To see one short (approx. 15 minutes) video of children explaining how to solve a beginners' puzzle, go to YouTube and type in SudoKids. When the video comes up, be sure it starts at the beginning by sliding the control all the way to the left. Happy watching!
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Since 2005 I have been doing Sudoku puzzles, originally considering them as a pleasant educational activity that might combat any mental disintegration that might destroy my quality of life. However, in 2014, I realized that Sudoku could be much more. As an ex-teacher, I now understand that Sudoku requires, and teaches, in a fun, powerful way, logic and critical thinking. Considering my own experience, I was never taught logical thinking until my freshman year in college. Now, with Sudoku, we can teach logic to children at a much younger age. Sudoku also teaches the need for accuracy, persistence in problem solving, the difference between relevant and irrelevant information, cause and effect, pattern recognition and an opportunity to develop longer attention spans. It's also fun, and the kids I work with love it.
Sudoku is perfectly timed to teach the skills emphasized by the new Common Core Standards in schools across America. Critical thinking and rational problem solving are required for successfully meeting Common Core Standards. Sudoku teaches these skills.
Since April, 2014, I have been doing, as a volunteer, a Sudoku Club, an after school program at an elementary school in my home town, Grass Valley, California. This club is optional for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders, and is enthusiastically attended every Wednesday afternoon.
In 2016 I realized there were advantages to attacking puzzles as a small (3 or 4 kids) team. I had a puzzle enlarged to 2' by 2' and had it laminated. Then I had a small team work together to solve this beginners' puzzle. They worked well together as a team whose opponent was not other humans; it was a puzzle. Every time a team member had an answer to a cell, the other members asked, "Prove it. Show us the eliminators." Doing this reduced errors and improved communication and cooperation skills, important components of interpersonal intelligence. Developing these socialization skills added a new dimension to Sudoku, which impacts logical thinking but, when done alone, which is most of the time, does little to train teamwork. Doing Team Sudoku helps children learn how to make and keep friends, working together to solve a common mental challenge. I expanded my teaching to eight schools and taught weekly classes in preparation for the tournament, which was held April 27, 2017, with resounding success.
Below is an assessment made by the woman, Andi Smith, who is in charge of the one after school program. She knows the Sudoku Club well, having attended regularly and related to the students about it.
"Every Wednesday, the Scotten After School Program students have a choice to attend Sudoku Club for an hour. Most of the same children go to each Sudoku Club meeting. The opportunity to learn Sudoku has been greatly appreciated by the children and challenged them in enriching ways. Each meeting starts out with a review of the material in which Jerry explains the guidelines of Sudoku with the students.
The children are always engaged in trying to find the answers to the puzzles. Some work alongside Jerry and the group and many children have gotten it down so well that they are able to move ahead and fill out the puzzle with their own speed and ability. With each meeting, the students become more and more confident with the different puzzles. When the puzzles become more difficult, the children are able to rationalize where to start and how to continue. The skills the students learn from Sudoku are immeasurable. The skills they gain through out Sudoku meetings are rational thinking, confidence, self-esteem, and problem solving.
As the year goes on, the students in Sudoku Club show more interest in returning to the next week's meeting with Jerry. He is always willing to help students who need the support and love Sudoku. Jerry is passionate about Sudoku and teaching others. The children respond positively to his teaching method. Our program is happy to continue working alongside Jerry to keep Sudoku Club a positive and rewarding place that children build on important skills."
Sudoku is perfectly timed to teach the skills emphasized by the new Common Core Standards in schools across America. Critical thinking and rational problem solving are required for successfully meeting Common Core Standards. Sudoku teaches these skills.
Since April, 2014, I have been doing, as a volunteer, a Sudoku Club, an after school program at an elementary school in my home town, Grass Valley, California. This club is optional for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders, and is enthusiastically attended every Wednesday afternoon.
In 2016 I realized there were advantages to attacking puzzles as a small (3 or 4 kids) team. I had a puzzle enlarged to 2' by 2' and had it laminated. Then I had a small team work together to solve this beginners' puzzle. They worked well together as a team whose opponent was not other humans; it was a puzzle. Every time a team member had an answer to a cell, the other members asked, "Prove it. Show us the eliminators." Doing this reduced errors and improved communication and cooperation skills, important components of interpersonal intelligence. Developing these socialization skills added a new dimension to Sudoku, which impacts logical thinking but, when done alone, which is most of the time, does little to train teamwork. Doing Team Sudoku helps children learn how to make and keep friends, working together to solve a common mental challenge. I expanded my teaching to eight schools and taught weekly classes in preparation for the tournament, which was held April 27, 2017, with resounding success.
Below is an assessment made by the woman, Andi Smith, who is in charge of the one after school program. She knows the Sudoku Club well, having attended regularly and related to the students about it.
"Every Wednesday, the Scotten After School Program students have a choice to attend Sudoku Club for an hour. Most of the same children go to each Sudoku Club meeting. The opportunity to learn Sudoku has been greatly appreciated by the children and challenged them in enriching ways. Each meeting starts out with a review of the material in which Jerry explains the guidelines of Sudoku with the students.
The children are always engaged in trying to find the answers to the puzzles. Some work alongside Jerry and the group and many children have gotten it down so well that they are able to move ahead and fill out the puzzle with their own speed and ability. With each meeting, the students become more and more confident with the different puzzles. When the puzzles become more difficult, the children are able to rationalize where to start and how to continue. The skills the students learn from Sudoku are immeasurable. The skills they gain through out Sudoku meetings are rational thinking, confidence, self-esteem, and problem solving.
As the year goes on, the students in Sudoku Club show more interest in returning to the next week's meeting with Jerry. He is always willing to help students who need the support and love Sudoku. Jerry is passionate about Sudoku and teaching others. The children respond positively to his teaching method. Our program is happy to continue working alongside Jerry to keep Sudoku Club a positive and rewarding place that children build on important skills."
Sudoku Club Classroom Pictures (c)
taken Dec. 3, 2014 and Feb. 11, 2015
by Ruth Berliner
A DECISION MAKING PRIMER (c)
by Jerry Martin
Of all the millions of things we humans do throughout our lives, making decisions are among the most consequential. Obviously, some decisions are more important and life affecting than others. Whether I choose a Pepsi or a root beer for lunch probably will not endure past tonight. But whether I choose to get a tattoo of a hippo on my forehead, or no tattoo, will definitely impact the remainder of my life. Same is true for whether to buy this house or that, choose this career or that, move to this city or that and marry this person or not. Decisions determine pivotal, and sometimes irreversible, aspects of each human life.
We humans are fortunate in having many choices that other species don't have. Clams, elephants and chimps are driven by more primitive survival instincts in their lives, but never have to choose between several universities or businesses or whether to leave their parents' house or remain living in the basement for a bargain rent. Of course, these decisions make our lives more complicated, which can be very confusing and onerous, but that's all part of being human. Whether we like it or not, decisions come with the territory, unless you are in a coma. You even have to choose whether or not to keep reading this.
All decisions are made on two levels, emotional and logical. I might buy a used car, attracted by its sporty looks, bright color and sexy interior, an emotionally driven decision. Later I realize it's a clunker with a cracked engine block and defective brakes, problems my emotions ignored. Or I might buy a smart (but dull) car, with great dependability and good gas mileage, but never feel good driving it, later concluding it's really dotty grandma's boxy car that doesn't fit my self image. Logical, but emotionally dissatisfying. So the best decisions consider both levels.
We all have emotions, inherent with being human, and unavoidable. Emotions are often based on past teachings, experiences and values. If you were taught to hate violence, boxing and joining the army produce unpleasant feelings and are probably inadvisable. If you were taught, and developed a love for nature and the outdoors, spending 35 years of your professional life in a cubicle as an accountant probably is not a good choice, even though it provides a good income, something logic recommends. Our emotions, not quantifiable, and often unaware, so not controlled, always influence us, nonetheless. Anger, the emotion that is most wide spread in causing us to behave destructively, is much better handled with calm, rational, critical thinking that can mitigate damage, resulting in reconciliation, or at least preservation of the relationship.
I wish we had a "tool" for teaching emotional intelligence like we now have a "tool" for teaching logical intelligence. Created in the 1970s by an American architect named Howard Garns, who originally named it Number Place, Sudoku is sweeping the world, slowly contributing to the cognitive evolution of humanity.
Critical thinking, or logic, is an indispensable component of all good decisions. Logic is subject to deliberation and debate, easier than emotion to discuss, often with pros and cons, often with quantifiable information. Our abilities to use logic productively to maximum advantage can be impacted through education. Math and science also teach this.
Solo Sudoku trains us in the most basic features of logical thinking. Sudoku teaches how to think, not what to think. Sudoku is to thinking what walking is to transportation. If you don't learn good logical thinking, later decisions will be inferior and sometimes disastrous.
Sudoku is like a tune up for the brain, a form of mental yoga that teaches us the basics of good decision making. Fundamental skills, like identifying all relevant information, requiring accuracy and forestalling decisions until adequate information is acquired, are all taught and trained by doing Sudoku puzzles. Once these three requirements are achieved, it's important to be decisive, committing to an informed decision with confidence.
All erroneous decisions are caused by breaking one or more of these basic requirements of productive thinking.
Making these skills a habit results in strong critical thinking and deductive reasoning. It's important to train children in these fundamental skills; this will produce formidable decision makers. Further, when puzzles are solved by small teams of 3 or 4, decisions are made in unison, necessitating calm communication and respectful collaboration in order to make accurate decisions. All of us, but particularly future leaders, must work together to make beneficial decisions, for ourselves and society in general. The successful cognitive and moral evolution of humanity depends on it.
Since Sudoku requires 100% accuracy for success, and since accuracy can be equated with truth, developing respect and need for accuracy will produce a larger recognition of truth. This is particularly applicable in today's political environment, where fake news, and accusations of fake news (which is not fake) are common and undermine morality and trust. Learning to discern truth from untruth enables us to recognize mendacity, an invaluable skill when evaluating a politician and his/her statements and character. Training by Sudoku will result in better voting decisions and choices in every aspect of our complex lives.
by Jerry Martin
Of all the millions of things we humans do throughout our lives, making decisions are among the most consequential. Obviously, some decisions are more important and life affecting than others. Whether I choose a Pepsi or a root beer for lunch probably will not endure past tonight. But whether I choose to get a tattoo of a hippo on my forehead, or no tattoo, will definitely impact the remainder of my life. Same is true for whether to buy this house or that, choose this career or that, move to this city or that and marry this person or not. Decisions determine pivotal, and sometimes irreversible, aspects of each human life.
We humans are fortunate in having many choices that other species don't have. Clams, elephants and chimps are driven by more primitive survival instincts in their lives, but never have to choose between several universities or businesses or whether to leave their parents' house or remain living in the basement for a bargain rent. Of course, these decisions make our lives more complicated, which can be very confusing and onerous, but that's all part of being human. Whether we like it or not, decisions come with the territory, unless you are in a coma. You even have to choose whether or not to keep reading this.
All decisions are made on two levels, emotional and logical. I might buy a used car, attracted by its sporty looks, bright color and sexy interior, an emotionally driven decision. Later I realize it's a clunker with a cracked engine block and defective brakes, problems my emotions ignored. Or I might buy a smart (but dull) car, with great dependability and good gas mileage, but never feel good driving it, later concluding it's really dotty grandma's boxy car that doesn't fit my self image. Logical, but emotionally dissatisfying. So the best decisions consider both levels.
We all have emotions, inherent with being human, and unavoidable. Emotions are often based on past teachings, experiences and values. If you were taught to hate violence, boxing and joining the army produce unpleasant feelings and are probably inadvisable. If you were taught, and developed a love for nature and the outdoors, spending 35 years of your professional life in a cubicle as an accountant probably is not a good choice, even though it provides a good income, something logic recommends. Our emotions, not quantifiable, and often unaware, so not controlled, always influence us, nonetheless. Anger, the emotion that is most wide spread in causing us to behave destructively, is much better handled with calm, rational, critical thinking that can mitigate damage, resulting in reconciliation, or at least preservation of the relationship.
I wish we had a "tool" for teaching emotional intelligence like we now have a "tool" for teaching logical intelligence. Created in the 1970s by an American architect named Howard Garns, who originally named it Number Place, Sudoku is sweeping the world, slowly contributing to the cognitive evolution of humanity.
Critical thinking, or logic, is an indispensable component of all good decisions. Logic is subject to deliberation and debate, easier than emotion to discuss, often with pros and cons, often with quantifiable information. Our abilities to use logic productively to maximum advantage can be impacted through education. Math and science also teach this.
Solo Sudoku trains us in the most basic features of logical thinking. Sudoku teaches how to think, not what to think. Sudoku is to thinking what walking is to transportation. If you don't learn good logical thinking, later decisions will be inferior and sometimes disastrous.
Sudoku is like a tune up for the brain, a form of mental yoga that teaches us the basics of good decision making. Fundamental skills, like identifying all relevant information, requiring accuracy and forestalling decisions until adequate information is acquired, are all taught and trained by doing Sudoku puzzles. Once these three requirements are achieved, it's important to be decisive, committing to an informed decision with confidence.
All erroneous decisions are caused by breaking one or more of these basic requirements of productive thinking.
Making these skills a habit results in strong critical thinking and deductive reasoning. It's important to train children in these fundamental skills; this will produce formidable decision makers. Further, when puzzles are solved by small teams of 3 or 4, decisions are made in unison, necessitating calm communication and respectful collaboration in order to make accurate decisions. All of us, but particularly future leaders, must work together to make beneficial decisions, for ourselves and society in general. The successful cognitive and moral evolution of humanity depends on it.
Since Sudoku requires 100% accuracy for success, and since accuracy can be equated with truth, developing respect and need for accuracy will produce a larger recognition of truth. This is particularly applicable in today's political environment, where fake news, and accusations of fake news (which is not fake) are common and undermine morality and trust. Learning to discern truth from untruth enables us to recognize mendacity, an invaluable skill when evaluating a politician and his/her statements and character. Training by Sudoku will result in better voting decisions and choices in every aspect of our complex lives.
A LESSON FROM THE ANCIENTS (C) by Jerry Martin
Many millennia ago, before written language, before the wheel, there lived a small tribe of primitive humans somewhere in the Alps. This collection of four or five families, all fictional, lived together peacefully, with little friction and little food. They mostly ate pine cones and grub worms, but had time for amusements.
In a near forest lived a healthy roost of hundreds of chickens who laid many eggs daily. The people never thought to eat the eggs. And the chickens were too fast to catch. But the eggs were easily collected.
For generations they developed and played a game which, thousands of years later, evolved into modern day bocce ball. They rolled the eggs on the ground, sometimes for distance, sometimes for accuracy. The eggs were fun toys, their only distraction from their short lives of malnutrition, sabor-tooth tigers and boredom. The old wise leader of the village said about the eggs, "Even though they don't bounce, they make perfect balls and we must save them to only be used for play and amusement."
Occasionally, while exercising their newly discovered opposable thumbs, someone dropped an egg and it broke. They thought it looked nasty and were surprised when wild dogs, just beginning to become domesticated, ate the broken eggs. Still, the people obeyed the old leader's advice and never ate the eggs. These naive people didn't recognize the eggs' true value.
Then one day, after many generations playing this sport, a very precocious young man decided to copy the dogs. Seeing what eggs did for dogs' diets, the gifted boy ate an egg and then requested his family begin eating them. Soon this became very popular and finally they overcame their traditional malnutrition and everyone gained weight and was happy. They finally realized their misuse of this valuable resource. The egg rolling sport was retired. (However, generations later, the wheel was invented, inspired by the rolling talent of the round eggs, which was rare in nature.)
Here in California in the 21st century we have a parallel. We have a valuable "tool" that is not being used to its potential. It is misunderstood, like the cavemen's eggs, and so of limited value to us modern humans. This "tool" is Sudoku, excellent for teaching and training basic cognitive development, the rudiments of effective critical thinking, useful in every walk of life. Sudoku could teach (and train) a wide range of humanity how to think correctly, helping us solve modern life's problems.
Further, when done in small teams, Sudoku can train us to work together to solve problems and develop social skills that make our lives more peaceful, friendly and cooperative. It's a game of us humans against a non-human opponent, a puzzle. Simulating a major obstacle such as flood or fire or famine, this game trains children, while safe, to overcome their personal differences while objectively collaborating to defeat a common opponent, a puzzle. Team Sudoku develops belonging and friendships, providing opportunities for humans to learn how to work together in a safe context to defeat a mutual foe.
When we can learned to eat the eggs rather than roll them, we derived their maximum usefulness. Like the egg for the body, Sudoku is "food" for our minds. Sudoku, in the same way, can teach us good thinking habits if we use it as a teaching "tool" rather than a frivolous, time-wasting pastime. Our educational institutions need to recognize this power, take Sudoku off the shelf of amusements and use it to train our collective brains with good thinking habits.
Many millennia ago, before written language, before the wheel, there lived a small tribe of primitive humans somewhere in the Alps. This collection of four or five families, all fictional, lived together peacefully, with little friction and little food. They mostly ate pine cones and grub worms, but had time for amusements.
In a near forest lived a healthy roost of hundreds of chickens who laid many eggs daily. The people never thought to eat the eggs. And the chickens were too fast to catch. But the eggs were easily collected.
For generations they developed and played a game which, thousands of years later, evolved into modern day bocce ball. They rolled the eggs on the ground, sometimes for distance, sometimes for accuracy. The eggs were fun toys, their only distraction from their short lives of malnutrition, sabor-tooth tigers and boredom. The old wise leader of the village said about the eggs, "Even though they don't bounce, they make perfect balls and we must save them to only be used for play and amusement."
Occasionally, while exercising their newly discovered opposable thumbs, someone dropped an egg and it broke. They thought it looked nasty and were surprised when wild dogs, just beginning to become domesticated, ate the broken eggs. Still, the people obeyed the old leader's advice and never ate the eggs. These naive people didn't recognize the eggs' true value.
Then one day, after many generations playing this sport, a very precocious young man decided to copy the dogs. Seeing what eggs did for dogs' diets, the gifted boy ate an egg and then requested his family begin eating them. Soon this became very popular and finally they overcame their traditional malnutrition and everyone gained weight and was happy. They finally realized their misuse of this valuable resource. The egg rolling sport was retired. (However, generations later, the wheel was invented, inspired by the rolling talent of the round eggs, which was rare in nature.)
Here in California in the 21st century we have a parallel. We have a valuable "tool" that is not being used to its potential. It is misunderstood, like the cavemen's eggs, and so of limited value to us modern humans. This "tool" is Sudoku, excellent for teaching and training basic cognitive development, the rudiments of effective critical thinking, useful in every walk of life. Sudoku could teach (and train) a wide range of humanity how to think correctly, helping us solve modern life's problems.
Further, when done in small teams, Sudoku can train us to work together to solve problems and develop social skills that make our lives more peaceful, friendly and cooperative. It's a game of us humans against a non-human opponent, a puzzle. Simulating a major obstacle such as flood or fire or famine, this game trains children, while safe, to overcome their personal differences while objectively collaborating to defeat a common opponent, a puzzle. Team Sudoku develops belonging and friendships, providing opportunities for humans to learn how to work together in a safe context to defeat a mutual foe.
When we can learned to eat the eggs rather than roll them, we derived their maximum usefulness. Like the egg for the body, Sudoku is "food" for our minds. Sudoku, in the same way, can teach us good thinking habits if we use it as a teaching "tool" rather than a frivolous, time-wasting pastime. Our educational institutions need to recognize this power, take Sudoku off the shelf of amusements and use it to train our collective brains with good thinking habits.
WHY SUDOKU IS A GREAT TEACHING TOOL (C)
by Jerry Martin
Sudoku is a small puzzle that has great potential for teaching valuable skills and capacities. Frequently misunderstood as arithmetic, Sudoku is actually logic, a far different subject. You can do Sudoku with any nine symbols, including letters of the alphabet. We usually use numbers 1 through 9, just for convenience and universality. We never manipulate these numbers with subtraction, addition, etc. and there is no difference in value; they're all equal.
Learning Sudoku teaches us to discern the appropriate information needed to solve each “problem” while learning to ignore what’s not relevant. Learning to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information is necessary for rational problem solving. Sudoku also teaches the basics of cause and effect. Analytical thinking, taught by Sudoku, is the basis for the new Common Core standards in our schools.
Sudoku encourages creative thinking, using the few rules to your advantage, sometimes with new tactics. Sudoku also develops focus and concentration, mentally performing a series of steps necessary to solve each “problem”. And it requires discipline and perseverance, working to complete the puzzle. This develops longer attention spans in children. Successfully completing a puzzle brings feelings of satisfaction, producing self-esteem, intrinsically motivating the person solving the puzzle. Sudoku also makes the case that sometimes the journey is more interesting and valuable than the destination.
Sudoku is very practical. It’s cheap, in almost every newspaper and many magazines. There are paper back books full of puzzles of varying difficulty. Sudoku works with every language and is done alone; no need for a partner. Like here in the United States, it’s becoming popular in many countries. It travels easily, taking up negligible space, and requires no electricity or batteries. It can be done almost anywhere, with only a pencil. Anybody who can count to 9 can learn Sudoku. It’s low tech but high value.
In an important way, Sudoku is like chess or checkers, competition requiring us to use our logical brains to determine the next move. But there’s an important difference. Chess and checkers are against a human opponent. Sudoku is against a puzzle. It’s always easier to lose to a puzzle, for most of us. And winning against a puzzle doesn’t stress friendships or provoke bragging rights. Sudoku teaches that failure can be painless and is always possible when doing anything challenging. The only way to always avoid failure is to do nothing.
Sudoku is not ambiguous. Every move is either right or wrong. There is only one correct answer. There’s no gray area. This contrasts with most things in our complex lives, where things are often a matter of different opinions about which many people disagree. Simple decisions, in life, are rare. Sudoku offers a refuge from uncertainty and vagueness. Sudoku avoids disagreements.
Sudoku is a reliable friend that never argues and can always be there for you.
by Jerry Martin
Sudoku is a small puzzle that has great potential for teaching valuable skills and capacities. Frequently misunderstood as arithmetic, Sudoku is actually logic, a far different subject. You can do Sudoku with any nine symbols, including letters of the alphabet. We usually use numbers 1 through 9, just for convenience and universality. We never manipulate these numbers with subtraction, addition, etc. and there is no difference in value; they're all equal.
Learning Sudoku teaches us to discern the appropriate information needed to solve each “problem” while learning to ignore what’s not relevant. Learning to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information is necessary for rational problem solving. Sudoku also teaches the basics of cause and effect. Analytical thinking, taught by Sudoku, is the basis for the new Common Core standards in our schools.
Sudoku encourages creative thinking, using the few rules to your advantage, sometimes with new tactics. Sudoku also develops focus and concentration, mentally performing a series of steps necessary to solve each “problem”. And it requires discipline and perseverance, working to complete the puzzle. This develops longer attention spans in children. Successfully completing a puzzle brings feelings of satisfaction, producing self-esteem, intrinsically motivating the person solving the puzzle. Sudoku also makes the case that sometimes the journey is more interesting and valuable than the destination.
Sudoku is very practical. It’s cheap, in almost every newspaper and many magazines. There are paper back books full of puzzles of varying difficulty. Sudoku works with every language and is done alone; no need for a partner. Like here in the United States, it’s becoming popular in many countries. It travels easily, taking up negligible space, and requires no electricity or batteries. It can be done almost anywhere, with only a pencil. Anybody who can count to 9 can learn Sudoku. It’s low tech but high value.
In an important way, Sudoku is like chess or checkers, competition requiring us to use our logical brains to determine the next move. But there’s an important difference. Chess and checkers are against a human opponent. Sudoku is against a puzzle. It’s always easier to lose to a puzzle, for most of us. And winning against a puzzle doesn’t stress friendships or provoke bragging rights. Sudoku teaches that failure can be painless and is always possible when doing anything challenging. The only way to always avoid failure is to do nothing.
Sudoku is not ambiguous. Every move is either right or wrong. There is only one correct answer. There’s no gray area. This contrasts with most things in our complex lives, where things are often a matter of different opinions about which many people disagree. Simple decisions, in life, are rare. Sudoku offers a refuge from uncertainty and vagueness. Sudoku avoids disagreements.
Sudoku is a reliable friend that never argues and can always be there for you.
WHY SUDOKU ATTRACTS US (C)
by Jerry Martin
Like many others, I am attracted to doing Sudoku. But I sometimes ask, “why?” As there is nothing to show after the completion of a puzzle (after all, it’s only a small piece of paper with a bunch of meaningless numbers--certainly nothing anyone would display on a wall or the mantle-nothing you could sell, even at a garage sale), the only reason to keep doing Sudoku has to be intrinsically motivated. The process is much more important than the result. The journey trumps the destination. Somehow it must feel good.
We humans like competition. It adds drama and excitement to our lives. We have created many competitive events from many sports, academic challenges, prestigious awards and artistic and beauty contests.
Is there competition in Sudoku? Yes, there is, but it’s competition between you and a puzzle, not against another team or person. Of course, this makes defeat easier to tolerate. If you get almost to the end of a puzzle and realize you made a mistake somewhere earlier, you can just throw it away and start on another puzzle, or even the same one if you have a copy or want to erase your previous answers. Losing is no big deal. With Sudoku, you have something to gain and not much to lose.
Doing Sudoku helps people overcome their fear of failure. This fear, if developed in children, will make that child risk-averse. This resistance, limiting his /her choices to try new activities, will lower goals (only do safe things) and produce an unexceptional life, regardless of intelligence or skills. Fear of failure is a major component of low self-esteem.
But what about winning? Solving each individual cell, something you’ll do about 50 times in each puzzle, feels good. All of these minor triumphs reward you for using your brain in a productive way. When you successfully complete a whole puzzle, there’s a sense of satisfaction, an understanding of your competence in working successfully while performing, with logic, something many people cannot do. This successful journey raises self-esteem.
Another appeal of Sudoku for adults is its unambiguous simplicity. We live in a rapidly increasingly complex society. Most people have to get professional help if medical or legal or mechanical or electrical (you get the idea) help is needed. We sometimes are, and feel, dependent on others, who are “experts” in something we don’t understand well. In contrast, Sudoku allows us to escape into a world that can be understood, problems that can be solved, alone. And the final completed puzzles are easy to check, without outside measuring tools. It’s comforting to master something.
The phrase, “use it or lose it” applies. Sudoku requires you to use the logical parts of the brain. It requires discerning the few pieces of relevant information from the many pieces of irrelevant information, a skill that’s extremely valuable throughout our lives. It also requires consistent accuracy, being unforgiving of errors. Pattern recognition is necessary, as is a nimble flexibility to utilize different tactics as the situation requires. These different tactics are learned as you become more proficient at solving more difficult puzzles. All of these help us combat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Subject of the Accomplishment (C)
by Jerry Martin
Logic is rarely taught in American schools until, at the earliest, college. Yet critical thinking, with rational problem solving, is increasingly required in the complex society of today. It is also one of the cornerstones of most successful lives.
Being able to discern relevant information, while ignoring irrelevant information, is necessary for success in analyzing and solving problems. Being able to determine the cause(s) of any given effect is an important life skill. Having a strong sense and appreciation for accuracy is obviously important. These are some of the skills and attitudes lacking in much of American education today. Yet these are some of the capabilities being demanded by the new Common Core Standards activated recently across our country.
This problem has persisted as long as humans have been making mistakes in their thinking. It’s probably been around since before our ancestors tried to make fire by pounding mastodon dung with rocks or tried to fend off a saber-tooth tiger attack by blowing in his whiskers.
Description of the Accomplishment (C)
by Jerry Martin
Sudoku as a Teaching Tool is an innovative program that uses a simple puzzle, Sudoku, as a practical, cheap, popular-with-kids instrument for teaching and developing many mental skills, including logic. This program has been developed, and is now implemented, by one educator, Jerry Martin, in his home town, Grass Valley, California. For nine months, beginning in April, 2014, until the present (with a three months break for summer vacation), Jerry has taught Sudoku, as a volunteer, in an after school program, once a week (every Wednesday) at Scotten Elementary School. It is enthusiastically attended by 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders, whose presence is optional. They would rather come to the Sudoku Club than play on the playground, while waiting to be picked up by their parents.
Though this program is now directed towards elementary students, it could be used in the future to teach logic and other skills (persistence, observation, accuracy, creative problem solving, public speaking, attention to detail) to other demographics. I believe that such diverse groups as retirees, prison inmates, soldiers and tourists on cruise ships would also enjoy and benefit from this program.
Sudoku is a useful tool and dependable friend. This program promotes and teaches it.
BELOW IS THE SUDOKU CLUB DOING OUR CELEBRATORY VICTORY DANCE, PERFORMED WITH ENTHUSIASM AFTER ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION
by Jerry Martin
Like many others, I am attracted to doing Sudoku. But I sometimes ask, “why?” As there is nothing to show after the completion of a puzzle (after all, it’s only a small piece of paper with a bunch of meaningless numbers--certainly nothing anyone would display on a wall or the mantle-nothing you could sell, even at a garage sale), the only reason to keep doing Sudoku has to be intrinsically motivated. The process is much more important than the result. The journey trumps the destination. Somehow it must feel good.
We humans like competition. It adds drama and excitement to our lives. We have created many competitive events from many sports, academic challenges, prestigious awards and artistic and beauty contests.
Is there competition in Sudoku? Yes, there is, but it’s competition between you and a puzzle, not against another team or person. Of course, this makes defeat easier to tolerate. If you get almost to the end of a puzzle and realize you made a mistake somewhere earlier, you can just throw it away and start on another puzzle, or even the same one if you have a copy or want to erase your previous answers. Losing is no big deal. With Sudoku, you have something to gain and not much to lose.
Doing Sudoku helps people overcome their fear of failure. This fear, if developed in children, will make that child risk-averse. This resistance, limiting his /her choices to try new activities, will lower goals (only do safe things) and produce an unexceptional life, regardless of intelligence or skills. Fear of failure is a major component of low self-esteem.
But what about winning? Solving each individual cell, something you’ll do about 50 times in each puzzle, feels good. All of these minor triumphs reward you for using your brain in a productive way. When you successfully complete a whole puzzle, there’s a sense of satisfaction, an understanding of your competence in working successfully while performing, with logic, something many people cannot do. This successful journey raises self-esteem.
Another appeal of Sudoku for adults is its unambiguous simplicity. We live in a rapidly increasingly complex society. Most people have to get professional help if medical or legal or mechanical or electrical (you get the idea) help is needed. We sometimes are, and feel, dependent on others, who are “experts” in something we don’t understand well. In contrast, Sudoku allows us to escape into a world that can be understood, problems that can be solved, alone. And the final completed puzzles are easy to check, without outside measuring tools. It’s comforting to master something.
The phrase, “use it or lose it” applies. Sudoku requires you to use the logical parts of the brain. It requires discerning the few pieces of relevant information from the many pieces of irrelevant information, a skill that’s extremely valuable throughout our lives. It also requires consistent accuracy, being unforgiving of errors. Pattern recognition is necessary, as is a nimble flexibility to utilize different tactics as the situation requires. These different tactics are learned as you become more proficient at solving more difficult puzzles. All of these help us combat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Subject of the Accomplishment (C)
by Jerry Martin
Logic is rarely taught in American schools until, at the earliest, college. Yet critical thinking, with rational problem solving, is increasingly required in the complex society of today. It is also one of the cornerstones of most successful lives.
Being able to discern relevant information, while ignoring irrelevant information, is necessary for success in analyzing and solving problems. Being able to determine the cause(s) of any given effect is an important life skill. Having a strong sense and appreciation for accuracy is obviously important. These are some of the skills and attitudes lacking in much of American education today. Yet these are some of the capabilities being demanded by the new Common Core Standards activated recently across our country.
This problem has persisted as long as humans have been making mistakes in their thinking. It’s probably been around since before our ancestors tried to make fire by pounding mastodon dung with rocks or tried to fend off a saber-tooth tiger attack by blowing in his whiskers.
Description of the Accomplishment (C)
by Jerry Martin
Sudoku as a Teaching Tool is an innovative program that uses a simple puzzle, Sudoku, as a practical, cheap, popular-with-kids instrument for teaching and developing many mental skills, including logic. This program has been developed, and is now implemented, by one educator, Jerry Martin, in his home town, Grass Valley, California. For nine months, beginning in April, 2014, until the present (with a three months break for summer vacation), Jerry has taught Sudoku, as a volunteer, in an after school program, once a week (every Wednesday) at Scotten Elementary School. It is enthusiastically attended by 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders, whose presence is optional. They would rather come to the Sudoku Club than play on the playground, while waiting to be picked up by their parents.
Though this program is now directed towards elementary students, it could be used in the future to teach logic and other skills (persistence, observation, accuracy, creative problem solving, public speaking, attention to detail) to other demographics. I believe that such diverse groups as retirees, prison inmates, soldiers and tourists on cruise ships would also enjoy and benefit from this program.
Sudoku is a useful tool and dependable friend. This program promotes and teaches it.
BELOW IS THE SUDOKU CLUB DOING OUR CELEBRATORY VICTORY DANCE, PERFORMED WITH ENTHUSIASM AFTER ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION
BRIEF HISTORY OF SUDOKU
Though there were a variety of similar predecessors that originated in 19th century France, modern Sudoku was first created by Howard Garns, a 74 year old retired architect from Connorsville, Indiana. It was initially published in 1979 by Dell Magazines and called Number Place. Garns died in 1989, never seeing the phenomenal world-wide spread of his creation.
The puzzle first appeared in Japan in 1984 in Nikoli, a monthly magazine. It was introduced by a phrase which, when translated into English, means “the digits are limited to one occurrence”. Later, the name was abbreviated to Sudoku, as the original name, with five words, was too long to be practical with the public.
In 2004 the puzzle, called Sudoku, was published by The Times of London, a major newspaper. Sudoku’s promulgation has continued in many newspapers, magazines and books to it’s current popularity. It’s now being recognized by educators as a practical, popular, effective tool for teaching children many skills and capabilities, including logic.
Though there were a variety of similar predecessors that originated in 19th century France, modern Sudoku was first created by Howard Garns, a 74 year old retired architect from Connorsville, Indiana. It was initially published in 1979 by Dell Magazines and called Number Place. Garns died in 1989, never seeing the phenomenal world-wide spread of his creation.
The puzzle first appeared in Japan in 1984 in Nikoli, a monthly magazine. It was introduced by a phrase which, when translated into English, means “the digits are limited to one occurrence”. Later, the name was abbreviated to Sudoku, as the original name, with five words, was too long to be practical with the public.
In 2004 the puzzle, called Sudoku, was published by The Times of London, a major newspaper. Sudoku’s promulgation has continued in many newspapers, magazines and books to it’s current popularity. It’s now being recognized by educators as a practical, popular, effective tool for teaching children many skills and capabilities, including logic.
MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS (C)
by Jerry Martin
Sudoku is practical for many reasons. It is applicable in three major ways. First, the skills and capacities required and taught by Sudoku can be applied in every human activity. Understanding and being able to discern the difference between relevant information and irrelevant information, a discernment that is done about fifty times when solving every puzzle, is also necessary throughout life. Children need to learn this and Sudoku is very good at teaching it. Solving problems common in life usually requires deductive reasoning. Sudoku teaches deduction. And since there is only one correct answer every time we fill in a cell, an activity that happens about fifty times in each puzzle, the need for accuracy is reinforced continuously. One mistake will always produce failure, but you don’t realize that failure until much later, when it’s too late to locate the incorrect answer.
Secondly, Sudoku can be done by a wide range of humans. If you can count up to 9 you can learn Sudoku. It works with any language. It’s popular with both genders. It’s done by all ages over 6. It can be done almost anywhere there is enough light to see the puzzle. Only a pencil is needed; no electricity or batteries are required. You can start a puzzle, put it away, and then continue at a later time. It’s available in many countries in newspapers, magazines, books and the internet. It travels easily and is available cheaply. It’s very visible so is easy to teach and learn. And it’s easy for teachers because the curriculum, a puzzle, is all that’s needed and is readily available.
Thirdly, Sudoku can be done alone or with others. True, it’s usually a solo activity, but in a classroom, many children can work together to solve a puzzle that is projected onto a white board. Two people can work together on a puzzle with one doing the even numbers and the other doing the odd numbers. It’s an entertaining educational activity while waiting in an airport or doctor’s office.
Educators are beginning to recognize Sudoku’s power and versatility for teaching and developing valuable lessons necessary for successful lives.
by Jerry Martin
Sudoku is practical for many reasons. It is applicable in three major ways. First, the skills and capacities required and taught by Sudoku can be applied in every human activity. Understanding and being able to discern the difference between relevant information and irrelevant information, a discernment that is done about fifty times when solving every puzzle, is also necessary throughout life. Children need to learn this and Sudoku is very good at teaching it. Solving problems common in life usually requires deductive reasoning. Sudoku teaches deduction. And since there is only one correct answer every time we fill in a cell, an activity that happens about fifty times in each puzzle, the need for accuracy is reinforced continuously. One mistake will always produce failure, but you don’t realize that failure until much later, when it’s too late to locate the incorrect answer.
Secondly, Sudoku can be done by a wide range of humans. If you can count up to 9 you can learn Sudoku. It works with any language. It’s popular with both genders. It’s done by all ages over 6. It can be done almost anywhere there is enough light to see the puzzle. Only a pencil is needed; no electricity or batteries are required. You can start a puzzle, put it away, and then continue at a later time. It’s available in many countries in newspapers, magazines, books and the internet. It travels easily and is available cheaply. It’s very visible so is easy to teach and learn. And it’s easy for teachers because the curriculum, a puzzle, is all that’s needed and is readily available.
Thirdly, Sudoku can be done alone or with others. True, it’s usually a solo activity, but in a classroom, many children can work together to solve a puzzle that is projected onto a white board. Two people can work together on a puzzle with one doing the even numbers and the other doing the odd numbers. It’s an entertaining educational activity while waiting in an airport or doctor’s office.
Educators are beginning to recognize Sudoku’s power and versatility for teaching and developing valuable lessons necessary for successful lives.
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HOW SUDOKU PRODUCES GROWTH (C)
by Jerry Martin
About 50 times each puzzle, players must discern relevant from irrelevant information. This is training, not just teaching.
About 50 times each puzzle, players must be completely accurate. There’s only one correct answer for each cell and each puzzle. More training in exactness.
Sudoku is an escape from the complexities and divergent opinions that comprise our lives. There are no gray areas. There’s only right and wrong. No debatable decisions.
It’s competition with a puzzle, not another human. This makes losing easier, unlike checkers and chess and card games.
Since the price for failure is so small, Sudoku helps people, including kids, overcome a fear of failure. This fear limits activities and participation and is a characteristic of low self-esteem. But with Sudoku, getting a puzzle wrong can be easily experienced. Just throw it away.
Sudoku trains players to make decisions. About 50 times each puzzle the player must decide what number goes where. And commit it on paper. This produces strong, independent thinking in children and produces a feeling of constructive power.
Sudoku gives control, allowing the player to organize a disassembled group of numbers. This control builds power.
Sudoku encourages focus, concentration and perseverance. This helps combat ADHD, particularly in kids.
Sudoku teaches and trains deduction; cause and effect.
Sudoku is a reliable “friend”, always there to resist boredom while raising self-esteem.
Sudoku teaches and trains systematic problem solving.
Use it or lose it. Sudoku is mental gymnastics that help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s, a particular concern of seniors.
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by Jerry Martin
About 50 times each puzzle, players must discern relevant from irrelevant information. This is training, not just teaching.
About 50 times each puzzle, players must be completely accurate. There’s only one correct answer for each cell and each puzzle. More training in exactness.
Sudoku is an escape from the complexities and divergent opinions that comprise our lives. There are no gray areas. There’s only right and wrong. No debatable decisions.
It’s competition with a puzzle, not another human. This makes losing easier, unlike checkers and chess and card games.
Since the price for failure is so small, Sudoku helps people, including kids, overcome a fear of failure. This fear limits activities and participation and is a characteristic of low self-esteem. But with Sudoku, getting a puzzle wrong can be easily experienced. Just throw it away.
Sudoku trains players to make decisions. About 50 times each puzzle the player must decide what number goes where. And commit it on paper. This produces strong, independent thinking in children and produces a feeling of constructive power.
Sudoku gives control, allowing the player to organize a disassembled group of numbers. This control builds power.
Sudoku encourages focus, concentration and perseverance. This helps combat ADHD, particularly in kids.
Sudoku teaches and trains deduction; cause and effect.
Sudoku is a reliable “friend”, always there to resist boredom while raising self-esteem.
Sudoku teaches and trains systematic problem solving.
Use it or lose it. Sudoku is mental gymnastics that help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s, a particular concern of seniors.
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TEACHING AND TRAINING (C)
by Jerry Martin
Learning most things requires both teaching and training. Teaching alone is usually not enough to guarantee learning that will endure. For learning to be permanent, training is usually necessary. Training usually involves repetition.
If a PE teacher wants to teach basketball to seventh graders, they often start with learning lay-ups. The teacher demonstrates this fundamental move and explains it. That’s teaching. But if the kids are ever going to learn it with dependable proficiency, they must practice it many times. This is training, doing the lay-up repeatedly until it’s consistently made.
If we only teach, without training, these lessons will be forgotten over time. The benefits of learning will be lost. If we teach a child that 7 multiplied by 8 equals 56, it won’t be learned and carried into adulthood without much repetition. If we teach the alphabet by voicing it once, it won’t be learned without repetition.
Sudoku is excellent at both teaching and training. For example, we teach the learner to recognize the relevant numbers while ignoring all those that are irrelevant. And we train this lesson by repeating it about 50 times during the solving of a puzzle. We teach cause and effect and can train it about 50 times each puzzle. We can emphasize the need for total accuracy, and this lesson can be learned while training every time a cell is solved, which happens repeatedly.
Because of repetition, children learn to focus their attention constructively; they learn the satisfaction of success many times while solving many cells to complete the puzzle. Repetition trains systematic problem solving and pattern recognition. This beneficial training develops clear thinking capabilities in children and adults.
by Jerry Martin
Learning most things requires both teaching and training. Teaching alone is usually not enough to guarantee learning that will endure. For learning to be permanent, training is usually necessary. Training usually involves repetition.
If a PE teacher wants to teach basketball to seventh graders, they often start with learning lay-ups. The teacher demonstrates this fundamental move and explains it. That’s teaching. But if the kids are ever going to learn it with dependable proficiency, they must practice it many times. This is training, doing the lay-up repeatedly until it’s consistently made.
If we only teach, without training, these lessons will be forgotten over time. The benefits of learning will be lost. If we teach a child that 7 multiplied by 8 equals 56, it won’t be learned and carried into adulthood without much repetition. If we teach the alphabet by voicing it once, it won’t be learned without repetition.
Sudoku is excellent at both teaching and training. For example, we teach the learner to recognize the relevant numbers while ignoring all those that are irrelevant. And we train this lesson by repeating it about 50 times during the solving of a puzzle. We teach cause and effect and can train it about 50 times each puzzle. We can emphasize the need for total accuracy, and this lesson can be learned while training every time a cell is solved, which happens repeatedly.
Because of repetition, children learn to focus their attention constructively; they learn the satisfaction of success many times while solving many cells to complete the puzzle. Repetition trains systematic problem solving and pattern recognition. This beneficial training develops clear thinking capabilities in children and adults.