem-solving. Thinking about that comment, I used to ask myself, “How would the students’ attitudes toward math change if there was an opportunity to experience a different side of math, one that involved hands-on learning, promoted teamwork, and ended in a product to be proud of?” I thought I could use Rubik’s Cubes to facilitate camaraderie among my math-anxious and math-eager students, based on my own love of the popular puzzle. The alternative high school in rural Colorado where I’ve been working for the last two-and-a-half years serves students ages 14 to 20, who come to us when they have not done well in traditional environments since we have more freedom to use creative instructional methods to meet their needs. “I don’t like math,” my students commonly say.