Exact Material Methodology (EMM)
Within the context of this project the Exact Material Methodology (EMM) can be defined as a method that enables us to transform theoretical concepts and correlations pertaining to any exact sciences subject into a form that can be perceived intuitively, i.e., expressed or explained by examples of things or processes that are familiar to us as a part of everyday life. Science subjects can be comparable to instructions, laws, rules and other materials based on agreements by men.
Exact Material Methodology (EMM) is a newly discovered know-how, however, discovered on the basis of previous practice and observations, as well as several theoretical arguments. The task of EMM lies in creating and facilitating the understanding with the help of interpretation of science concepts and correlations using models that are based, as mentioned before, on conventional things and processes familiar to us as part of everyday life. The objective is to accelerate and facilitate the learning of these concepts and correlations.
We have been inspired by observations on how certain talented teachers and professors successfully explained the concepts and correlations by illustrating/ interpreting them with the examples of daily notions, thus achieving impressively better results.
Our challenge was to ensure that these skills and abilities do not remain as an exclusive prerogative of just a few individual teachers, and to create a method for learning these skills and gathering a pool of appropriate models that could otherwise be forgotten over the time.
The theoretical origins of the method date back to 1978 when it was developed in Latvia on the basis of several aspects of inductive proof theory. Over a lengthy period of time the method has been tested in practice involving the most talented students. A number of teaching aids have been developed, but unfortunately the difficulties and problems encountered at that epoch prevented the developers from appropriate use of feed-back given by students. It has to be noted that in certain cases students are able to create models that are better adapted to their age group than those models created by their teachers. Within the framework of EMM a model has another meaning and can never be defined as an explanation using the concepts and correlations of the given subject (which is the most common way of explanation given by teachers).
The main promoter of EMM is LIF.
A short system description can be found here: www.goerudio.com, system description.
Romans Vitkovskis
LIF Board Member/Founder
EMM Training and Administrator's Rights.
The administrator's rights in the relevant subject cannot be awarded unless the person has received proper EMM training. The training can be completed in approximately three months (the course length is set on the basis of practical experience, as the intuitive workload is very intensive). Particular attention is paid to acquiring understanding and appropriate skills. EMM course consists of a theoretical part and a practical training. The scope of theoretical part has been increased by including the latest information on the achievements of neurobiologists. The latter allows to assess the method from a different aspect. We have seen precedents when persons who undergo training simply cannot create models, because they either lack creativity and fantasy or are not able to transform their ideas into textual, graphical or other tangible form. From this LIF concludes that the number of potential administrators who receive training should be increased by 20%.
At the end of the training process the successful candidates sign an agreement with LIF which sets out the conditions on liability, as later on the administrators will have access to the system and will be able to feed into it various topics pertaining to subject, as well as models created by themselves or others practically without any restriction. Each administrator works with one or several curriculum subjects depending on their respective qualifications. If more than one administrator is working with the same subject, they check and approve all the received models by rotation. The content is determined by the administrator himself or on the basis of the requirements of educational establishment system (this right is provided by the administrator's status within the national education system). The experience shows that participation of students of the selected school in the feeding of material and initial models into the system is a very effective practice, as it enables to establish good links between teachers and students and the results are therefore much better.
Those teachers who have not received EMM training and therefore have no administrators' rights, may develop and submit their models, as well as concepts and correlations that are not yet included, according to the same procedure as students.
Romans Vitkovskis
LIF Board Member
Peculiarities of System
It is intended to translate models from all relevant languages into English and vice versa, so that students can access as many various models as possible. This will be done within the framework of each particular project.
The system is interactive, as:
1. a student may submit his/her model;
2. a student may vote for a particular model.
The system allows students or parents or any other person to send their comments to teachers - system administrators.
An encouraging factor and a stimulus to develop models will be publishing of the author's name (if the author so wishes), access to the results of voting which show the success rate of the model, certain advantages in various personnel selection procedures (i.e., the ability to create a model based on in-depth understanding of particular concepts or correlations proves that the person possesses creativity and ability to formulate his ideas). It should be noted that models may exist in the form of a text, drawing, picture, photographs, video or the combination of all of the above. The only requirement is that the model must be an adequate interpretation of a concept or correlation.
The system may facilitate the development of creativity of students.
The system will be extended to primary school pupils exactly in the same way as it is introduced in secondary school, i.e., primary school teachers will receive EMM training and afterwards in line with particular education standards will feed into the system the theoretical description of concepts and correlations, as well as definitions. They will develop models of their own and will also involve other teachers and students. Another "sub-page" will be developed and designed taking into account the needs of primary school audience. The same applies to higher education establishments, life-long learning, and at last but not least, various complex instructions, rules or laws, for example those that concerns tax matters.
The application of the system to life-long learning will have the same pattern as for pupils of primary schools.
Translation into English will enable to launch sort of a dialogue between students and teachers from different countries, allowing to see topics from different perspective and thus stimul
