"The Math of Learning" John Mighton

When I write it is usually in response to an article or blog that I have read. Here is a TED talk that resonates with me.

“The majority will lose this sense of wonder and curiosity before they grow up.” 

“If the children are born with anything, it’s a sense of the invisible beauty of the world. 
They love seeing patterns, making connections, solving puzzles.” 

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The math of learning | John Mighton | TEDxCERN

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Why does this resonate with me?

I have often seen this kind of excitement in Montessori classrooms. Even Early-Childhood guides listen for and get a special thrill whenever they hear a small child exclaim, “I did it!”

In regard to the idea named here, “guided discovery,” Montessori said,

 “It is necessary for the teacher to guide the child without letting him feel her presence too much, so that she may always be ready to supply the desired help, but may never be the obstacle between the child and his experience.” – Maria Montessori

And, as for looking for patterns in multiplication factors, 

“The numbers so underlined stand out like a design in such a way that the child easily can study and compare the tables.” – Maria Montessori, from "The Montessori Elementary Material,"  first copyright in 1917.

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"SNAP – Scaffolding for Numerical Synapses" is my way to share a Montessori-inspired theme that engages curiosity and sense of wonder in the numbers one to ten among children and their adults.