Brain research yields promising math program.

As educators work toward implementing their state's mathematics standards and search for research-based learning programs that work, a group of researchers in California are testing a system they believe can revolutionize the teaching and learning of mathematics. The researchers, led by Gordon

Shaw, Professor Emeritus at the University of California Irvine, have developed a system that includes the unique combination of teaching students piano keyboarding skills, teaching spatial-temporal reasoning skills through the use of video-game software, and integrating the two with standard mathematics instruction. Their results are impressive. After using this system for eight months, second-grade students at a participating school in Los Angeles test at the fourth- and fifth-grade levels on the Stanford 9 Math test.

Gordon Shaw and "The Mozart Effect"

It has been a long road, starting with basic research, to reach the point of affecting student's math scores. Gordon Shaw is a physicist who has studied the brain for the past 26 years. About 15 years ago, his work resulted in a mathematical model to describe mammalian brain structure, called the trion model, based on the brain's ability to perform spatial-temporal (ST) reasoning.

ST reasoning is the brain's ability to maintain, transform, and compare mental images in space and time using symmetry operations, and it is crucial to the performance of mathematics. Unfortunately, most mathematics instruction is conducted with language-based, analytical systems that do not encourage or develop the brain's ability to engage in ST reasoning.

One of Shaw's colleagues, an accomplished musician, compared the trion model with music, and discovered remarkable similarities between their brain model and the structure of music. They hypothesized that if aspects of brain structure were reflected in music, then exposure to music may be able to enhance the brain's ability to learn ST skills. Shaw then formed the M.I.N.D. (Music Intelligence Neural Development) Institute (www.mindinst.org) to pursue research in this area.

Shaw and his colleagues tested their hypothesis with college students. They played a Mozart composition for the students before they took a test, then compared their test scores with students who took the test without listening to the music. The students who listened to Mozart scored higher on the test.

Dubbed "The Mozart Effect" by the media, Shaw's results were criticized by other researchers who believed the improved test results were due to factors other than the effect of the music on the brain's ability to engage in ST reasoning, possibly relaxation induced by the music. Shaw disputes this claim, however, in part because the same results are achieved in a variety of settings and test subjects.

Ongoing Research and Development

Following their success with college students, Shaw began working with younger students, developing with educators a 2nd grade curriculum tested at an economically disadvantaged school in Los Angeles. The three-part program, called the Music Spatial-Temporal (MST) Math Program, requires two 45-minute sessions of piano keyboarding instruction; two 45-minute sessions of work with the STAR (Spatial Temporal Animation Reasoning) software; and one 30-minute session integrating the ST learning activities into the standard math curriculum each week. The piano keyboarding is taught either by a music teacher, a teacher with music experience, or, in at least one case, a local college student.

The MST instruction is designed to enhance five areas: proportional math, fractions, symmetry, graphs, and pre-algebra problems, and the work is supplementary to other mathematics instruction the students receive. This year Shaw's group is working with 2nd-grade classes in four schools.

The software portion of the program is the STAR Math Video Game. It is language-free, thereby overcoming language and cultural barriers, and it features interactive animation that leads students through various games in which they engage in symmetry operations. As the students gain skills, they apply their ST skills to solve math and science problems. In addition to the game, the software records game scores and data on how the user is progressing, providing feedback for the student, teacher and researchers.

Shaw observes that the computer-based STAR software is essential for the MST program's success. Students are engaged by the fun of the computer activity and they are able to teach themselves at their own pace. In addition, the software allows the students to engage in modeling and visualization that would not be possible without the computer. But the piano keyboarding training is also crucial. Students' math scores improved with the software alone, but they improved an additional 27% when the music training was added.

Next year Shaw's group will introduce a newly completed 3rd grade curriculum, plus begin use of the 2nd grade curriculum in 10 schools (1,000 students total). Because the program is supplemental, they have designed the 3rd grade program to require less time each week (i.e., one 30-minute session of each program element). In the following year, they will begin the curriculum at more schools and introduce a 4th grade curriculum.

The content is based on Stanford 9 and mathematics standards for the State of California. Shaw believes the MST approach is particularly helpful for children from disadvantaged backgrounds whose parents would not otherwise be able to expose them to music training or other cultural enrichment activities.

The M.I.N.D. Institute provides two days of in-service training for teachers implementing the MST Math program. One day takes place at the lab school in Los Angeles, the other in their own schools. The Institute is experimenting with software-based distance learning for future professional development as the program grows beyond a few schools and involves more teachers.

Partnership Opportunities

Shaw is committed to keeping his emphasis on research, but he also believes that the learning system they have developed has the potential to revolutionize the teaching and learning of mathematics. He is looking for partners who can help him scale the system to larger numbers of schools while keeping an emphasis on the research-based nature of the product.

Shaw is also thinking of conducting a student competition via the Internet based on aspects of the STAR software that range in difficulty from very simple to extremely complex. He sees this as an outreach opportunity to bring attention to the M.I.N.D. Institute's work and the MST Math program. There may be opportunities for companies to sponsor the competition in the future.