Language for numbers not necessary for numeracy skills
by Rich Bowden - Aug 19 2008, 20:59
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Studies into how people learn are essential to develop teaching processes and skills. The comment that the link between concept, language and numeracy is not 'obvious' except in hindsight, and to believe that diverting these studies would enhance other endeavours is simplistic and shows a didtinct lack of intellectual effort.
I applaud the researchers who have taken a step forward and shown that indiginous peoples are not less able to learn mathmatics than those from western societies. Perhaps now some teachers will put the same effort into teaching these students as those from more familar environments.
This sort of research on cognitive processes is of enormous importance to my teaching methodologies and the type of learning materials and objects that I would select in teaching maths.
On the basis of many reported observations I have long suspected that maths could be conceptualized and utilized without the employment of a rich vocabulary - however, it is always great to have such notions firmly supported by the type of fundamental research presented in the article above.
It would be great for students and teachers to appreciate that students should not be handicapped or made to feel incompetent in doing maths because of language difficulties.
As an educator I would dearly like to now see what sort of conceptual tools (concrete, symbolic etc) are most effective in learning maths.
I tend to agree - the notion of developing words for functions implies that you have an understanding of the function prior to the word.
Very funny stuff. Might I suggest we try this study on people who actually attend school v those who don't?
The first post makes a fair point. Surely the numerical language has developed to express a previously conceived concept, not the other way round. People did not come up with the word 'five' and fit a meaning to it afterwards. Hindsight is irrelevant, it's a rational step. I agree, there is no reason whatsoever to expect that language is necessary for numerical ability. Other species with much more limited language can do simple sums thereby illustrating numeracy. This study therefore doesn't tell us anything surprising and I'm not sure how this is supposed to affect teaching indigenous students. We must recognise language is still a critical part of communicating and thus teaching.
Indigenous students may have a difference of ability in mathematical learning, this study doesn't sound like it shows either way. Lets give the aboriginal children credit they have shown certainly they aren't below us in the grasping of numerical concepts at an early age and I have heard other of another study demonstrating that in actuality they posses increased spatial awareness.
Its simple and true enough to say that money not spent on uninformative studies like these could be better put to other uses (Perhaps not living on the moon anytime soon admittedly).
I imagine that words are not necessary for the most simple of arithmetic e.g quantity, as these can easily be displayed symbolically. Holding up a hand with the required number of fingers is enough to convey the information. However to get beyond simple addition and subtraction requires the use of language to convey the concepts that go with operation such as division and multiplication.
Great mathematicians see numbers and formulae as pictures because they have transcended our struggles with mathematics. When I truly understand something I 'see' it in my head as an overall image rather than as the component parts, but it takes a lot of language and understanding to achieve that in the first place.
Maybe this work may help in kindergarten, but I don't see much application beyond that.
You have to be able to write it down and read it to transfer the knowledge to others. There is no way back
W. Carter:
1. 'didtinct lack of intellectual effort'... how about lack of spell-checking effort? Or is that not intellectually challenging enough?
2. “I applaud the researchers who have taken a step forward and shown that indiginous peoples are not less able to learn mathmatics than those from western societies.”
Didn’t think study was set out to prove or disapprove this particular point. Did we read the same article, or was that in another dream-time?
Great article and very insightful. Aboriginals can read and write too. Good stuff...
Fascinating debate folks, thanks for your comments. I do tend towards the belief that certain functions such as maths are hard-wired into us and maybe this study backs this. I appreciate the confirmation given to us by above people who actually work in this field.
I also believe funding in this type of research is of paramount importance and hope the findings are put to good use in the education system.
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Ho TraAug 19th, 2008 - 23:34:36
Surely, you have to have a concept in your head *before* you need to come up with a word for it. So what does this really prove?
If we were to take founding out of thousands useless studies like these and divert them to space exploration, we would have had colonization of the Moon happening right now.
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