Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Part Six - E is the first Factor of Note

Part Six - Equations for the Joyous Mind
E is the first Factor of Note

“E” must be resolved before any other calculations can be resolved.

I was initially inspired by a case in which I could not help but believe all modern theories and beliefs concerning the human brain, but more importantly, the human mind, were essentially insufficient, or even simply wrong.  Or, at the very least, very inadequate to helping this particular person; who just happened to be my youngest daughter.
            About 35 years ago my oldest son began his academic career in Pre-School.  He was tested and we were told he was a “slow learner”.  Our employment situation changed and we moved to a different state.  He was tested there and we were told he was “gifted”.  Moved again and he suddenly became not so gifted.
            Fed up, we put him in a private school.  It cost a lot and we lived very tight for many years.
            Today he is a Doctor with degrees from Cornell, UNH and Yeshiva University Einstein Medical.  We went through a similar scenario with our oldest daughter and our next 3 sons.  Our oldest daughter is a successful architect and our second son also became a medical Doctor.
            When I became a High School teacher I saw a distinct pattern emerging.  Students who have distinctive thinking patterns can suffer as much in commonly applied American pedagogy, as students with diagnosed “Learning Differences”.  In fact, often they suffer more because their problems are most often seen as personality disorders by most teachers.
            For most adults, anything they don’t understand with young people is often attributed to a personality issue or, in an even worse scenario, to a Learning Disability.  In the latter case, this can have a very deliterous effect on the child.  Even today there continues to be stigmas attatched to the label of Learning Disability. When quite often what is creating a barrier to particular child’s learning and retention in a given classroom situation is actuallly a factor, or factors, that having nothing at all to do with that child’s neurological make-up.
            This means the, sometimes, an evaluation of that child’s overall position (for lack of a better terminalogy) in that particular classroom and their relationship, as it exists or devleops, with that particular teacher.
            So, when we attach a value system to formulae distiguishing as much of the real factors existant within a given environment, it becomes possible to determine what might be holding a particular student from achieving the best results from their learning efforts. 
            Example: Rather than using the numeral “0” for a given factor, which might seem mathematically necessary, it is used more as a space  is in computer code.  Or, rather than zero it indicates “end-of-line”.  Meaning, “end-of-command” – essentially it means STOP.  Further – nothing is happening (occuring)stall or neutral stasis.
            When a child enters a classroom immediately after an emotionally negative experience, the Emotional Quotient, “E” is going to be noted, within the calculation, as “0”.   If E=1, then the child is emotionally alert and receptive.  If E=2, then the child is emotinally active.  In relation to Emotions, “Omega Learning” cannot be achieved with any factor other than a value of “1”, since an “0” or “2” indicates the presence of some kind of barrier.  In the instance of E values, there needs to be a definite empathetic understanding of the age of the child and their general individual station within a particular classroom dynamic.  It would seem there are almost an infinite number of factors that can affect the E.  Observable logic will place and ascribe a value to most of these, as such then reducing all of them to either stasis 0), active/alert (1) or barred – the presence of a barrier – (2).

Child is upset (E0).  Child is over-stimulated (E2).  Child is sleepy (E0).  Child is angry (E2).  Now it becomes part of the evaluation to determine if any of these values are consistant on a daily basis, or  just of the moment.  The argumentative scholar would come up with a million variables – and yet, yes, I admit thare are a million variables.  In an attempt to address this, I will cite one unique personal experience as a teacher:

Noah:  One of my students, let’s call him Noah – all emotional factors could be observed to be (E1).  Good student, neutral family, social, etc. values; all (E1) consistantly.  Except one very sigular element.  Noah, as I noted during his first class, had a highly sensitive hearing reaction to any sounds in the high sympathetic auditory register.  Or, “fingernails on a blackboard” just drove him crazy.  Once again, obvious observation, told me, for Noah, this screeching type of sound made him visibly upset – uncontrollably so.

Since the norm in current education is to use dry-erasable markers on slick whiteboards, do not produce this type of auditory factor, I was unaware the same effect applys to other written media.  Occassionally old style ballpoint pens on rough paper, pencils on certain surfaces and yes, rubbing on a balloon or other kinds of synthetic materials.

Now if left unrecognized as upsetting to him, Noah would instantly become agitated and his E quotient would take a value of (E2).  This reaction might seem peculiar to the average person, often it would go unrecognized by a lot of his teachers.  The rest of that class would become very difficult for him.  All that was required was for me to say, “Whoops, sorry about that Noah.” when this happened and he almost as instantly forgot about it.  Back to (E1) as instantly.

Argumentative scholar:  A teacher can’t remember that for every peculiarity for every student!  I don’t think this is any different than knowing any person on a regular basis, who has a peanut allergy.  Once determined, these things just become part of all interactions with those persons.  Making an issue of it will rescore every interaction in a teaching/learning instance instantly to (E2) and the “Learning Equation” is unresolvable to the “Omega State”.


I will provide the actual formula in the next chapter, part or blog.

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

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

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