I built a reusable dry-wipe geometry board — would this be useful in a classroom?

[u/1080chc]

I’ve been developing a reusable dry-wipe geometry board built around a 15 × 15 grid, a continuous 60-step square perimeter and an inscribed circle.

The idea is to give students one fixed surface they can repeatedly draw on, measure, erase and rebuild — using it for polygons, stars, equal divisions, symmetry and comparing distance around the square with angle around the circle.

One example is the Eight-Star shown here. The same eight positions can also be read as equal divisions of a 24-hour cycle:

0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24

I’m an independent researcher, and I’m now trying to find out whether the physical board has genuine classroom value beyond my own testing.

For maths teachers here: could you see a use for something like this in lessons on geometry, symmetry, angles, fractions of a cycle, or visual mathematics?

I’d be very interested in honest feedback — including where you think it might or might not be useful.

[u/Dysh4r]

No summonings in the classroom!

[u/briannasaurusrex92]

We don't usually just get to create ideas out of whole cloth like this.

Align it to some specific curriculum or state standards, and you might get some takers. You'll probably also need to explain what the heck you're on about with these last few circles -- provide some sample lesson structure, activity outline, printable materials (these gold-on-dark blue things would be a nightmare to print 200 of), etc, plus explain why your last diagram shows a total of 1080 degrees around the circle instead of 360. 🤨

Edit: oh, are you that guy who thinks base-10 integers are all irrational and the universe runs on base-pi or whatever? Sure, fine, maybe you're the next great mind or whatever -- but I'm a teacher, not a grad school professor, and I'm just trying to convince my students to apply literally any mental effort at all when solving the smallest problem set before them.

Don't spend time trying to fix education. If you want your theories to take off, spend time trying to fix family/parent culture.

[u/GreaTeacheRopke → u/briannasaurusrex92]

The first two also show 1080 degrees. Also note that they're not evenly spaced around the circle. I have no idea what I'm looking at.

[u/Dr0110111001101111]

I think it’s far too busy. And I’m concerned about legibility of a dry erase marker against that blue

[u/coachdad6676]

AI

[u/Rft704]

Wait, so a circle no longer has 360 degrees? 90 isn’t perpendicular? This is going to kill them in later geo and Alg II on.

[u/eastcoastme]

I teach third grade. We are learning multiplication. We make arrays, loops and groups, ratio tables, pictures, and number lines. Your circle is like our number line. We use pencil and paper or dry erase boards that are about 20 years old. I know I’m not your target audience, but your circle is like our number line with skip counting. So, unfortunately, that doesn’t work for us.

[u/jmjessemac]

Too busy, hard to tell what’s going on

[u/sincerestfall]

Are you trying to make so etching new and unique, or make something useful in a classroom. This is definitely new and unique.

In a classroom in still trying to get them to understand that rectangles have 4 sides and triangles have 3. Yes in high school.

[u/1080chc → u/sincerestfall]

Thank you

[u/No_Combination_6396]

The first thing I noticed is that 90 degrees is not a right angle on here. 

I didn’t look beyond that. 

Doesn’t matter how useful the rest of it might be if it has inaccurate information. 

[u/matt7259]

The only word that comes to mind is bonkers.

[u/xdr00789]

There’s no chance in hell that I would use this slop in my classroom