Poem: "The Apprehension of Math"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem is spillover from the April 2, 2019 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles. It also fills the "apprehension" square in my 4-1-19 card for the School Days Bingo fest.


"The Apprehension of Math"


Some people find it easy
to learn the abstractions of math,
but for others, the grasp of math
lives only in their hands.

Trying to learn only from
numbers written on a page
leaves some students with
the apprehension of math
instead of understanding, and
so they soon come to dread it.

Turn the abstract concrete, though,
and more students can grasp it.

Maria Montessori began with
the Red Rods, graduated in length;
then the Number Rods, even blocks
alternating red and blue colors.

With these, students could feel
numbers in the form of blocks,
and come to understand
the concept of length.

Catherine Stern made
a set of colored rods by
staining wood in pretty colors.
She also made other tools
to complement them, like
trays and tracks on which
to arrange the rods.

Georges Cuisenaire
designed the réglettes,
each one centimeter longer
and painted a specific color,
illustrating the numbers
from one to ten.

He discovered that
even 'weak' students
could become strong
after using the rods.

Caleb Gattegno
popularized this set,
now knows as the
Cuisenaire rods.

Seton Pollock
improved those with
the Colour Factor system.
These rods went from
one to twelve, in colors
assigned by logic.

With tools like these,
any student can find
factors at their fingertips.

By manipulating the rods,
they discover that numbers
can be seen and manipulated.

This gives the tactile students
a whole new apprehension of math,
based not on disquiet but on capture.

* * *

Notes:

apprehension [ap-ri-hen-shuhn] noun
* anticipation of adversity or misfortune; suspicion or fear of future trouble or evil.
* the faculty or act of apprehending orunderstanding; perception on a direct and immediate level.
* acceptance of or receptivity to information without passing judgment on its validity, often without complete comprehension.
* a view, opinion, or idea on any subject.
* the act of arresting; seizure:
-- Dictionary.com

Maria Montessori used rods to represent numbers, including the Red Rods and red-and-blue Number Rods.

Catherine Stern made a set of rods with different colors to represent numbers, as part of the Stern Structural Arithmetic Kit.

Georges Cuisenaire invented the Cuisenaire rods, later popularized by Caleb Gattegno.

Seton Pollock introduced the Colour Factor system, with colors logically assigned to numbers.

Math manipulatives can improve understanding in many ways. Here are some manipulatives for sale and possible uses. You can make your own math manipulatives and assemble a kit.

Comments

[technoshaman]

Oh, wow, I remember Cuisenaire rods! man, that's been a LONG time.

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Lucky you.

[siliconshaman]

Ditto, I think it was at that point I literally grasped the concept of maths.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Manipulatives are very helpful, and I wish people would use them more.

Re: Yes ...

[siliconshaman]

Agreed, I mean, it's generally agreed that at the age when basic maths is taught to children, they have yet to develop the cognitive capability to fully understand abstract concepts. Which seems sorta.. stupid.. really. You are literally trying to teach them something they don't physically have the ability to understand.

Using something to turn abstract concepts into something they can hold in their hand makes way more sense.

[elinox]

Being one of those people who math dislikes, this was great! And I had no idea there were tactile tools someone could use to better understand numbers.

Grammar correction? "now knows as the" should be 'known'. ;)

[acelightning]

None of those learning tools were present in a suburban American public school in 1953. I might not have flunked out of being a physics major ten years later if they had been.

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm sure I would've done better with concrete options.

Re: Well ...

[acelightning]

I know I would have done better with concrete representations - that's still the way I learn most easily. But numbers and the ways people have invented for manipulating them only cause me severe apprehension. And, because of the stroke, I've lost whatever shreds of mathematical ability I once managed to accquire.<br?

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That sucks.

If you have a backup person for math, you might find it helpful to carry a card that says something like, "Math is hard for me. (Backup person) helps me with math." Sometimes it'll make people shut up and leave you alone when they're trying to push you into something you can't (or shouldn't) do.

Re: Well ...

[acelightning]

My backup person (my husband, who is excellent at math) isn't always with me. I need an AI that will fit in my purse.