Unit 5: Vocabulary (Continued)

IMPORTANT WORDS AND PHRASES:

end to end

train

pattern

big

small

side by side

above

below

long

short

All children need to know this vocabulary. 

For young children it can be introduced during FREE PLAY or DIRECTED  ACTIVITIES. 

Because young children are more naturally kinesthetic learners introducing the vocabulary this way will ensure they understand and retain  it. 

This is also true for older children or adults who, for whatever reason, did not understand these concepts the first time around. 

Adults have found this approach very liberating especially as, often for the first time, they are able to ‘see’ patterns and relationships that traditional teaching methods had ’hidden’ from them.      

“I hear and I forget,

I see and I remember

I do and I understand.” 

Chinese Proverb     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This is the monthly announcement by our sponsor, the Columbia-Inland Corporation. If your child can benefit from the Power Pumper, please remember that funding sources are available to provide free Power Pumpers in your area.  Click below for more information:

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  • Rehabilitation – Encourages normal movement in upper and lower extremities.
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More information about our sponsor:

The Columbia-Inland Corporation manufactures the Power Pumper.  The Power Pumper is a “cool-looking” physical therapy device which has been proven useful to children with special healthcare needs. It is being used successfully with children who have autism, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, brain injuries, hemiplegia, brachial plexus injuries, and many others.  The Power Pumper improves strength, coordination, bilateral integration, vestibular (movement) processing, proprioceptive (heavy input to muscles and joints) processing, body awareness, and directionality.

Compared to a regular bicycle, the Power Pumper focuses more on upper body strength, rather than lower body.  Additionally, it provides enough stability for those children with balance dysfunction to allow independence that is not achieved with other wheeled equipment.  For many children, riding the Power Pumper increases their self-confidence; since this is the first time they are able to ride a “bike” independently. 

If any of you are interested in getting one for your child, you can visit their website using the link below for more information.
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Thanks

Phil Rowlands

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Unit 4: Vocabulary

  

VOCABULARY – ALGEBRA BEFORE ARITHMETIC

The program introduces children to  algebra before arithmetic.

This is because number is an abstract  concept and difficult for young children to grasp.

It is easier for children to learn  basic math concepts via algebra before being Introduced to number.

When number is eventually introduced for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, children have no problem  because the concepts are already familiar to them.

Young children can be introduced to the vocabulary over a period of time.

Older children will grasp it very quickly. 

Young children are quick to understand that :

o represents orange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They will eventually write ‘sentences’ or equations they have made and can visualize in their head. 

e g   t + r = o

Later they will have no problem exchanging ‘number names’ for ‘letter names’.

 e g  8 + 2 – 10

Visualizing or mental imaging is just one of the abilities the brain possesses and needs to be encouraged and developed.

 

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The Power Pumper is an innovative, award-winning, therapeutic mobility device for children from ages five to eleven. Its unique pumping action provides movement for both upper and lower extremities, and helps build trunk muscles. The Power Pumper is used in therapy and physical education activities for building endurance and muscle development.

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Unit 3: Incidental Learning

 

INCIDENTAL OR NON-CONSCIOUS LEARNING

Most of our learning is non-conscious.

Schools make use of displays to communicate information to children.

This kind of ‘information immersion’  is used to good effect by advertisers. Just think how easily children ‘learn’ a tune or pop-song. 

Whilst ‘playing’ with the rods children will have made many important discoveries:

1. Rods of the same color are also equal in  length.

2. Rods of the same length are equal in color. 

3. Rods of different colors have different lengths.

  

 

 

 

 

 

4. It is possible to make equal lengths by putting some rods end to end.

In this way  children will begin to acquire their number bonds without even realizing it.

e g  10 = 4 + 6 = 2 + 8 = 7 + 3 = 9 + 1 

At a later stage, when they are asked what two numbers make ten,  children will be able to visualize the pattern for ten. 

Fingers will definitely not be needed!

 

 

 

 

 

Observe children and you may see them beginning to organize their work.

The pattern below reveals an understanding of the commutative property of addition.

 

 

 

 

 

8 = 5 + 3 = 3 + 5


 

 

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Unit 2. Cuisenaire Rods and the School Curriculum

 

HOW DOES THIS  FIT IN WITH THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM?

The programme teaches universal math concepts in a way that is totally child-centered.

Children discover math is creative and fun.

Concepts are discovered through play, games and open-ended challenges

The program is designed to compliment  the way children learn best and because of this children’s learning is invariably accelerated compared to children exposed to more traditional and formal methods.

Math need no longer be a source of stress and conflict in the home.

  

HOW DO I START?

Just give the rods to a child of any age and he/she will do what they do best – play.

Play is one of the most powerful motivational forces in the world.

Learning should always be fun – structured, but fun.

Most of our learning is non-conscious and incidental.

Play is the harvesting of experience that will feed the growth of the child’s understanding and further development.

PLAY CREATES A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

Directed activities can be introduced  alongside free play to reflect  children’s particular interests.

 There are no limits to the possibilities.

Create your own star ship.

Play stimulates that most important  attribute of the brain – imagination.

 

Next Post: Unit 3: Incidental Learning

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Unit 1: About Cuisenaire Rods

Hello and welcome to Unit 1 and the first step on a journey of discovery with your child.

Before You Start – Points To Remember:

  • Play is the most important ingredient of this programme.  Children should always be given plenty of opportunity to play with the rods.
  • Color names and commonly used words and phrases can be introduced incidentally while you play with your child.
  • Stimulate your child’s imagination by asking him to create something with the rods like ‘Noddy’s house’ or ‘Old MacDonald’s farm’ (directed activities).
  • The signs are simply introduced to help explain what your child is doing more succinctly e.g. ‘plus’ instead of ‘end to end’.
  • I suggest you work through the first 26 units sequentially at your child’s pace always ensuring the most time is spent on play.
  • Afterwards treat the Units as items on a menu but any new concept should always be introduced as a game or challenge to which there are many possible solutions.
  • If you wish to access a virtual version of the rods  we have now created our own math manipulatives software that is now available with the complete program for immediate download at www.helpyourchildsucceed.com/mathbook.htm

UNIT 1: About Cuisenaire Rods

WHY CUISENAIRE RODS? 

They are simply the best tool available for introducing and teaching Math to children (and adults) of all ages.

Developments within brain-based research confirm the rods as having many of the essential attributes to ensure  children learn as effectively as they can.

They are particularly effective for all  types of learners: visual, auditory and kinesthetic (hands-on).

 CUISENAIRE RODS
 

The rods are simply cuboids of colored wood or plastic.

The smallest, white, is a 1 cm cube.

The longest, orange, is a 10 cm long cuboid.

Just like a piano – once the basics have been mastered the rods hold within themselves infinite mathematical possibilities.

Children of all ages benefit from using the rods. They stimulate insight and understanding from the basic concept of equivalence to Pythagoras‘ Theorem.

This approach can be followed alongside any scheme of work.

It is the perfect programme for  introducing math to children at home or  school.

Color – A greater stimulus for memory recall than verbal  cues or objects.

Imagination – Albert Einstein imagined himself  travelling on a sunbeam and the theory of relativity was born.    

 

  

Imaging – 90% of all information that comes to our brain is visual.

Manual Dexterity – Constant manipulation of the fingers has a positive impact on the mind.

The Big Picture – Children need the global overview Cuisenaire rods provide naturally.

NEXT: Unit 2 - Cuisenaire Rods and the School Curriculum. 

 

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Video Preview: “Ensure Your Child Succeeds At Math”

Please share this video preview with anyone you think may be interested via  the TELL A FRIEND link below .

Each week I will post a new Unit or two.  The complete course will be delivered this way.                                                                                                                                                    Please ignore the website link at the end of this video as it is no longer valid.

I would really appreciate any comments or observations you wish to make as I am always looking to improve and refine any learning programs I develop.

Thanks in advance for your co-operation.

I sincerely hope you will find this program helpful in supporting your child’s  learning.

Phil Rowlands

Parenting Blogs

 

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Common Misconceptions and Objections

wistfulgirl

1. Will my child become dependent on Cuisenaire rods?
Quite the reverse!
Cuisenaire rods are not some cumbersome calculating machine. They literally enable children to ’see’ and grasp mathematical concepts and relationships. This empowers children to move more quickly from concrete situations to abstract thought processes. This is explained more fully in our program.

2. My child’s school doesn’t use the rods.
A shame, but it doesn’t matter.
Remember the program does not teach about the rods it teaches math through the rods. If you are looking for a home-school program then I do not believe you will find a better one. If you simply want to support your child at home then why not do it in the most effective, fun way possible.

3. I’m no good at math. How could I possibly help my child?
Surprise yourself! You are actually much better than you think.

 Most of use have problems with math because we were rushed into the formal setting of ‘doing sums’ before we ever understood the underlying concepts.
I have used this program with parents convinced they were useless at math. They discovered, to their amazement they weren’t. They were even more surprised to find they enjoyed it!

4. My child has to sit state sponsored exams.

See question 2.

It really doesn’t matter what exam your child has to sit or who sets it. What your child will learn through the program are universal math concepts that apply to any situation or exam setting.

O

k so I’m biased.

I have after all invested a lot of time and energy in creating this program so of course I want you to invest in it too! But trust me I wouldn’t have persisted for so long unless I absolutely believed in what I was doing. There are far simpler ways of trying to make money than by creating and selling a math program and that is not the reason I created it in the first place! 

I am passionately committed to providing children, parents and teachers with the most effective learning material available. Anyone who invests in Ensure Your Child Succeeds At Math can be assured of my ongoing support. Just email me at phil@listenwithus.net and I will respond ASAP. That’s my small commitment to helping you and your child on your journey of discovery together.

I much appreciate your company.

Phil Rowlands

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If you are interested in investing in Ensure Your Child Succeeds At Math DO NOTHING.

 Over the next few weeks I will post the first ten Units for you to read and maybe attempt with your child.

The next post will also include a video overview of the program. If you decide it is for you I will supply you with the details of how to get hold of the complete program.

WARNING! - Unfortunately it’s not for everyone!  With this in mind I would really appreciate your comments.

Could you also use the TELLAFRIEND feature to notify anyone you may feel is interested in the program.

THANKS

  

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REASON 5: The Dominance Of Negative Vocabulary In The Math Lesson

 

wistfulgirl

 “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.”

                                                                                       Solomon

 

“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.”

              James Allen

 

“If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

                                                                                            Henry Ford

 

 

M

ath classes can be dominated by negativity.

If a vote was taken to elect the two most negative words in the world I feel pretty sure that ‘wrong’ and ‘no’ would be streets ahead. Everyone hates to be told they’re wrong and nobody likes to be said ‘no’ to. Yet the traditional math lesson is a breeding ground for these two words.

How many times does a child have to be told they’re wrong or how many sums have to be marked with  ‘x’ before the thought filters down deep into the subconscious and the child says to himself, “I’m useless at this”!”

 

Highly successful internet businessman Ted Nicholas places the importance of self-talk in a wider context in his book ‘Billion Dollar Marketing’. “As we think in words, the real key to success and happiness lies within the words you choose for your “self-talk.” The implications of this personal dialogue are enormous.”

 

W

ords affect the way we think and act.

Words spoken by someone perceived to be an authority figure carry even more weight. Children are particularly vulnerable to the shaping power of words. Words affect the way we think and act. They influence our emotional state, the most important state for learning. Many children’s lives have been blighted by a thoughtless or careless remark they have secretly carried with them all their lives.

It is a sobering thought that we are indeed the authors of our own destiny. Many of our actions are based on habits that spring from deep within our sub-conscious mind. How do they get there? We put them there ourselves or allow others to do so. Everyone who is responsible for or who has authority over children should consider their words very carefully. Our sub-conscious accepts what it is told uncritically. We need to be very careful what seeds of self-talk we sow in our children’s minds.

B

ut math is all about right or wrong, right?

Wrong!

As French philosopher Bachelard once said, “There are no first truths, only errors.” Edison was someone who would have agreed wholeheartedly with that statement. It has been said he engaged in over 1000 unsuccessful experiments before finally inventing the electric light bulb. It is this spirit of enquiry and persistence that is the key to achieving anything worthwhile. This is no less true of math.

Children freed to explore and discover for themselves will inevitably adopt the scientific approach of trial and error. Self-discovery is the most effective kind of learning and children will delight in the process. Computations will hold no fear for them and they will adapt easily to different processes as and when required.

Children introduced to math through the program Ensure Your Child Succeeds At Math will be guided by these principles and this will also allow you the opportunity to encourage and praise their efforts every step of the way.

F

eed your child a diet of positive talk!

There are words we can use to activate our child’s abilities. We can, by use of specific words, choose which abilities to activate. If we model positive talk our children will unconsciously copy it. Your child will reap the emotional, physical and spiritual development.

Phrases that have a powerful and positive impact include:

“Yes!”

“Yes but . . !”

“Yes when. . !”

“That’s wonderful!”

“That’s interesting!”

“Imagine.”

“Imagine you are . . .”

“That’s unusual . . .”

“I admire the way you . . .”

“Ah yes!”

“I am feeling . . .”

“Feel . . . “

This is a whole learning area in itself, but if we can teach our children to feel good about themselves, even in the math class, if we can show them how to talk themselves up, then they will be better equipped to handle the inevitable put-downs life throws our way.  People’s lives often turn on a thoughtless, callous or ignorant remark that is allowed to penetrate deep into their being. That’s tragic.

Thanks for listening.

There is one more email. Yes, I know that makes six!

It deals with the most common objections people have raised for not adopting the program – really there isn’t a valid one.

Thank you for you company.

Phil Rowlands

  

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Reason 4:The Most Complete Math Model In The World Is Under Used

 wistfulgirl

“Children possess a far greater capacity for mathematics than has been granted them hitherto.
 As soon as a favourable pedagogical climate is produced what today seems extraordinary will be done simply as a matter of course.”
 

Madeleine Goutard ‘Mathematics and Children’ 1964

 

 

G

eorge Cuisenaire was perplexed.

 Why did children find it so difficult to learn math?

His solution to the problem was to invent the most complete math model ever devised. It consisted of a set of colored cuboids of wood ranging in size from a 1cm cube to a 10cm cuboid.

In 1953 Caleb Gattegno met Belgian schoolteacher Cuisenaire and immediately recognized the potential of the rods to allow learners to investigate mathematics for themselves at every level of development.

He realized that the rods provided teachers with a means for making the lesson a personal investigation of mathematics for every child. His subsequent work with children convinced him and others wherever he went that all children have a latent ability which, in classroom situations where the rods are used and where teaching is learner centered, can yield truly remarkable results.

S

o why aren’t the rods used in schools today?

The answer is, in a large percentage of schools they probably are. Unfortunately more often than not they are employed in piece-meal fashion to introduce concepts like fractions in isolation. The true potential of the rods is rarely recognized. It’s like owning a Porsche and never getting it out of second gear – not that I would know personally!

Unlike computers, Cuisenaire rods never crash, don’t get overtaken by new technology and are truly interactive. What’s more Cuisenaire rods are virtually indestructible. Their genius is in their simplicity. Like a piano, once the basics have been mastered it is possible to create an infinite variety of math shapes, patterns and equations.

There are many excellent publications available on how to use the rods unfortunately most focus on a specific aspect of math and those that do not are not really very reader friendly and get ignored.

F

acing the challenge.

Unhappy with the standard of math teaching in my school I challenged my teachers to change the way they taught. They responded with a challenge of their own, “Show us how?” For ten years I immersed myself in research and development of a math program that would ensure children acquired not only the concepts of math but a love for the subject. The result was ‘Ensure Your Child Succeeds At Math’.

One of my most treasured memories was seeing a mother, convinced she was a lost cause when it came to math, almost in tears as she realised that she was actually ‘good at math’ having undergone a six week workshop based on the program. Her confidence levels rose and shortly afterwards she enrolled in college and has since obtained a degree.

Success is as powerful an influence on our lives as failure. The self esteem she experienced through mastering her ‘weakest’ subject overflowed into every area of her life. Isn’t that what we want for our children?

G

et your child in the flow.

The nature of Cuisenaire rods allows for open ended tasks and problem-setting that enables your child to develop at his/her optimum learning level – what Csikszentmihalyi describes as the ‘flow state’. Ensure Your Child Succeeds At Math embodies this principle and is supported by 50 animated instructional sequences. Children frequently become so absorbed in whatever they are engaged in creating with the rods that they are oblivious to everything around them.

Cuisenaire rods reign supreme among math manipulatives. It is a tragedy for our children they are not more widely used and understood in schools generally. One of the ‘hidden’ benefits of using Cuisenaire rods is the enriched sensory stimulation your child receives through plenty of handling and touching. Infants who receive enriched sensory stimulation become more mentally alert and physically stronger. 

Neurobiologists Shatz at UC Berkeley and Jacobs at UCLA confirm this fact.

B

rain-friendly learning for your child.

One of the brain’s abilities is the capacity to recognize color.

Color creates an emotional response. Imagine visiting London and trying to make sense of the underground system if the map were in black and white and not color coded. Using Cuisenaire rods children can be introduced to basic math concepts before having to cope with numbers. Number is itself an abstract concept and difficult to grasp. Caleb Gattegno called this approach ‘algebra before arithmetic’.

In his book ‘The Learning Brain’ Eric Jenson states that 75% of teachers are sequential analytical presenters. Unfortunately 70% of their students do not learn in that way. He suggests that a better method would be to start with a global overview or ‘big picture’ and then move to a more sequential approach. Cuisenaire rods lend themselves perfectly to this method and is reflected in Ensure Your Child Succeeds At Math. Cuisenaire rods will become your child’s window on a rich landscape of pattern and relationships.  

Not all of us learn in exactly the same way.
Basically we are either predominantly: visual, auditory, kinesthetic or tactile learners.

Ensure Your Child Succeeds At  Math  combines these four learning styles perfectly. Young children are strongly tactile learners as are many boys who benefit from a ‘hands on’ learning program.  Visual learners will respond to the color of pattern and relationships revealed by Cuisenaire rods.  The program is task-driven and the emphasis upon questions to instigate open-ended tasks will appeal to auditory learners. The very nature of the program creates an environment kinesthetic learners will thrive in.

E

nsure Your Child Succeeds At Math offers you a unique window of opportunity that may never open again.

 It is an opportunity that reaches far beyond the limits of one particular subject. An opportunity that allows you to directly influence the most powerful ability your child possesses for good or ill. Sadly in the math class, because of one little word, it is usually for ill. An opportunity you cannot afford to miss.

All will be revealed tomorrow.

See you then,

Phil Rowlands

  

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REASON 3: We Ignore This Learning Style At Our Peril

wistfulgirl

 

REASON 3: We Ignore This Learning Style At Our Peril

 

 

“I hear and I forget,

I see and I remember,

I do and I understand.”              

                                                          Chinese Proverb

 

 

T

here is one learning style that is absolutely essential if young children are to learn effectively.

Children demonstrate their love of this approach on a daily basis often to the accompaniment of hair being torn out by frustrated parents. Young children are ‘hands on’ learners. Nothing is usually too hot or too heavy. This tactile approach to life in general is their way of discovering and processing information about the world around them.

 

 “Children are born true scientists. They spontaneously experiment and experience and re-experience again. They select, combine, and test, seeking to find order in their experiences – “which is the mostest? which is the leastest? They smell, taste, bite, and touch-test for hardness, softness, springiness, roughness, smoothness, coldness, warmness: they heft, shake, punch, squeeze, push, crush, rub, and try to pull things apart.”

(R. Buckminster Fuller)

 

 

 

P

lay is how children utilize this particular learning style.

Play is one of the most powerful vehicles for facilitating learning. When you play with your child you are demonstrating how much you value them and enjoy their company. This helps build self-esteem and many studies now reveal that children with high emotional intelligence will outperform children with higher IQ but lower self esteem.

In the UK questions are being asked regarding whether children are given enough time to simply play. The pattern seems to be that children are given more time to play during their early years in school but towards the middle years a more formal approach dominates their school day. Emeritus Professor Barbara Prashnig argues that the tendency for state education to focus on a more formal, left-brain orientated approach to learning can have disastrous implications for a significant percentage of children, particularly boys, who tend to be predominantly tactile learners.

These children often rebel against a system that has failed to accommodate their needs and a small but significant minority can exert a disproportionately disruptive influence within schools before eventually disengaging with the formal learning process altogether. This, asserts Professor Prashnig, has serious implications for us all.

Craig Ramey of the University of Alabama appears to provide compelling evidence in support of this theory.

Seventy-five percent of all imprisoned males in America have poor school records and low IQs,” Ramey pointed out. “Tracing their backgrounds turns up a familiar pattern: They begin as children from disadvantaged families starting school academically behind. They don’t know how to read or do basic math because they are in poor systems they get little help. Growing frustration often turns into truancy, school failure, aggression and violence. . .”

(Ronald Kotulak quotes Craig Ramey of the University of Alabama in his book ‘Inside the Brain’)

F

ailure to engage these men at a young age has proved disastrous for them and the communities they live in.

 But this is not an issue confined to the USA. In the Forbury district of Dunedin in New Zealand, Barbara Prashnig has been overseeing a radical experiment. The local school was on the verge of anarchy. In desperation the local education authority turned to Professor Prashnig for help. Her immediate response was to request a complete change of staff. New staff would be trained in delivering the curriculum in a variety of teaching styles suited to the individual needs of the learner. 

I was privileged to spend a fortnight at the school observing Headteacher Janis Tofia and her staff successfully meeting the considerable challenges posed by a badly failing school in an area where gang culture is a fact of life. If these methods can work in that situation they can work anywhere.

M

any teachers do not appear to know how to harness the power of play to effectively lead children to an understanding of math concepts.

This is hardly surprising as teachers strive to meet externally imposed targets with little emphasis or guidance given on how to implement play based learning in the math class. The text book and worksheet rule the day. Until schools are allowed more freedom to adopt a more child-centered approach children will continue to struggle in math and many will ultimately disengage from learning altogether. Is this the fate your child could face [[Firstname]]? More to the point, are you prepared to take that risk?

I believe the program I have created can solve the problem of how to teach math concepts through play.  It provides a clear and progressive framework but also needs the commitment of a parent or teacher to guide, direct and pose the challenges that will create a stimulating, stress free but highly challenging learning environment.

Are you ready to make that commitment? If you are you may be as surprised to discover just as I did that learning math can be extremely fulfilling on many levels.

I really hope you are still with as tomorrow as we take a close look at the math model your child will need to play with every day.

Best wishes,

Phil Rowlands

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