EDU 6525: Implementation of Strategy 1- Non-Linguistic Representation

There is a curriculum called TERC (Technical Education Research Center): Investigation: Number, data & space. I used it when I taught 5^th and 6th grade math for several years. Although I felt, as did other teachers I worked with, that this curriculum was lacking in some rote practice of math facts, it was my favorite math curriculum I have used in the nine years I taught math. What made it so great was the hands-on aspect. The fact that in every lesson, some type of non-linguistic representation was used.

One example I will refer to is  a 5th grade math lesson on polygons. During the first lesson a game is played and the class comes up with the definition of polygons together. Here is the sheet of paper that the students would get before the game, it shows examples of polygons and non-examples of polygons. The students use that to come up with the rules for what makes a polygon. (Here is the sheet: Examples and non-examples of Polygons). It is a fun segway into the unit because the teacher shows a sheet with new shapes that are uncatagorized, and the students have to categorize them onto the board. The game is played silently and there is no talking. If a student disagrees, he/she can use his/her turn to change the placement of the shape. After all the shapes are categorized, the students use this information to come up with a definition of polygons (i.e. only straight lines, at least three sides, etc. ). The assignment that the students are then given is a copy of a picture of a Picasso, which is full of polygons. The students are to identify the polygons in the picture. Here is a link to a Picasso picture that could be used in this lesson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38117207@N03/4847211586/. This not only gives the students a way to assess their understanding of polygons, but exposes them to art as well. Lessons like this, that use non-linguistic representation are engaging and lend themselves to integration of other subjects, like art.

This type of lesson also lends itself to differentiation. Anytime a visual is given it helps people remember better; when you add art or other subjects it will also help stimulate the brain and students will remember the lesson better.  In addition, giving a visual to a learner who struggles can help trigger their memory as well.  See strategy post for more details on this.

The following website is a bibliography of all the research TERC has done in developing their math and science curricula: http://investigations.terc.edu/developing/Inv_Bibliog.cfm.

Here is a document that high lights how non-linguistic representations are used in their geometry curriculum- http://investigations.terc.edu/library/curric-math/geometry_2ed.pdf.

Related Standards:

Although these standards are not specific about using non-linguistic representation, these are the standards that connect with the math content of this lesson.

~CCSS 5G.3 & 5G.4 (Classify two-dimensional figures into categories based on their

properties.

3. Understand that attributes belonging to a category of two-dimensional figures also belong to all subcategories of that category.

For example, all rectangles have four right angles and squares are

rectangles, so all squares have four right angles.

4. Classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties.)

~EALR- 5.3. Core Content: Triangles and quadrilaterals

Strategy 1- EDU 6526

Non-linguistic representation, when I first read about this strategy I was not sure what this meant besides pictures. After reading more about it I realize that there are so many ways that this strategy can be employed. What I like about this strategy is that it is a way to differentiate the instruction and reach learners who may have different needs. For example, according to the Ohio department of Education website, “Kinesthetic activity – Specific knowledge associated with a specific physical movement generates a mental image. Most children enjoy learning and expressing ideas in this way (Marzano et al, 2001).” Some children learn best when they are using their bodies. It also helps them remember what they learn.

Pictures are another great way that you can help children learn. According to Classroom instruction that works, “Psychologists believe that information is stored in memory in two ways; as words (linguistic) and as images (nonlinguistic)…Imagery is expressed as mental pictures or physical sensations, such as smell, taste, touch, kinesthetic association, and sound (Richardson, 1983). Such nonlinguistic representations provide students with useful tools that merge knowledge presented in the classroom with mechanisms for understanding and remembering that knowledge (Jewitt, 2008; Kres, 1997)” (Dean, Hubbell, Pitler & Stone, 2012).  It seems to me that any way we can increase a child’s chance of remembering information, we should. This type of learning includes many different modes, such as, kinesthetic learning, mental pictures, graphic organizers, and manipulatives. There is a way that one of these styles of learning could be incorporated for every lesson.

As I mentioned earlier, this also helps with differentiated instruction because it often helps students who struggle to be able to physically hold something, or act something out. By incorporating this style into a lesson you are allowing for a broader range of learners to retain the information. According to the National Council for mathematics, “Researchers frequently focus on manipulatives (or hands-on physical models) as tools for teaching students with learning disabilities. And they have based most studies of the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) learning sequence on work with learning disabled populations. However, evidence is emerging that shows that manipulatives and CRA can be very effective tools for teaching certain concepts to all students ” (Berkas & Pattison, 2007). As this quote emphasizes, manipulatives are great for Special Ed students, but they are in fact useful learning tools for all students.

In thinking about the implementation piece for this post, I will be focusing on math. Math is an area that lends itself to the use of manipulative, but I like curriculum or lessons that really try to incorporate other subjects with the math. This helps give math context in the world outside of the classroom. I taught 5^th and 6^th grade math for a long time, so I will be focusing on that age group for the purposes of implementation of a lesson using this strategy.

Some websites that share great graphic organizers are readinga-z.com, and enchantedlearning.com.

Here is a graphic organizer I have used to help students identify the problems and solutions in a story:

Problems and Solutions graphic organizer

 

Dean, C., Hubbell, E., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research based strategies for increasing student achievement 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Using effective instructional strategies: Non-linguistic representation. Retrieved from http://ims.ode.state.oh.us/ode/ims/rrt/research/Content/nonlinguistic_representations_what_we_know.asp

Berkas, N., Pattison, C. (2007). Manipulatives: More than Special Education intervention. Retrieved from http://www.nctm.org/2007_11nb_intervention.aspx#sthash.fsp4dAcl.dpuf