SOUND PICTURES AND VISUAL IMAGES

Sound is very important for dolphins, especially in the dark and when the water is murky. They use SONAR (Sound navigation and ranging) to find their way around. Dolphins also use high-pitched sounds we can’t hear called ultrasounds to investigate objects in detail. They can therefore see inside the things they are “looking at”, rather like we use ultra scans to look at the foetuses in pregnant women. It is almost certain that dolphins can mimic the sounds they pick up when they are scanning a fish say. This makes it highly likely dolphins communicate with one another using sound pictures. Dilo the dolphin called his ability to do this his “magic sound”.

If you think about it, being able to send sound pictures directly to one another puts dolphins far ahead of humans in the business of communication. Not having this ability, humans, whose large brains evolved millions of years after those of dolphins, developed other means of communication, including hosts of different languages.

We humans do, of course, have the benefit of opposable fingers and thumbs. With these we can hold a paint brush or pencil and create pictures. Some of us have become quite good at this. Rico has the talent in abundance.

When we got together to produce the illustration for this book my dear friend and diving buddy, Rico and I started with the idea of being dolphin like and producing pictures that would convey the essential points we wanted to make with the minimum number of words to go with them. As we progressed an uninvited guest, a mouse we dubbed Mussels, crept into the illustrations. Mussels didn’t have a point to make himself, but he amused us and was fun to have around. In some respects that in itself was making a point because one of the essential elements of IDEAL is that learning English should be fun. Before we knew it, with aid of  Rico’s magic pen, like Dilo before him, Mussels the Mouse developed into a loveable character in his own right.

When the text of IDEAL was finalised I realised that Rico and I were trying to be too clever and that some extra words to explain the concepts behind the illustrations would not go amiss. So here they are.

1. IDEAL is a joyful circle of learning that uses dolphin stories to stimulate the mind and make teaching and learning English fun for students, parents and teachers.
2. A Scholar Gypsy (that’s how Horace Dobbs was described in one newspaper) invites you to join him on a trail to discover why and how stories about a fictional dolphin named Dilo can make learning English easy. Did you notice the signpost? It points the way to eye dee eel-IDEAL.
3. Parents have a vital role to play in teaching their children English. It can start with reading stories. To this can be added family activities in which words are incorporated into creative games such as building a dolphin sandcastle on the beach, which gives dads an excuse to play too.
4. Story telling is part of every culture and has been ever since humans developed the use of language and a capacity for imagination. In the hurly burly of modern life mums and dads do not always have much time to read to their children. This opens up opportunities for aunts, uncles, grandmas and granddads.  Reading out loud benefits the reader and the listener. What better way to enjoy the company of a child than to embark together on a story of adventure about a mischievous dolphin?  (Psst! That’s called a rhetorical question i.e. it answers itself).
5. A youngster amuses himself imagining how humans in the sea must look when seen from a dolphin’s viewpoint. Developing the habit of taking time out to dream, to think, to be creative, to resolve problems and to develop new ideas is a lesson that we all need to learn as the pace of life becomes ever quicker.  Writing or composing music to overcome the anguish of a broken heart has been the source of inspiration for many memorable poems and songs.
6. This schematic demonstrates the amazing adaptability of the brain. The very important point it makes is that when learning English if one mental route to linking a word and its meaning does not work then alternatives will be found. Teachers need to explore different possibilities to find out what works best for individual students. In recent years it has been revealed that many who have attained considerable success later in life were low achievers at school because their intelligence was masked by dyslexia. A situation like this can be averted if the problem is diagnosed, understood and remedied early in life.
7. Release from school is a joyful moment especially when greeted with a smiling face. Young children are usually keen to tell their parents what has happened during the day and should be encouraged to do so. Any problems can be discussed, resolved and then quickly forgotten. Parents should express interest and enthusiasm and give encouragement for all achievements – especially in subjects their child finds difficulties.
8. All young mammals are curious, especially dolphins. Curiosity has its rewards but is not without danger as Dilo finds out when he discovers a lobster in a cave. A possible outcome of being too inquisitive about a creature with two powerful claws is shown in the following two smaller illustrations.
9. When I ran a competition* for the school children of Cornwall that was judged by HRH Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace we were amazed and amused by the immense diversity of the images and the bright colours the youngsters used to portray dolphins. The pictures produced gave us adults a great insight into the way children perceive dolphins.
10. A certificate of achievement gives students the feeling that they have actually made progress. It is an incentive for youngsters who find learning difficult. Such an acknowledgement of success is also important for students who may be very capable but lack self confidence. Many who reach the top of their profession in the performing arts later in life have this trait of character.  To such artists the presentation of awards helps to fend off bouts of depression to which some are also prone.
11. Visual and physical aids make English lessons stimulating. Students are much more likely to retain information if, for instance, they have seen and felt the texture of a wetsuit and then have to write down why it’s used and what it feels like.
12. The use of flash cards is a well established way of mentally connecting words and images. Flash cards are also used for helping brain damaged children to speak.
13. Making a set of flash cards and then using them in a game such as SNAP is a fun way of the players subconsciously learning to recognise the connection between words and pictorial images.
14. Future Nobel Prize winners, whose genius may not be apparent when they are children, benefit from mental stimulation of all kinds. Indeed their potential may never be realised if their interests are not triggered in some way. Libraries, resource centres, aquariums and museums are there to provide materials that will engage and entertain their minds. Students should be encouraged and helped to use them. Adults accompanying children almost certainly find they can learn something too. Visits to museums are part of the overall strategy of IDEAL which integrates learning language with understanding the relationship between humans and dolphins and indeed with all of the life forms on the planet upon which we are dependant for our own survival.
15. E-mail and the World Wide Web (WWW) are powerful weapons for disseminating information. Becoming a Website Warrior enables everyone, even those who are severely disabled, to help dolphins and protect the marine environment.
16. The dolphin in this picture, named Fungie, became  a resident in Dingle Bay in Ireland in 1982. This solitary dolphin who loves human company is what has become known as an Ambassador Dolphin That’s one who, because of his close friendship, is helping us to gain a greater understanding of the nature of the extra special bond between humans and dolphins. Film crews from around the world have visited Fungie’s chosen home to record his amazing relationship with the local residents and the thousands of tourists who flock to see him. Several books have been written about Fungie who played a key role in Operation Sunflower the research project described in Dance to a Dolphins Song, Horace Dobbs (Jonathan Cape, 1991).

*Save the Dolphins by Horace Dobbs (Souvenir Press 1981)

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