Number 50 of 52 Lifelong Communication Lessons: Communicating numbers visually
December 14, 2015 |
| WWF founder, Peter Scott visits Chi Chi the panda - His inspiration for the WWF logo. (Photo Credit: WWF) |
The year was 1961.
World Wide Fund for Nature (World Wildlife Fund in Canada) starts as does the U.S. Peace Corps. Pampers disposable diaper makes its debut. In Vancouver, the Carol Ships tradition begins.
In the 60's there seemed to be a lot of new ideas about education. In my first few years of school I was part of an experiment with Cuisenaire Rods. These were little blocks of wood, brightly coloured and sized to represent numbers one through ten.
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| Cuisenaire Rods |
I loved them. As a visual learner this made math come to life for me. You could see how the ten little white ones added up to the large orange ten. It all made sense when I could see them in action... and you got to play with the rods after your arithmetic quizzes. We would build towers and imaginary vehicles with the rods.
We had a huge table (probably only 6 feet but it seemed massive to me) with this baby blue corduroy cover with a mound of the rods scattered all over. I would jump out of my seat for the math lesson and race to the table. Nothing else in school inspired me like that. I hated MacLean's method of cursive writing. Being a leftie, the right handed "perfect" form of each letter did not work for me. This was the only subject I failed and it felt highly unfair. Plus, it was repetitive and boring. History books were dry with very few visuals and most other subjects held little interest for my curious, picture-starved mind. I did enjoy art class but had trouble staying within the lines and following the rules.
The math however was fun and held my interest. They took a group of us little ones out to the local university to show off our analytical ability. We truly understood the numbers and what made sense. Check out how they use the rods on smart boards today.
We know that learning something in a new, exciting way feeds our dopamine (that chemical that gets released in our brains to make us feel good). It has also been described as the "save" button enabling us to retain what we learn. When it is dry and the rote type of memory learning, it goes through my head like a sieve.
Think of the stories that stick in your head or that amazing teacher who inspired you. I am not a big math fanatic but I know what makes sense and how to read a balance sheet. Thank Georges Cuisenaire for recognizing kids like to have fun while they learn.
Communication Lessons:
- Know that children and adults can learn while having fun.
- Be thankful for the adventurous, creative people in the world dedicated to making learning work for all brain types.
- Be thankful for computers when you have lousy handwriting. H.B. MacLean, you lose.
Fast Forward to 2015:
Check out this visual message on St. Peter's Basilica. Fascinating way to learn and communicate a message about climate change.
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