it’s effective and it’s fun
What has taken years to master, you’ll do it in weeks!
..and you’re wondering “who’s this guy that says children can master math facts in a few weeks?”
And it’s more frustrating when they start to fall behind and lose confidence in themselves, despite all the effort we make.
Now, picture next friday..
almost the end of the week and are you start to handle all the MMCs boxes you have among your students…
..Spliting the group in teams
They read, listen, and write stories..
And all this happens..
Ah! This is what I enjoy the most!
And when I give training, those certanly are the most funnny ones I have attended ƪ(ړײ)ƪ. Between practices, contests (MMC are games) and prizes with chocolats filled with liquor (–hey students, this is not true, eh? -), we discover and imagine what we can do in class.
When I am invited to schools, to observe and interact with teachers and students in a MMC session, it is very gratifying to see how all the children participate and get excited – and when the teacher makes me blush by introducing myself as “the inveeentooooooor” – ha, if they knew that I couldn’t remember how much 8×7 was).
But what I enjoy the most are all those anecdotes that they share with me. Like one of a school girl who loved the MMC of “The Ring” because it was the last memory that her grandmother had of her grandfather (and me with my thick face thinking that the little princess would like to have a diamond ring – seriously, sometimes I feel out of date). Or that other student who couldn’t learn any math, even using sticks ans fingers. As soon as he knew MMCs, he became the champion of his school zone.
I already know that the problem is in the method been used to learn. It is the unnatural way in which we try to memorize numbers and basic operations (we even have a hard time remembering a phone number that we were told 5 minutes ago).
Since mental calculation is so fundamental in the repertoire of knowledge that we all must have, why did everybody continue making manipulatives, books and songs, with the same model: repetition ad nauseam, boring and meaningless?
KNOW THE STORY
I almost made the same mistake with my own daughters.
Years ago, one of my daughters came in with her homework for the summer: learning math tables of 3 and 4.
… “3 for 1, three; 3 times 2, six; 3 times 3, nine … ” And I asked myself
“Really? there’s nothing new or more effective? Do we continue with the same way of learning as 2,500 years ago?”
I searched the Internet for a less boring and, above all, more effective alternative.
I couldn’t find anything.
I mean, nothing really useful.
The same songs, with different characters and rhythms. Materials and games with colors and drawings (but deep down it was the same mindless memorization effort)
I had forgotten the subject (and she had too), until the spark of the need for the unfinished task, very significant, important and transcendental for the rest of my daughter’s life, reminded me in the voice of my lovely wife “Hey you! Didn’t you say you were going to help the our daughter?! “
Just when I was getting ready to rest after a long day at work.(⊙_◎)
I grabbed a notebook and a pen; I was determined to design something that would make the task at least a little entertaining …
I couldn’t believe how simple and powerful what I had just drawn was.
Eight basic operations at a glance! The relationship between addition and subtraction and between multiplication and division clearly visible! notions of pre-algebra in front of my eyes !!
… the night was long looking on the internet if something like that already existed; if someone else in the whole world had come up with the same idea … and no one.
I couldn’t believe it. I had invented something!
I frantically began to draw all the MMCs. I eliminated the repetitions (if I already know how much 7 times 8 is, I don’t need the 8 times 7).
And centanly, I also don’t need to practice what is the result of multiplying by 1 or by 10.
Great!, my daughter needed to memorize only 36 MMCs.
But it still wasn’t enough. The circular figure with the 4 numbers was still cold and boring.
Mnemonics! Of course!. Stimulate the mind with pictures and phrases to facilitate memorization.
I know several methodologies, systems and computer languages…
.. I also build web pages (like this one you are browsing)…
…curious and passionate about neurolearning…
.. both my parents were teachers (one middle school was named after my father)…
..my name is Krupshupsky.
Now that you know a little bit about me and this life project,
If you want to talk about a project, send me a message.
And if we become friends, theres is a chance I tell you what my name means.
