The versatility of immersive VR can be an engaging way to practice and solidify certain math concepts that are being addressed in the classroom. These concepts as well as some simple math operations are hidden opportunities within Floreo lessons. Math conceptualization actually begins quite early in life, even before we begin addition and subtraction. That conceptualization is an important skill that works with our executive functioning abilities to help us solve everyday problems. Here are a just a few thoughts about how Floreo can support math development:
Very Early Skills: One of the earliest skills that supports math development is the understanding of cause and effect. If I do this action, then that will happen. Two of the most straightforward cause and effect lessons in Floreo are Meet the Animals (look at an animal and it will activate the animation) and Play the Marimba (look at the marimba keys in order to activate different tones). Understanding the sequence of events is another important early math concept. Floreo is filled with sequences of events. Some examples include: Scan the Store Shelves, Time Management: Organizational Habits, and Listen & Find: 2 Animals, by Name. Certain math concepts are important precursors to understanding numbers and numeracy. Use Reunite The Animals and other lessons to understand the concepts of big/small, close/far and first/last.
Quantity concepts and numbers: The questions "How many...?" and "How much...?" involve counting. In Floreo, Learners can count the number of animals in Emma is Pointing, the number of hanging signs in Show ‘em What to Do or the number of paint cans in Painting with Friends. To help develop a sense of time, use a metronome. Start the metronome at one event and count the number of beats it takes to get to the next event. How long does it take the bird to fly from one tree to another in Watch it Go? How many beats does it take for the bus to arrive, from the time it is visible to the time it stops, in Find Your Bus: Wait for 2nd Bus? How long does the train stay inside the tunnel in Watch the Train? Finding and recognizing numbers in the environment can also be practiced in Floreo. Numbers in the bus lessons can be found on the schedules and on the bus. The new Neighborhood Crosswalk has numbers on the street signs.
Applying math to practical situations: Once we are able to count reliably, we can compare items by size or quantity. Using the quantities found in various Floreo lessons, Learners can calculate which events take a longer amount of time, which lesson has more people or characters, and how many steps it takes to finish a to-do list. Completing multi-task instructions is another applied math skill. This skill can be accomplished in Time Management: Multitasking as well as the other two Time Management lessons.
These are just a few thoughts on how to find math concepts within the Floreo lessons. If you have any thoughts about how you have been able to use Floreo to address math with your Learners, please let us know!
Floreo's Director of Applied Digital Therapy, Rita Solórzano MA, CCC-SLP, is a Speech Language Pathologist with over 30 years of experience.