1. NVCDs : Origin and example of past research Francis Lowenthal Cognitive sciences laboratory francis.lowenthal@umons.ac.be

2. Non Verbal Communication Devices NVCD

3. Plan -Towards a definition for NVCDs -Tools used for clinical researches -Introduction : who am I ? -Researches with handicapped subjects -Saïd, an aphasic child ? -Video of Saïd

4. Presentation -“No mistake” learning -Work with socially disturbed children using “New Maths” -Mathematician -It worked ! -Out of the “real world” situations -Non-verbal approach -Through play (problem-situations) But why does it work?

5. Presentation -Dynamical Mazes -More precisely : in Recursion -PhD in Mathematical Logic -Use of games and finite automata -1976 : Karlsruhe, ICMI, PME -Poster -Cohors-Fresenborg used otherwise

6. Zone of proximal Development (Vygotsky) Theoretical framework Problem situations (Gattegno) Spiral approach (Bruner) Representations (Bruner)

7. the Dynamical mazes Examples of NVCD like approaches the Pegboard the Attribute Blocks

8. Attribute Blocks

9. Semantic Competences Sort and Categorize the blocks by : shape color size thickness

10. Attribute Blocks Logical Competences " Guess my rule "

11. Attribute Blocks " Continue … " or " Carry on "

12. Attribute Blocks

15. Here : between two adjacent blocks, exactly one variable must have been modified

16. Combine several blocks to get the equivalent of another one Attribute Blocks Syntactic competences

17. Attribute Blocks

20. Symbolic Competences Attribute Blocks Read and handle or use in a symbolic way the "labels" associated to each variable

22. Attribute Blocks

23. Set of little bricks which can be combined to create finite automata Invented by Cohors-Fresenborg as introduction to algorithmic problems Dynamical Mazes

24. Automatic switch Manual switch Rails Dynamical Mazes

25. 1 Counter Dynamical Mazes

26. 0 Counter Dynamical Mazes "Zero Test"

27. Tasks Cohors-Fresenborg’s initial task : build a finite automaton giving the solution to a verbal problem

28. Our task : first construct the automaton corresponding to a given drawing Tasks

29. C A E B

30. Our task : first construct the automaton corresponding to a given drawing Tasks and then discover its use by analyzing the regularities in the exits and mechanisms

31. NumbersPositionExit 1L A 2 R L A 3L R 4R B A 5L R LA6 A 7 8 L RA R B A B E

32. NumberPositionExit 1L C A E B

33. Position 1L A 2R L C A E B NumberExit

34. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L R C A E B NumberExit

35. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R C A E B NumberExit

36. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L C A E B NumberExit

37. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L L R6 C C A E B NumberExit

38. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L L RA6 C 7R C A E B NumberExit

39. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L L RA6 C 7 8 R B R LC C A E B NumberExit

40. New situations For Dynamical Mazes : use the Disjunctive Normal Form theorem software created by Wautié

41. Back to the initial states Length of sequence is power of 2 ABCD -> sequence of exits to be repeted

42. After 1st run Sequence of length = power of 2 A L R L

43. Return = recursion Example with 9 exits return to level 3 return to level 2 return to level 1

44. Set of little pegs -squares and triangles-which can be used to "make nice drawings" The pegboard

45. Pegboard Pseudo-rhythm Extend this sequence using the rule I have in mind

46. Pegboard We use them mainly in programming tasks

47. Execute the program

48. Find the program

49. Find the procedures

50. Non recursive call

51. Endless " recursive " call

52. One "imbedded" procedure

53. Two "imbedded" procedures

54. Results obtained

55. NVCDs have been used with normal subjects The results will be presented during the next talk NVCDs and normal subjects

56. NVCDs have also been used successfully with handicapped subjects : 1. Subjects with mental retardation 2. Subjects with behavioral problems NVCDs and handicapped subjects 3. Subjects with dyslexia 4. Subjects with autism or Asperger syndrome

57. NVCDs and patients with localized cerebral lesions Results Young patients with reconstruct a structured communication superior cognitive functions

58. normal development until 13 months Moroccan family living in Dutch speaking Belgium with a French speaking father and an Arab speaking mother Boy, 4th of six children, all born normal starting to speak A case study : Saïd

59. failure of all classical treatments by speach therapists 13 months : meningitis hemiplegia + pseudo-bulbar syndrom right hand apraxia loss of all possibilities to produce or understand spoken language A case study : Saïd

60. bilateral cerebral lesions failed all intelligence tests observation started at the age of 5;6 years A case study : Saïd start of a treatment based on NVCDs approaches, using a spiral approach

61. A case study : Saïd

62. Treatment Therapy based on manipulations of NVCDs using spiral approach start : at 5 years 6 months A case study : Saïd

63. after one year : S. starts to understand the verbal language A case study : Saïd

64. after three years : S. is able to -communicate in a structured fashion -read, write and compute A case study : Saïd

65. Conclusion : NVCDs have a positive effect Question : WHY ? 1. Hypothesis (Lowenthal, 1999 in BBS) : Manipulations of NVCDs induce cerebral reorganization 2. Proof with normal young adults using Dynamical Mazes (Lefebvre et al, 2006)

66. Control before Control after Experimental before Experimental after Cerebral Reorganization

67. Definition of an NVCD type approach

68. An NVCD type approach is a pair made of : an intervention and observation method a specific device Definition NVCD

69. The method is based on - manipulations of objects Definition NVCD -use of a nearly non-verbal presentation of problem-situations -a spiral approach of the concepts -game situations -each object used is adapted to the problem- situation considered

70. -enables a stepwise production of solutions, each step being an observable one Definition NVCD The method -enables the observer to create a mediator of representation and communication

71. -do not belong to the cognitive background of the subject -are provided with technical constraints which induce a logical structure The specific device Definition NVCD

72. -are simple and easy to use The specific device Definition NVCD -can be combined in different ways to produce a solution

73. We created the concept of Non Verbal Communicate Device (NVCD) to observe an favor cognitive development in maths Non Verbal Communication Device the main effects are observed on language but …

74. NVCDs : Origin and example of past research Francis Lowenthal Cognitive sciences laboratory francis.lowenthal@umons.ac.be ganved@ganved.be

75. Compléments

76. NumberPositionExit 1L C A E B

77. Position 1L A 2R L C A E B NumberExit

78. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L R C A E B NumberExit

79. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R C A E B NumberExit

80. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L C A E B NumberExit

81. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L L R6 C C A E B NumberExit

82. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L L RA6 C 7R C A E B NumberExit

83. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L L RA6 C 7 8 R B R LC C A E B NumberExit

84. 1L L L C 2R L R A 3R R LB 4L L L CA E B 2 1 3 NumbersPositionExit 5 C AR L R 6R R LB 7 8 L L LC R L RA

85. 1G G G A 2G G DB 3D G GC 4G D GA 5G D DB 6D D G B 7D G G 8 C G D GA C A E B 2 1 3 NombresPositionSortie

86. 2 4

87. + 4

88. The case Saïd

90. NumbersPositionExit 1L A 2 R L A 3L R 4R B A 5L R LA6 A 7 8 L RA R B A B E non recursive

91. NumberPositionExit 1L C A E B

92. Position 1L A 2R L C A E B NumberExit

93. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L R C A E B NumberExit

94. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R C A E B NumberExit

95. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L C A E B NumberExit

96. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L L R6 C C A E B NumberExit

97. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L L RA6 C 7R C A E B NumberExit

98. Position 1L A 2R L C 3L RA 4R B 5R L L RA6 C 7 8 R B R LC C A E B NumberExit

99. 1L L L C 2R L R A 3R R LB 4L L L CA E B 2 1 3 NumbersPositionExit 5 C AR L R 6R R LB 7 8 L L LC R L RA slightly recursive

100. 2 4 fully recursive