In my Learner Diversity class we were discussing the Golden Mean / Ratio and I was amazed. It is basically a number that occurs everywhere in nature. It equals about 1.61803 . . . otherwise known as phi. And a sequence that leads to phi is known as the Fibonacci Numbers. But the most amazing part about this number is that no matter who you are, what you look like, or where you’re from you will have this number in common with every person you come into contact with. It is one thing that connects everyone and makes us alike.
What I mean is that you could take a large group of people and measure the length of their hand and forearm. If the length of the hand has the value of 1, for instance, then the combined length of hand + forearm has the approximate value of Phi. Phi appears everywhere! Plants illustrate the Fibonacci series in the numbers and arrangements of petals, leaves, sections and seeds. The dimensions of the famous Stradivarius Violin equal Phi. Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings are divided up into the Fibonacci sequence.
The point that I am trying to get to with all of these numbers and dimensions is that this is one thing everyone has the same. Everyone's DNA is 99.9% the same. Therefore, .01% is all that separates every person in the world. So how can we have so much in common but still be so different. Is it that .01% that makes human beings into separate social classes? Does that .01% makes us kill each other, go to war, or hate one another based on believes? Don't you think that is we are that much alike we could get along a little better?
However, this number could be use in any classroom to show students how similar one another is. It could be used as a way to connect with your students. The Phi is what makes us alike and able to understand one another.
[url]http://goldennumber.net/goldsect.htm[url][/url]

This is very interesting... I am glad you have decided to share this -- using this "number that occurs everywhere" in the classroom would let students realize that they are extremely similar to one another --- every one has this in common -- so no matter if you are black, white, tall, short, etc. -- you still have this number in common with everyone else.... using this common number in the classroom might allow students to become more comfortable around and with eachother --

I first heard of the Fibonacci Sequence while I was reading The Da Vinci Code. As cheesy as that book is, I really was intrigued by the natural phoenemenon. Just like Charlene, I was fascinated by how this perfect ratio appears so often throughout all of nature; especially in humans. And it is pretty incredible that the .01% that makes us each different has such a grip on our culture. It's really beautiful, when you get right down to it, that we're all so unique; however, I feel that a lot of times, especially with class or race or even gender differences, respect for that uniqueness is lost.

As cliche and it sounds, the human race really needs to embrace each other's diversities, because the odds are definitely in our favor. 99.9% of us are exactly alike. Shouldn't we celebrate the tiny percent that makes us each different? I think this would be a great classroom exercise, for any age of student.