Mathematics · Pedagogy of Mathematics

To introduce conic sections, a teacher brings actual plastic cones and thick sheets of paper. Students work in small groups, slicing the cones at different angles to produce circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas, tracing the shapes onto paper. They compare their cut-outs, discuss how changing the angle of the slice affects the shape, and attempt to relate each figure to familiar objects like satellite dishes or flashlight beams. Only after this hands-on exploration does the teacher introduce the standard equations and coordinate definitions for each conic. Which aspect of mathematics teaching is demonstrated by this approach?