Author: Educational Journal

Education is the essence of peace!

Combinations

~ Educational Journal ~ Leave a comment

Where to start in Geometry? What age is the right one? How much does one need to pay attention to language? Again I think that children can and need to be trained in their visual understanding and additionally one can add the right words to what they see and obsreve. The earlier they learn to be able to express what is in front of them the better it is.

I see it now in the last year of elementry and in the first years of secondary how hard it is ti express properly and clearly what they see and most of all, what they have to do or are doing. SO language is essential and will help them to describe and explain…

If you can explain it, you know how to do it…

THINK INTERDISCIPLINARY 🙂

 

scan-schiebold-bis048

Geometry as a tool to strengthen logical thinking…

~ Educational Journal ~ Leave a comment

Geometry applied in the right way is a fantastic  tool to train logical thinking. already at an early stage, children can see and understand patterns. Often it is underestimated how a young brain can already understand structures infront of him or her.

So Geometry can help to train the brain. used in the right way, children will see this as something pleasing… geometry is esthetics. The eye likes symmetry and equal parts. One feels safe when the structure is even, balanced and logic. So children of all ages have comfort within geometry and if applied and shown right, it can be and is a springboard I.e. fractions.

screen-shot-2017-02-05-at-19-44-32

One should n ‘ t be scared to use metal insets and let the children explore. What are they able to create? What kind of symmetries will they make? One can halp to givr certain guidelines, like no crossing lines, the iset needs to always touch another line that was drawn, etc. The younger, of course, the simpler and for older children one can add a compass or ruler,… the options are countless.

I personally think that geometry is not given the right amount of attention in a classroom. I think as well that often the right connections, the interdisciplinary links are not made, yet one clearly does not go without the other.

I do agree that math has a very high standing and that it is important, yet when one would allow the children to dwell for longer periods of time in the geometrical realm; they will, and I mean all, profit on the long run.

Chris

…. Identity

~ Educational Journal ~ Leave a comment

The question that I have had during the last weeks was how to actually define and explain identity? We all agree, that from a biological point of view, it’ s easy to define, explain or distinguish identity, your identity and the identity of another.

Yet, what intrigued me was to find a way to go further in finding the essence of identity.

First of all, I started to look for a simple way to express “identity” and ended up with the simplest way of communication… pictograms.

Would one be able to express oneself’ identity with the help of pictograms?

screen-shot-2017-01-29-at-22-45-36

So first I need to find a way to understand, decide, decide, agree … where identity comes from and how it comes about.

I had the following thought…

Identity is linked to three basic and three additional factors.

  1. EDUCATION
  2. ENVIRONMENT
  3. FAMILY

Which create

  1. VALUES
  2. PHYSIQUE
  3. ORIENTATION

 

I created n image to make it clear.

screen-shot-2017-01-22-at-17-04-55

 

Based upon this guideline one can understand and classify ones own identity

Now coming back to my idea of pictograms.

If I follow these guidelines, I can in the simplest way show my identity.

On a historical note, Pictograms are the first way of communication in a “written” form to one and another.

To create an image with these guides, you eventually need to invent pictograms yourself, pictograms that meet or express your need. The list of the existing ones is long; there are many that could be used.

What I liked about this topic is that you have the opportunity to go back in time. To see where written communication had it’s beginning.

You probably think, where that has something to do with identity… Well, let’s say, it underlined and helped to be able to share, tell, explain and pass on ones own experiences that are linked to one’s own identity.

All in all, the topic identity linked with the story of writing is a unique opportunity to go back in time and investigate the creation of communication, writing and how it all came to be.

The story of the coming of life, the story of the hand, the story of numbers and writing are ideal stories to re-look upon again with children to lay a foundation to tackle the concept of identity. Additional you can talk about the fundamental needs of humans which will also open different paths towards a wider understanding of human evolution and development; reasons why and decisions that one has made, is doing or will do.

This is ideal for 6th grade elementary children, 1st and 2nd grade secondary.

Understanding and placing oneself in the global picture, is key and a nice eye-opener, helping children to ask the right questions about life, from the past to the present.

Chris