ABSTRACT
In this paper, we show how origami can be a very effective aid in guiding students in grades K-8 through the first three van Hiele [4, 9] levels of geometric understanding (visualization, analysis, and abstraction/informal deduction) that are crucial for success in subsequent studies at the formal deduction level in high-school geometry and rigor in later university studies. We also propose origami-mathematics activities in which students relate key dimensions and angles of a folded model to the mathematical details of the model crease pattern, and show that these activities strongly support mainstream mathematics standards. These standards are typically
classified under the headings of number and operation, algebra, geometry, and measurement/data analysis/probability. (See [5] for recently proposed key focal points of the K-8 mathematics curriculum.) The limited length of this paper allows only a cursory presentation of the many ways in which origami can enhance mathematics education.
