MANSFIELD – The Mansfield Partners in Education Team, comprised of the Renaissance Performing Arts Association, the Mansfield Art Center, and Mansfield City Schools, will host a free professional development workshop for educators and administrators on Tuesday, April 1, at the Renaissance Theatre.
This engaging and interactive session, Folding Fractions: Origami and Math with Kuniko Yamamoto, will be led by award-winning theatre performer and teaching artist Kuniko Yamamoto.
This workshop is designed for primary, intermediate, and middle grades educators (K-8) and will explore how the traditional Japanese art of origami can help students visualize and understand mathematical concepts such as shapes, angles, and fractions.
Origami is not just an art form — it plays a crucial role in fields like mathematics, engineering, and science, where crease patterns inspire cutting-edge innovations.
Through hands-on activities, educators will learn practical strategies to integrate origami into their lessons, making math vocabulary more accessible and fractions more intuitive.
A native of Japan, Kuniko Yamamoto will also weave cultural insights and interactive math games into the session, ensuring a dynamic and enriching experience for all participants.
Her unique approach fosters engagement and cross-cultural understanding, offering teachers an innovative way to bring creativity into their classrooms.
The workshop will take place from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Theatre. Registration is free and open to all area teachers and school administrators.
Participants will gain contact hours toward Continuing Education Credits (CEUs). For more information or to register, visit rentickets.org.
About Kuniko Yamamoto
Kuniko Yamamoto, a native of Japan and an award-winning theatre performer and artist, came to the United States in 1985 to study theatre.
For over two decades, she has captivated audiences with her solo performances, including Japanese Storytelling with Magical Mask, Mime, and Music and Origami Tales, at renowned venues such as Disney Epcot Center, The Kennedy Center, and the National Storytelling Festival.
As a dedicated teaching artist, Kuniko has inspired and educated students in over 2,000 schools and colleges with her innovative Origami & Math workshops. The Tampa Tribune praises her as a “Magical Teacher!”
About the Mansfield Partners in Education Team
The Partners in Education program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts supports professional learning in the arts for educators.
The Mansfield team, inducted in 2010, is one of fewer than 100 partnership sites nationwide and includes the Renaissance Performing Arts Association, the Mansfield Art Center, and Mansfield City Schools.
Sponsors
This workshop is made possible through the generous support of Cleveland Financial Group — Charles P. Hahn, CFP, and the Ohio Arts Council.
The Renaissance Theatre is located at 138 Park Avenue West, Mansfield, Ohio.
For additional information on events and programs, visit rentickets.org. For questions related to the Kennedy Center Professional Development Workshops, contact Renaissance Education Director Dauphne Maloney at dauphne@mansfieldtickets.com.