Rubik’s Cube Solving Workshops in Remote Learning

Abstract

The Rubik’s cube is an engaging and intuitive puzzle. It can bring new possibilities to the teaching and learning of mathematics, especially in geometry, combinatorial analysis, and probability. The Rubik’s cube still needs to be explored in mathematics classes. This report examines the dynamics of Rubik’s Cube solving workshops conducted with high school students and teachers from a public school in the Metropolitan Region of Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. The workshops were held virtually through synchronous meetings. The experience showed that it is possible to work on solving the Rubik’s cube remotely, and the workshop participants maintained focus and interest throughout the interaction process. However, it is necessary to consider some challenges, such as more time to clarify doubts due to the specificities of virtual communication and camera projection. It was concluded that holding Rubik's cube-solving workshops virtually is powerful for reaching more participants. The participants understood the method for solving the Rubik’s cube and reflected on some geometric concepts related to the cube, such as face and edge. In addition, participants also reflected on the idea of combination in the stage of closing the third layer of the cube. It is essential to highlight that the experience resulted in teaching material available for free on YouTube. It can be accessed by other professionals who wish to carry out a similar experiment.