Commentary by Pooi To Middle School Grade 9 students Konstanz Choi Chi Iao, Wong Wai Cheng, and Long Hio Kei
The Maths Comic Contest hosted by Kyoto Computer Gakuin recently concluded with great success! A group of creative students from Macau Pooi To Middle School stood out from the crowd with their highly imaginative maths comics, bringing home an impressive total of 3 First Prizes, 4 Second Prizes, and 5 Third Prizes. This outstanding achievement reflects the dedicated efforts of both teachers and students in exploring the “visual storytelling of maths” in our science education.
Breaking the “Boring Maths” Stereotype with Adventurous Plots
During the preparation phase, our teachers give a core direction with the participants: “A maths comic isn’t just about directly copying theorems into panels. It requires breaking down the mathematical thinking process step-by-step through the characters’ adventures. Only then can we shatter the stereotype that maths is boring.”
Teachers emphasised the importance of building a captivating story to engage readers while accurately handling mathematical logic. The plot progression and mathematical reasoning had to go hand in hand, ensuring that maths concepts were never twisted just for the sake of visual effects. This golden rule became the guiding principle for our students and earned high praise from the competition’s judges.
When Maths Meets Comic Storytelling
For this contest, Pooi To students closely followed the theme of “Maths in Daily Life”, cleverly weaving geometric shapes, sequence patterns, and maths theorems they had learnt in class into original storylines. From a protagonist breaking into a Geometry Kingdom to solve puzzles to time-travelling to uncover hidden sequence codes, students transformed abstract mathematical rules into thrilling, continuous adventures.
Using detailed storyboards and rich visual compositions, their works maintained the engaging nature of comics while making maths concepts crystal clear. This allowed readers to solve maths puzzles alongside the main characters. Ultimately, several students claimed top honours thanks to their accurate mathematical expressions and unique art styles.
Expert Feedback and Student Voices
At the event, a professor introduced the history of Japanese manga, highlighting its unique value as a medium for popular science. He then took the time to review every single comic submitted by our students, providing detailed feedback on their story concepts, visual expressions, and the way they interpreted mathematical knowledge. During the award ceremony, the professor personally presented the prizes, highly praising our students for their seamless integration of maths and comics.
Our award-winning schoolmates were eager to give their thoughts. Choi Chi Iao, who won a Third Prize, said, “I’m so happy to win this time! I will keep exploring how to combine maths and comics to create even more interesting works.”
Wong Wai Cheng, a Second Prize winner, expressed her gratitude: “I really appreciate the professor’s detailed comments. This experience has truly inspired my creativity, and I will definitely continue to dig into the endless fun of maths in the future.”
This success is not only a recognition of our students’ artistic and mathematical talents but also a testament to the effectiveness of our school’s “Subject Knowledge + Artistic Storytelling” teaching approach. Moving forward, the school will continue to promote creative maths and science activities, encouraging everyone to discover more innovative ways to make learning maths both imaginative and logical!
Photos taken during the Maths Comic Contest hosted by Kyoto Computer Gakuin (“College” in Japanese) recently. – Photos courtesy of Pooi To Middle School
