The Domino Effect
by Domino, as the name implies, refers to a small flat rectangular block used as a gaming object. These blocks, also called bones, pieces, men, or stones, are typically made of a rigid material such as wood or bone. Dominoes are often arranged in rows, or sets, and they may be paired together so that their adjacent sides match in some specified way. Some domino games involve blocking and scoring, while others focus on positional play, where a player places one domino edge to edge against another so that the value of the dominoes in each row forms some specified total.
Despite their simple appearance, dominoes are very versatile. They can be arranged to make an interesting shape, or even a train. Some people even create intricate designs with them. But most of the time, dominoes are simply pushed against and allowed to fall over according to the laws of physics.
The word domino is also used to describe a chain reaction, such as a fire that spreads rapidly or the collapse of an unstable building. It can also be used as an adjective to mean something that happens suddenly or without warning.
A domino can have a positive or negative impact on its environment. For example, a domino effect can occur in a workplace where a new policy is introduced with minimal employee input. This can have a negative impact on morale and productivity. The company’s leadership must be able to take swift action when a domino effect occurs, such as promoting a more relaxed dress code or overhauling the college recruiting system.
In education, a domino effect can occur when a student compensates for weak foundational skills. Over time, this compensation can tax the student’s working memory capacity and limit his or her ability to learn.
Hevesh started her domino collection at age 10 and soon began posting videos of her creations on YouTube. Now, at 20, she is a professional domino artist with more than 2 million subscribers to her channel, Hevesh5. Hevesh’s largest arrangements can have hundreds of thousands of dominoes and take hours to set up.
While a domino is a great toy for kids, its potential as an analogy for learning is much more profound. Students have limited amounts of working memory capacity and, just like a desktop computer, they must limit the number of items that they can process at once. If students are juggling multiple tasks that require different skill sets, they can become overwhelmed and their performance suffers. The same is true for some learning challenges. Compensating for a weakness can cause students to become cognitively overloaded, and eventually the compensatory skill reaches its limit and begins to impact the weak skill, just as a domino falls when it hits the one beneath it. This is why it’s important for teachers to recognize signs of a domino effect and take steps to prevent it from occurring in their classrooms.