There may be more to this than externalised rehearsal of practice.Brian
Butterworth (1999) The Mathematical Brain London, Macmillan and Stanislas
Dehaene (1997) The Number Sense London Penguin Books make quite a case for
finger counting and basic arithmetic skills.
Victor
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Cole" <mcole@weber.ucsd.edu>
To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Sunday, June 06, 2004 12:20 AM
Subject: the role of externalization
>
> Observation made of 8 year old 3rd grader being drilled by grandfather
> on multiplication tables orally at request of mother.
>
> GP (Grandpa): So, what's 7X6?
> Amelila: I know it but I can't see it.
>
> GP. 42
> GP. What's 6X8?
>
> Amelia takes out a pencil, turns its eraser side toward the desk,
> pantomimes the written calculation, and says, "48."
>
> So, consistent with work of Goldin-Meadow, one role of gesture is to
> create externally visible/sensible problems not only for another, but
> to control one's own thought processes. "Seeing" herself write the
> equation 6X8= she was able to provide the answer that had not yet become
> fully internalized and accessible by seeing "in the mind's eye."
>
> A.R. Luria -- Human children learn to control themselves from the outside,
> a comment also attributable to L.S. Vygotsky.
> mike
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