Julia Callaghan, EDAC 634 Assignment 8 - Embodied, spiritual, and narrative learning
Project Title: Connecting to the Numbers
Goal: The goal of this lesson is for students to deepen their understanding of algebraic story problems by incorporating numbers with a personal, spiritual significance.
Objectives: During this unit, students will
- Learn about numerology
- Calculate their personal year number and life path number
- Reflect on numbers that have significance in their lives
- Practice creating and solving story problems
Rationales: This unit incorporates spiritual learning and narrative learning.
- “Most significant adult learning is about meaning-making”, and spirituality plays a role in meaning-making and learning (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 255). Numerology is a belief system that draws meaning from numbers and “provides a system for knowing the path for your time here on Earth,” (Lagerquist & Lenard, 2004, p. 4).
- The lessons in this unit will be delivered to adult learners in a College Mathematics course at the two-year college level. According to the reading, adults’ spirituality increases as they age, and this unit gives adult learners an opportunity to engage in spiritual learning in the classroom. An instructor must create a safe and supportive space for spiritual learning to occur in the learning environment (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020).
- In this unit, students will do a journal reflection and they will also practice creating their own story problemsusing numbers with a personal connection. “Narrative learning means learning through stories,” (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p. 257). Journaling is a form of autobiographical narrative which serves as an effective tool for fostering growth and development in learners (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020). Story-telling is one way to foster spiritual learning, as it encourages students to make connections and construct new meaning (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020).
Design:
Module | Activity |
Module 1 Introduction to Numerology | Lecture: Give a brief introduction to numerology including its history and significance across multiple cultures and religions. Topics will include lucky and unlucky numbers in Chinese culture, Biblical numerology, superstition relating to numbers, and the occult symbolism of digits 1 through 9. |
Module 2 Finding your numbers | Video: Show this video that highlights two concepts of numerology. The woman in the video shows how to calculate your personal year number and your life path number, with a brief explanation about what these numbers signify in numerology. |
~10 minutes
After watching the video, students will calculate their own personal year number and life path number. We will focus on the personal year number in the next module. If students are interested, they can research their life path number on their own. | |
Module 3 Reflection | Journal activity: This is an application of the exercise demonstrated in the video. Students will reflect on their previous personal year cycle and consider the ways the previous years correlated with the theme of their personal year cycle. To do this, they will list out the calendar year along with their personal year numbers and themes for each year. They can go back just a few years, or all the way back through the cycle (covering all 9 years). Then, they will reflect and write down the life events of each year that match up with the corresponding theme. Example of what this journal reflection might look like: Provide the link to this website with information on the significance of life path numbers (optional for students interested in further exploration): http://numerology.center/life_path.php |
Module 4 Story problems | Math activity: Using their own personal year number and life path number, students will come up with a story problemthat incorporates both numbers. Recent topics covered in class would include applications of linear equations, so their story problem should include one unknown variable to be solved for along with their numerology numbers representedsomewhere in the setup. Once students have written their story problems, they will break into small groups and share the problems they created (telling their stories to others), then take time to solve each other’s word problems. |
Connection between activities and spiritual & narrative learning:
The first module is a lecture that introduces the topic of numerology, which is a belief system that involves analyzing numbers on a spiritual level. For many people, whether it be due to cultural customs or individual experience, numbers can have deep significance in their own personal lives. Teaching students about numerology in the classroom provides an opportunity for them to tap into their spiritual side in an environment where they feel safe and supported.
The second module allows students to calculate their personal numbers with regard to their personal year cycle and life path. By design, students are connected to these numbers because they are derived from their birth dates. The second module lays the groundwork for the third module, which integrates narrative learning with the spiritual themes already established.
The journaling activity in the third module is all about meaning-making; students reflect and make connections between numerology’s personal year themes and their own lived experiences in those years. “Learning involves a search for meaning, the active interpretation of our experience,” (Miller, n.d., para. 4). Journaling about past events and how those events have shaped students’ identity is a form of autobiography, which is narrative learning in action.
The math activity in the fourth module ties the numerology unit to the curriculum, providing a basis for a practical application of the numbers. By writing story problems using their numerology numbers and sharing their creations with their classmates, students are practicing the storytelling form of narrative. Storytelling is an engaging way for students to build understanding, make connections with the course content and also make connections with other learners (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020).
References:
Lagerquist, K., & Lenard, L. (2004). The complete idiot’s guide to Numerology. Alpha.
Merriam, S.B., & Baumgartner, L. (2020). Learning in adulthood (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Miller, V., (n.d.). Meaning, purpose, and connection: Spirituality in a learning society. https://www.learndev.org/dl/VS3-00o-SpiritualLearning.PDF
Links to an external site.
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