Stuck on a tricky math problem? Start clapping. Grade school kids who learned about fractions through a rhythm-and-music-based curriculum outperformed their peers in traditional math classes. The work is in Educational Studies in Mathematics.
被一個棘手的數(shù)學(xué)問題困住了?那就拿手打打拍子吧。若小學(xué)生們在韻律和音樂課程學(xué)習(xí)了音節(jié)劃分的話,他們的數(shù)學(xué)成績要比按照傳統(tǒng)方式學(xué)習(xí)的同齡人要好很多。這項研究成果發(fā)表在《數(shù)學(xué)教育研究》上。

Fractions let you divide up a measure of music into notes of varying length. For example, one four-beat measure could contain a single whole note held for all four beats, two half notes of two beats apiece, four quarter notes of a beat each, and so on. In the Academic Music program, based on the Kodaly method of musical education, students clap, drum and chant to memorize the lengths of musical notes—then solve problems in which fractional notes must add up to a full measure of music.
音節(jié)劃分是讓你把一首音樂的曲子劃分成不同長度的音符。例如,一個四拍的曲子可以包含一個全音符,它可以是全部的四個節(jié)拍,可以是每兩個節(jié)拍的兩個二分音符,可以是每個節(jié)拍的四個四分音符,等等。在專業(yè)音樂課程中,根據(jù)柯達(dá)伊音樂教育方法,要求學(xué)生們鼓掌、擊鼓以及歌頌以便他們記住音符的長度——這就解決了整首音樂曲子音符劃分的問題。
Sixty-seven students participated in the study. Half did math problems using the Academic Music system. And after six weeks, the students in the music program averaged 50 percent higher on tests than did the kids in regular math class. Fractions create a solid foundation for further math education—so mastering them is music to educators’ ears.
有63名學(xué)生參與了這項研究。其中一半學(xué)生使用了專業(yè)音樂系統(tǒng)來輔助數(shù)學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)。六個星期后,這些學(xué)生的數(shù)學(xué)考試分?jǐn)?shù)比按照傳統(tǒng)方式學(xué)習(xí)的學(xué)生的分?jǐn)?shù)平均要高出50%。音節(jié)劃分給進(jìn)一步的數(shù)學(xué)教育提供了一個堅實的基礎(chǔ)——對教育者而言,這條消息本身就是一首美妙的旋律了。