Part Nine – The Sigma Σ and the Omega Ω

Part Nine – The Sigma Σ and the Omega Ω

A solid and strong foundation is vital to building anything of lasting value.

The idea here is to learn a new method of evaluating a given educational experience and/or program to, in the very least improve, and in some cases, correct, that which is just not working.  Or, the majority of students within a class are mostly failing, when the retention of the curricula is tested.  Meaningful gain in knowledge is, it would seem, not occurring.

From the Greek, English speakers, if not ALL mathematicians who utilize the Greek alphabet, do so because certain symbols taken from that symbol system, are, or can be, ascribed with meaning beyond the single symbol itself.  Σ (Sigma Major) is used to say, “the sum of all parts” within a given broader calculation.  It is, then, a sort of shorthand and not really something magical – nothing more than accepted shorthand.  Ω (Omega Major) would indicate the last, or final outcome of a given calculation; in some instances Omega Major is also used to indicate the highest state of any given concept.

In my own usage here, and yes, I do have the option of ascribing my own meanings to symbols, if I remain consistent within my own designated system.  I feel the need to be clear.  In that, I use Ω Omega as both the highest state and the end goal we (all us educators, as it were) are attempting to achieve.  In calculating the various inner systems, or workings, of each calculation are given the requisite sub-sets, such as the Audio stimuli and/or the Emotive stimuli.  And, of course, each of these sub-sets, or workings, have a Sigma Σ, or the sum of all parts within in sub-set calculation.

What is the goal?  Is it to achieve the greatest volume of facts within what is called “Long Term Memory”?  I see this as kind of pointless, if that is the goal.  What I refer to as “The Omega Mind”, is workable knowledge.  Workable Knowledge is a combination of memory and practical application of those memories - also known as knowledge.  

What this says; “Omega Mind, or the state when the Mind is in flow.  Perception, or the perception of all present stimuli, is clear.  Meaning the Brain is also in Omega and the stimuli are being accurately read, or interpreted.

The R (Recall) of information required by a task-at-hand is being accessed easily.  Meaning that the M, or Mind, is fully aware.

Therefore, the Brain (B) in Omega is factored by the Mind (M) as fully aware or in Alpha. 

1= 1(1•1)

1=1

Where this breaks down is when the subsets do not equate to 1 (one).  

Or, that for R to be in Ω, each of the constants that can be calculated as affecting R in a given task are equating to 1.

Or, if the A (Auditory) is heavily influenced (as written in a previous chapter) by ambient stimuli, then A would be noted as A_ß , or equating to 2 (two).  Since, at no time could there be 0 (zero) ambient auditory, except in the condition of nothing (read – death). 

Evaluating the sub-sets:  Are there distracting posters on the walls, V = V_ß (2)?  Flickering fluorescent lighting, also V = V_ß (2); meaning we actually then have V = V/[ V_{ß (2)} • V_{ß (2)}] .  Meaning that subliminally all the students in that classroom are going to have, in the least, some amount of ambient visual distraction.  Those students with a neural condition by which they have high-scale visual sensitivity, are going to either have trouble not going to sleep, or they will seem to suffer from ADD.

Of course, the posters can be taken down or, better, replaced with ones that are in some way generic to the material being presented.  Or, if you are talking about French History and there are posters about American History on the walls, that can produce ambient visual confusion.  Especially for young persons.  The lesson is on Napoleon and the posters are Lincoln?  When visual Art, or informative posters, are left up on the classroom wall for more than Freshman to Senior year, they are wallpaper. 

I have found in my 30 years of teaching, when the topic of study changes, it benefits the dynamic of the class to change the visual wall candy so that it is relevant. 

My theory, in general, also follows the basic law of physics wherein the most stable geometric form is the triangle.  Or, in the least all points of contact wherein vectors in response to pressure exerted in three dimensional space requires a prime number of vector points.  One, as in a single, point can exist in space, but it is a single point.  Two points remain two dimensional - defined as a line, even though those points can be rendered in an x,y,z grid.  Further thought allows only prime numbers to transfer, or retain, stable polygonal form as unique units of data.  Since all non-primes polygonal forms are divisible, and can therefore breakdown or reassemble into tessellations.

In essence, I speak (auditory) a statement of data, I then show (visual) a graphic in reference to that data, then I demonstrate the use of that data, in some manner, and/or the students write it down in daily notes (kinesthetic).  I have found the hand writing of daily notes to be the best form of reenforcement.  Keyboarding is not a good substitute for writing out by hand, as keyboarding data is a two step process (and therefore mentally two dimensional and not prime in function).  More on that later.

Thank you for joining me here and joy be unto you.

All material in this blog is from “Equations for the Joyous Mind”  © 2016 by Dale Clarence Peterson

dalepeterson.us

Books on Kindle by Dale Clarence Peterson

Peterson ArtWorks on Etsy

Just published  “Twelve Roses for Kathy – A journey on a motorcycle out of the darkness of bipolar disorder”

Part Eight - Barriers

Part Eight - Barriers

What is not truly emotional in terms of the human mind? 

(Explanation is at the end of this Chapter  - 12/5/16©)

            Nearly everything in our lives has a major link to some kind of an emotion.  Research has proven that the brain reacts to emotion chemically, organically.  This puts up or takes down barriers to good cognitive and meta-cognitive processing.

            It can be safely said that we know this.  The human brain reacts physiologically to emotion.

            We also know many things can set up a chain reaction physiologically, which are interpreted as emotional reactions.  These can be visual, auditory, odors, any number of various stimuli.  What is it that roots these perceived stimuli to a patterned emotion?

Whatever it is, it can become a barrier.

            How is it that no matter how overloaded the brain becomes with massive, even traumatic, stimuli, certain individuals are able to overcome all of the stimuli and carry out actions that are cogent, logical, constructive and not at all reactive to the stimuli?  Have these persons somehow been able to transcend brain input and substitute mind input or control? 

            A barrier is flutter of concentration, a temporary loss of focus, between steps of placing recall into appropriate places (memory drawers, as it were) in the brain.

These are the various barriers influencing the recall storage process.  I have observed two basic styles of learning barriers my students encounter.

            These would be the barriers of which they are aware and the barriers of which they are unaware.

            I have designated these as Awareness Barriers and Subliminal Binary Barriers; or A-barriers and S-barriers.  These barriers can occur between any levels of recall, but tend to follow a specific pattern for most people

Many A-barriers are consciously put in place to avoid certain properties of an experience or to protect specific personal values a person holds.  These barriers can operate from a sense of need, and be almost involuntary, except that you are aware you are avoiding something for a specific reason.  A-barriers can also operate on a request/demand basis.  There may be times when you want to not be influenced by particulars of an experience, and other times when you do.  E.g., when you get on an airplane you do not want your fear of falling to influence you, when you get on a roller-coaster at the amusement park, you do want to experience that fear of falling.

Subliminal Binary Barriers are binary in nature because they are either on or off.  There really isn’t any possibility of training them; or, educating them away.

Most S-barriers are founded on some kind of an emotion.  These barriers are fairly easily overcome after they are determined.  The more permanent s-barriers­, such as dyslexia, require tactics or some kind of tool to overcome.  These can often require the skills of someone trained to deal with the issue more specifically.

In the first few years of schooling, be it prior to actually attending a school, or in Pre-school, Kindergarten or even higher, conditions such a dyslexia and dysgraphia can remain hidden.  The child has no idea that things look any different than as how they appear to them.  The natural assumption being, "this is what X or Y looks like to everybody".  The child is often unaware that what they are drawing, or attempting to write, is not correct.  To them everything is just rosy.

This type of barrier is fairly easy to determine however, and observant parents and/or teachers often do discover them; at least in our current world.  Even with early diagnosis and remediation, plus tactical adjustments, persons with this barrier (flutter) must adjust their mental processing to accommodate it between levels of recall.  Assuming the teacher can get both the student and their parents to accept that this characteristic is real – avoiding the judgement and stigmas that can accompany that acceptance.

If a person has dyslexia, they have it and generally this condition is either genetic or due to some physical issue from an accidental change is neural tissue.  This specific type of brain processing has its positive, as well as negative sides.  It is a subliminal barrier, and for the dyslexic it is always on.  Many of us, who do not process in the dyslexic fashion, may have found that certain circumstances can bring about a dyslexic perception though.  We read, or hear a string of numbers and somehow transpose one or two integers.  Whenever I see the word EXIT on a sign and it is not white lettering on a red background, as most exit signs are, my mind reads EXIST.  I do not know why.  This, for me, is a subliminal binary barrier.

I believe in many instances to ignore unique mental barriers, whether learning or teaching, can lead to a very real loss of effort on the part of teacher and student.  That would be in the best of instances.  At its worst, ignoring these barriers can set a child up begin to just shut down.

I have witnessed many teachers do just this and end up greatly frustrating themselves and royally traumatizing a child..

Whatever the cause, most of these barriers seem to occur in about the same place in the cognitive process.  Between definite stages of stimuli and perception are definitive barriers for just about everyone.  The barriers exist with differing causality, duration and density, but they tend to occur at pretty much the same place in the stages of processing.

                        The traditional approach pedagogically has been to punch through these barriers; to pound them down through rote, review and other systematic means of destruction.  Of course, the barriers are often in place as a result of an earlier developed survival instinct.  So the destructionist method adds another layer of emotional insulation.  In some instance this method removes the barrier temporarily only to replace it later with one that is nearly identical, but thicker and denser.

            An example would be to strong-arm a left-handed child to learn to write right-handed.  The result is at best an unhappy child, the worst is the development of a dyslexic view of written language.

            There is a limitation to every human organ and what it can perform.  We can assume there is a similar limitation to the human brain.  Once again research has proven this to be true.  Higher mind functions appear to be nearly limitless, but the brain does have limits.  This being the case it would seem reasonable that before transferring data from temporal status to more permanent status within the limits of the organic brain, that some form of filtering take place.

            The first obvious filter would be the emotional filter?   This is part of the survival instinct, or alpha recall.  There are, of course, other filters; such as those related to genetically inherited characteristics.  Any filtering system slows down the passage of whatever is being filtered.  This is a simple matter of physics.

            If the filter ever becomes too dense, or constricted for whatever reason, it can also become a barrier.  This situation can coagulate into major problem for a person.  It can slowly become a clouded lens through which a person accustoms themselves, believing the problems lies outside of their own perception.  Often this is an emotional issue; being related to self-esteem.  However, it can also be just a simple matter of not being able to see on the top shelf because you are short.

            Myself, being a short person, I most often don’t even think of the top shelf as having anything on it.  It rarely occurs to me to ever look there.  I gotta get a stool, or a chair, or something to stand on and tippy-totter around on it.  I have developed a top shelf filter that has become a barrier to finding lost stuff.  My wife knows this and that’s where she hides the chocolate.

Graphics Explanation:  I have spent far too many hours trying to memorize all of the keyboarding commands to "insert Special Characters" to include in this book (writings=blogs).  So, I have hundreds and hundreds of evaluation calculations and - well, I am just going to insert jpgs for a while.  

In the next Part (Chapter=Blog", I will delineate ... that is expound, on this one (jpg).

Thank you for joining me here and joy be unto you.

All material in this blog is from “Equations for the Joyous Mind”  © 2016 by Dale Clarence Peterson

dalepeterson.us

Books on Kindle by Dale Clarence Peterson

Peterson ArtWorks on Etsy

Just published  “Twelve Roses for Kathy – A journey on a motorcycle out of the darkness of bipolar disorder”

Part Seven - Ambient Audio Stimuli

Part Seven - Equations for the Joyous Mind

E –Emotional Quotient (Stimuli) as it affect by Ambient Audio Stimuli

(Click on image to enlarge and focus.)

In order for the human mind to function normally (a difficult state to define, indeed), nature has evolved for the human mind a special capacity.  This is often called filtering.  At first, as infants in the first few years of life, our brains filter very little.  All loud noises, super-bright lights, bad smells, ugly or jangly (unnatural) color combinations, jagged textured surfaces – any number of sensory stimuli are interpreted as threatening when they exceed certain thresholds.  As we learn and adapt to our environments, our brains move the threshold needle to higher and higher levels; as we also develop physical skills (coordination) and reasonable abilities to evaluate danger(s).

However, the whole world we later call the ambient sensory stimulus still exists.  It is still present and parts of the brain are still affected.  Eventually the noise of the traffic, ever present sounds of machinery, shoe heels clicking and clapping on concrete pavement, various sirens of many sorts, all of this, we assume, just drifts around us, if we live in a large urban environment.  Truly, it does not.  All of this noise rather passes through our consciousness, its presence is noted, evaluated and generally ignored as non-threatening.  It still leaves an imprint.  An imprint that can be hard to recall, possible, but it is there and every day there is mental memory storage space, much as a computer hard-drive, that is taken up.

So, in evaluating a student-learning environment, the Ambient Audio Quotient of Stimuli must be addressed as part of the EJM calculations.  So often it is simply ignored, or worse yet not approached empathically from an age appropriate angle as it will impact the particular students who will be present in a particular classroom.  Massive amounts of studied material, by experts on Child Psychology and Education are available.  These are experts who have made a solid career out of collecting such data through observation, questionnaires and various other means of testing.  Sometimes, frequently, even the observation part(s) of these publications are not actually done by the authors, or experts, but by various assistants, sub-ordinates, graduate students sent to observe and/or written evaluations from the real-time classroom teachers.  This data is then reviewed, studied, by the expert and complied into their own conclusions.

I will not waste a lot of anyone’s time and even attempt to flesh out the, to my mind, well – horrible – affect, 99% of this type of reference has on the real-life teaching and learning experience.  So much of it is ill-founded.  So much of it applies to such narrowly allowed real-time real-life circumstances.  There must be a significant difference between a classroom in downtown Brooklyn and a rural classroom in Vermont.  Night and day.  Between a Fifth Grade Class alone and one that is mixed with Sixth Grade Students, due to students numbers.  Ratios of teachers to students in Public vs. Private schools. 

However, when reduced to mathematical calculation, these differences can be evaluated and addressed.  Ambient and highly fluctuating ambient sound stimulus present in an dense urban environment can be neutralized almost to a quotient of 1from a quotient of 2, by experimenting with echo reducing wall paneling or even possibly a “White Noise Generator”.  As each unique classroom Ambient Sound Quotient exists, in order to maximize learning, where either the teacher’s presentations or the simple capacity to quietly concentrate of the material being studied, it must be addressed.

In a practical sense, corkboard absorbs much more sound, thereby reducing echoing, than hard painted solid walls.  Fabric wallpaper.  Even large matt paper posters can reduce ambient sound vibration.  Cloth flags and banners.  Many helpful steps can be taken with a minimal capital expense.  Rebuilding or reconstruction of whole classrooms is not required. A simple 10% (or less) opaque (highly translucent) cloth introducing less than a 1 cm baffle between large glass windows and the room interior can make a significant difference to reducing distracting ambient sound. Many solutions, very low-cost solutions, are possible, with a minimum of creative thought, or approach.

(Click on image to enlarge and focus.)

From this second graphic, it is apparent that to move from the Ambient, (disruptive stimuli) to the Awareness (conscious stimuli) The Audio Quotient must be neutralized.

To be continued ...

Thank you for joining me here and joy be unto you.

All material in this blog is from “Equations for the Joyous Mind”  © 2016 by Dale Clarence Peterson

dalepeterson.us

Books on Kindle by Dale Clarence Peterson

Just published  “Twelve Roses for Kathy – A journey on a motorcycle out of the darkness of bipolar disorder”