top of page

Our journey

BEGINNING OF FLEXTALES...

“Flextales has been a part of our Stage 4 STEAM Project since 2017 and has been a huge success. Since it was part of STEAM delivery again in 2018, we decided to go through the instructions and iron out any problems.”

​

A mission statement from our mathematics teacher, Mrs Kaur, started our Flextales journey. Us, Year 12s of 2018 had been given the following job, of checking over the instructions and ensuring that all the steps were logical and easy to understand for future students working on it.

WORKING TOWARDS THE GOAL...

From the very first step of building the Flextales, we had already faced an obstacle, where we had to produce the hexagon template ourselves, with our little knowledge of the Adobe Photoshop software. We had to experiment with the tools that the software offered to create the final product. Not only that, we had to apply our mathematical knowledge when figuring out the measurements, as seen when we used the Pythagoras Theorem. Following this, we drew the lines within the shape for the next steps to be executed was another adversity which was overcome with experimenting again!

 

Afterwards, the next steps were simple to follow:

  • Putting the photos on the hexagons

  • Printing it out on an A3 page

  • Cutting the hexagons into its pieces

  • Numbering as well as adding the arrows on the hexagons  

 

However, when it came to sticking the hexagon pieces onto the Flextale template with glue, we had run into another problem. We could not get the rotation of the pieces correctly and found that the pieces did not fit into the provided specific photo spaces on the template. This caused further trouble in the folding part and functions of the Flextale. We solved this issue, by changing the dimensions of the hexagons and redoing the steps that follow, which allowed for the final product to be made and look fantastic!

DOCUMENTING EVERYTHING...

Showcasing our efforts was the next step we took, as Mrs Waesch had really appreciated our work and wanted us to share our journey through a website. Therefore, we documented and written it down together, seen with this part of the website as well as gallery sections.

 

Also, we made another goal, to make an instructional video so individuals could know how to make it as well as, for them to know they are capable of making one themselves. With this mindset, we hoped that students will adopt a holistic appreciation towards mathematics and understand its potential towards the commercial world. Not only that, we hoped to engage students to apply their mathematical skills and concepts into practical and exciting tasks, which had turned into our new mission statement.

 

Hence, our experience with educating future students and teachers on how to make the Flextales had been a rollercoaster of fun, practicality and stress. When we were recording, we did not have adequate lighting and a stable camera shot to maximise the quality of the video. So, we had to improvise! We used our phones as a light source, where we had placed it at different angles as well as used it for recording. This was a result of our communication, teamwork and quick thinking abilities so good job to us for the resilience and we hope you have the same mindset whilst doing it yourselves!

EVALUATION...

This journey from the beginning to the end had made us realise the power and importance of this powerful learning experience, relating to Flextales.

 

We were in shock with the amount of people interested in the project, as we were able to present the early stages of the website to guests. They had been amazed by our journey and the way that Flextales has shaped our appreciation towards mathematics, as we realised that its knowledge can be applied into real life situations and jobs. It had given us insight on the amount of problem solving and critical thinking skills that is required, especially in architecture, interior design and artsy career paths which some of us are interested in! Not only that, we had the chance to talk to Melissa Silk, from STEAMpop, who had opened our eyes to the efforts taken for Flextales. She told us that she is still finding new ways continuously improve the Flextale, in order for it to be as successful as possible, by reviewing the needs for improvements. She had discussed all the different aspects added to the project with so much passion, that it struck a moment of realisation to us that Flextales has so much potential to do more. It also showcased a life lesson about the amount of effort and dedication we should also make in our future with our education and careers for success.

 

Furthermore, the pure satisfaction and accomplishment of piecing everything together and seeing the final product together with friends and teachers was extremely rewarding. Ultimately, thank you to Mrs Kaur and Mrs Waesch for the opportunity and good job to our Flextale team!

blah

Alexander Phan

Edward Truong

Huynh To

blah

Joanne Trieu

Nancy Diep

FLEXTALES TEAM
bottom of page