is through words.

就是透過文字。

A teacher walks up to the board

老師走到黑板前面，

writes words, says words,

寫下文字、敘述文字，

students receive books with words,

學生們拿到滿是文字的課本，

and are expected to respond to questions with words.

並且被要求以文字回答問題。

The vast majority of teaching is done through words.

絕大多數的教學是透過文字而達成的。

But let's look at who we're trying to teach.

但讓我們來看看我們試圖教育哪些人。

Focusing on California, 25% of students

以加州為例，25% 的學生

are English language learners.

是英語學習者。

Another 15% have language based learning difficulties

另外 15% 有語言類的學習障礙，

such as dyslexia.

例如閱讀障礙。

An additional 20% fail language comprehension tests.

再另外 20% 的人無法通過語言理解測驗。

And a large portion of the remaining students

剩下的學生中有極大比例的學生

characterize themselves as visual learners.

視自己為視覺學習者。

Left over, there's only a tiny little segment of students

只有最後剩下那些非常少部分的學生

for whom current teaching methods are a good fit.

是能在目前的教學方式中良好適應的。

I was one of those students way down there.

而我曾經是圖中這部份的學生之一。

I have dyslexia.

我有閱讀障礙。

And for me words were really big learning barriers.

對我來說文字真的是很大的學習障礙。

I mean, I didn't even learn to read

我是說，在小學五年級之前

until I was in fifth grade.

我根本不曾學習如何閱讀。

Years later, I read a biography of Albert Einstein,

幾年後，我看了一本愛因斯坦 (Albert Einstein) 的傳記

and I discovered that he was dyslexic too.

並發現原來愛因斯坦也有閱讀障礙。

And one quote from him really struck me.

其中一句引言確確實實的震驚了我。

He said: "The words of a language as they are written or spoken

他說：「那些語言的文字，不論是口語的或書寫的，

don't play any role in my mechanism of thought."

在我思考的機制中完全不扮演任何角色。」

Wow, wow!

哇，哇！

So, if words are not needed

所以說，如果最棒的數學和科學的思考

for great math and science thinking, then maybe

是不需要文字的，那麼可能

words are not needed for great math and science teaching.

最棒的數學與科學的教學也不需要文字。

So, when I started investigating how we might be able to teach without words,

因此，當我開始研究調查如何可能在教學中不用文字，

I was shocked at how language heavy

我十分震驚，原來我們的教材是多麼依賴語言的，

even pre-school materials are.

甚至幼稚園的教材也一樣。

Look at this worksheet I ran across.

看看這張我偶然找到的練習題。

"Color the shape that is the same as the first shape in each row."

「把每一行中跟第一個圖一樣形狀的圖形填滿顏色。」

They even have it in Spanish.

他們甚至有西班牙語版的。

So I wondered what would happen if we remove all those words

因此我想，如果我將文字移除，

and hand it to some four-year-olds along with some crayons,

並且不告訴他任何資訊，讓四歲小孩獨自用彩色蠟筆發揮

and don't say anything.

會發生甚麼狀況呢?

This is what happens.

結果如此

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

We didn't tell them what to do,

我們沒有告訴他們該做甚麼，

and so they did whatever they wanted.

所以能讓他們照他們想要的發揮。

But how do we tell students what to do without words?

但我們要如何不用文字就可以告訴學生要做甚麼呢?

Here's one way.

這是一種方法。

Interactive software with informative feedback.

資訊回饋式的互動軟體。

If you click on the wrong thing, it shows you why you were wrong.

當你點到錯的東西，他會演示出為什麼錯。

And when you click on the right thing, it shows you why you were right.

當你點到對的東西，他會演示為什麼你是對的。

And you can help a little penguin across the screen.

你還可以幫忙這隻小企鵝通過這個螢幕。

OK, so this works for shapes.

以此，形狀辨識可以成功。

But what about things like word problems?

但其他牽涉到文字的問題怎麼辦？

I mean, how can we do those without words?

我是說，我們該如何不用文字來表達這些問題呢?

Well, here's a typical word problem from a second grade text book.

這是一則小學二年級課本中經典的文字問題。

Ostriches have two legs. How many legs does a group of three ostriches have all together?

鴕鳥有兩條腿。那麼一群有三隻鴕鳥的群體共有幾條腿?

We can translate this into a completely word free problem.

我們可以把這個轉為沒有文字的題目。

Again, if you don't know what to do when you get it wrong,

跟之前一樣，如果你不知道為什麼你會錯，

say, you pick eight legs, it shows you why that's wrong.

假設，你選了八條腿，他會演示為什麼那是錯的。

You picked too many.

你選了太多了。

And when you get it right, it shows you why it's right.

而當你選對了，他會告訴你為什麼是對的。

The feedback teaches the students.

這些資訊回饋教育了學生。

It doesn't just replace the words.

他不僅僅取代了文字。

It provides more instruction than the words ever did.

更提供了比文字還多的提示。

And this visual feedback is so powerful

視覺回饋是多麼的具有威力，

that we can use it to teach really sophisticated subjects.

甚至可以讓我們運用在教授非常複雜的課題上。

This is pretty sophisticated. This is a page from an Algebra I textbook.

這還蠻複雜的。這是代數 (I) 課本中的一頁。

A very language heavy approach and here's what it does to our kids.

是個非常依賴文字的教法，而這是它對我們孩子的影響。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Over 70% of students fail to learn this stuff.

超過 70% 的學生無法從中學習。

Now here's a video game teaching that very same content.

現在我們來演示電動遊戲如何教導他們這相同的內容。

Here students are learning to factor and solve quadratic equations,

這是帶入因數並解出一元二次方程式，

all done visually, with informative feedback.

全都是視覺化的過程，並有資訊的回饋。

And because these games allow students

而正因為這些遊戲讓學生去

to touch, feel, see, and interact with the math

接觸、感受、看見數學並與之互動，

it's able to clear out many of the mysteries about why and how math works.

所以能夠清楚解釋數學的為什麼及其如何運作的謎團。

For instance, when only done through words,

舉個例來說，當我們只透過文字表達，

students often find it mysterious why multiplying two negative numbers

學生們通常會覺得很詭異為什麼兩個負數相乘

produces a positive number.

會得到一個正數。

But, when done visually, like in this block stretching game,

但當透過視覺化的演示，例如這個方塊伸展的遊戲，

students can see how multiplying by a negative number

學生可以了解當乘上一個負數時，

not only stretches but also flips the block in opposite direction.

這個方塊不只是伸展，還會向相反方向翻轉。

And then, when you multily it by a negative number again,

接下來，當你再乘上一個負數

it ends up flipping it again back to positive.

的結果就是再翻轉一次而變回正數。

It's not mysterious anymore, it's fascinating.

它不再是讓人想不透，反而更引人入勝。

And so, we created hundreds of these games to teach all the math concepts,

因此，我們創造了數以百計的這種遊戲用來教授所有的數學觀念，

conceps from pre-K to Algebra I.

範圍從學齡前到代數 (I)。

Here's some exponents,

這是指數，

and some fractions.

這是分數。

We were basically able to boil all math down to

我們基本上可以將所有的數學

how do you help a little penguin across the screen?

轉換成你如何幫助小企鵝經過這個螢幕。

But does it work?

但有效嗎？

UC Irvine recently conducted a study where they put

加州大學爾灣分校 (UC, Irvine) 最近執行一個研究，

these visual games into 106 schools in Orange County.

當他們將這些視覺化的遊戲置入橘郡 (Orange County) 的 106 所學校中。

And after one year we're able to triple the rate of growth in Math proficiency.

一年後我們就將數學能力提升了三倍。

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

And last year we replicated this result

去年這樣成功的結果也相同的展現在

in Silicon Valley, Las Vegas, Chicago and Houston.

矽谷 (Silicon Valley)、拉斯維加斯 (Las Vegas)、芝加哥 (Chicago) 和休士頓 (Houston)。

(Applause)

(掌聲)

This simple innovation of removing the language barriers

去除語言的障礙這個簡單的創新，

is able to elevate Math proficiency everywhere we put it.

我們提高了所有試行地區的數學能力。

And of course, increasing standardized test scores is great.

當然，標準化測驗分數的提升是很好。

But we also want to make sure we increase

但我們更想要確定我們也提升了

real mathematical thinking. And we definitely see that too.

真正的數學思考的能力。而我們確實也看到這樣的成果。

Because, instead of just throwing a bunch of words at students,

因為，我們不再只是丟一堆文字給學生，

we create rich opportunities for them to connect their own dots,

我們創造了更多機會讓他們自己去做連結，

in their own heads, about how Math works.

在他們的腦海中思考，了解數學是如何運作的。

And when students play an active role in figuring things out

當學生們主動的去思考、理解事情時

they want to talk about it.

他們就會想去討論這些。

It sparks mathematical talk.

它激勵了一些數學的討論。

And in this way a language free approach

而如此，這樣的非語言的教學模式

can actually improve language skills.

卻更可以強化語言能力。

A striking example of this is a young autistic student

一個顯著的案例是這位年輕的自閉症學生，

named Omar, shown her with his dad.

他叫做歐瑪 (Omar)，在他身旁的是他的爸爸。

Omar had such difficulty with language that he only spoke in single words.

歐瑪 (Omar) 有極嚴重的語言障礙使得他一次只能講一個單字。

Never in full sentences. Not even to his parents.

從未有一句完整的句子。連對父母說話也是。

And when Omar's school started using our program

但在歐瑪 (Omar) 的學校開始使用我們的教程後，

his teachers were astonished at how gifted Omar was in Math.

他的老師們對他驚人的數學天賦感到震驚。

They never knew.

他們從來不知道如此。

But more amazingly, Omar started talking,

但更加讓人訝異的是，歐瑪 (Omar) 開始說話了，

and the first full sentences he ever spoke

而他人生中說出第一個完整的句子

were about these mathematical ideas

是關於他在這些視覺化的遊戲中

he was experiencing in these visual games.

體驗到的那些數學的概念。

And he's now excelling in school, in both Math and English,

而現在他在學校表現得非常好，在數學和英文都是，

and has completely changed his life.

這完全的改變了他的人生。

All those familiar with TED understand

對 TED 不陌生的大家都知道

the importance of saying a lot in a few words.

言簡意賅，透過簡短的話語表達很多內容的重要性。

And I think the idea worth spreading here is that

而我認為這裡值得廣為流傳的概念是，

all students, not just students like me and Omar,

所有的學生，不只是如同我和歐瑪 (Omar) 一樣的學生，

but all students, can benefit profoundly,

是所有的學生，只要給他們一些可以不用文字來學習的機會，

from some opportunities to learn without any words at all.

都可以因此受益良多。

Thank you. (Applause)

感謝。 (鼓掌)