[Ohiogift] My 2 centsRe: STEM with LEGOS

[Edward A. Hawks III]

There always appears to be a tinge of disdain between the writing and
science communities. When one offers an accolade, the other side tends to
sneer and degrade. Lest we forget, all components are vital and necessary to
sustain 'educational life'. None should be perceived as more important than
another. Writing skills need to be enhanced . . . no doubt. I personally
think it's awful that cursive handwriting is no longer being stressed. How
will future generations read our nation's founding documents - in cursive? I
guess they will have to rely on manuscript copies only, or, better yet, a
text copy, which just isn't the same. Science and math are also being
pushed, as areas of concern. The best and brightest scientists and
mathematicians need to be good writers. Case and point . . . We participate
in the Hudson STEM Alliance's STEM Project Fair (took 7 to State last year,
as our first year participating). A review of literature has to be produced
using the APA format. Research and writing skills, in addition to scientific
inquiry, are equally vital the overall success of students' projects.
Concurrently, strong presentation skills must be evident so that judges are
able to understand all project-components. Inquiry, writing, presenting . .
. all important for global success and necessary of all students. And, John,
an interesting writing assignment would be for students to translate your
signature quote in to today's English. Could they do it? 

 

Chip

 

Edward A. Hawks, III, M.Ed.

  _____  

Gifted Intervention Specialist | Exceptional Student Education

Kent City School District

  _____  

What he seemed, he was-a wholly human gentleman, the 

essential elements of whose positive character were two and 

only two, simplicity and spirituality." 

(Douglas Southall Freeman on Robert E. Lee)

 

From: ohiogift-bounces at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
[mailto:ohiogift-bounces at lists.service.ohio-state.edu] On Behalf Of John
Lydic
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2012 2:27 AM
To: (Mary Collier)
Cc: ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Re: [Ohiogift] My 2 centsRe: STEM with LEGOS

 


As an engineer (EE) who still works with some science and math in the school
as well as mentor for and judge science fairs, I think that things like the
First Lego League can have their place.  Something I ran into in college and
saw with my daughter and her friends when she was still in high school was
relevancy.  When you're studying some mathematics or physics concept that
has no apparent relevance to everyday life, programs like these can add that
relevance and make things more interesting, while adding clarity.  In
college especially I was constantly being told that at some point all of
these concepts would converge in the future and it would all make sense.
The fact is that it did, and I was in college to study engineering, so I and
other stayed with it.  For a middle or high school student, many of these
classes are "required" and seeing no relevancy doesn't help with interest or
a work ethic in the class.  Being able to apply just a modicum of math and
physics to real world things can ignite that little "aha" light bulb and
bring interest where there may have been boredom.

Some of these things are in theory so simple, that I wonder why they aren't
already included in the curriculum.  Years ago my niece was having problems
with some Algebra homework and I was asked to help.  It was the simple
equation of the line (mX+b), but the home work assignment simply consisted
of lists of numbers that were to be translated through the equation, giving
an answer.  In an appendix there were answers to the odd (or even, don't
recall which) problems, but as she drilled through these she was confused
and obviously bored, seeing no reason for this busy work.  I showed her that
if we replaced 'm' with 9/5 or 1.8; X with C; and 'b' with 32, we had the
more well known equation of F = 9/5C+32, the formula for conversion from
Celsius to Fahrenheit.  All of a sudden, this confusing equation made sense,
and looking at the two number lines for C and F could even be pictured in
the mind, adding one more perspective and clarification.

Although none of these program should be used to replace existing STEM
curriculum, I think that any additions to these programs that can add
relevance to every day life makes sometimes esoteric subjects more
understandable and perhaps even more enjoyable, and the difference between
boredom and enjoyment may be the difference in what curriculum the student
selects the following year.

John Lydic



On 9/15/2012 11:27 AM, (Mary Collier) wrote:

I can see both sides of this issue.  This type of discussion came up years
ago on ohiogiftlist regarding these types of events such as Science
Olympiad.  I am a retired aerospace engineer, so I have some empathy with
the technical and scientific field.

 

As I mentioned years ago, the showy competitive stuff in schools can
sometimes gloss over or band-aid the basic infrastructure problems of
students being challenged or growing in a well thought out, well designed,
well implemented day to day, year to year curriculum whether its history,
science, math or whatever.

 

I think we see that when we overdo varsity sports instead of conducting
quality physical education for all students, show choirs and competitive
marching band instead of quality music education, Science
Olympiad/Legos/science fairs for a quality science education, etc. 

 

We tend to be a superficial, celebrity, cosmetic, showy culture when it
comes to a lot of things, including our education system.  We rot from
within.  Boards, administrators, and superintendents overreward and
overrecognize employees for the showy events as a public relations spin with
the community.  Who gets more pay and recognition - the high school
athletics director or the history and science teacher"?  The top athletes or
the top science students and historians?  Our college and K-12 education
systems have helped build the superficial "look at me" culture".   "Look,
Dick, see Jane run".

 

A strong, culture values quiet, less noisy, less showy dedication and hard
work such as you get from scientific study or writing a quality research
paper.  I blame the public and the education leaders as much if not more
than teachers for what our education atmosphere has become.  I think serious
classroom teachers have felt compelled to out showdog and out compete the
other things schools get involved in just to gain a student's, a parent's, a
board's, a superintendent's attention for their area and gain resources.

 

Mary Collier

-----Original Message-----
From: Gagel, Shannon  <mailto:sgagel at aurora-schools.org>
<sgagel at aurora-schools.org>
To: Will Fitzhugh  <mailto:fitzhugh at tcr.org> <fitzhugh at tcr.org>
Cc: ohiogift  <mailto:ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu>
<ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu>
Sent: Sat, Sep 15, 2012 10:18 am
Subject: Re: [Ohiogift] STEM with LEGOS

Please don't be so short sighted that you can't see a good program because
it sounds like a toy. 

Engineering? Check.  Math? Physics? Check in some aspects.  Technology?
Absolutely.  First Lego League is an excellent problem solving competition
that truly involves kids in programming, research, collaboration and
gracious professionalism.  It doesn't cover all scientific topics, but it
does truly involve kids in a rich experience of finding a problem related to
a topic (this year's theme is senior solutions- looking for ways to help our
senior population) and discovering possible solutions, pitfalls, financial
aspects, etc.  To do this, students must also learn to be better researchers
and to write on the topic to communicate their ideas to judges. Though this
program in past years, my students have researched problems in
transportation, biomedical engineering, and food contamination.  They have
skyped with state officials about keeping strawberries safer and cancer
researchers about the feasibility of using magnets and nanobots to produce a
cure for cancer.  They have learned about credible resources and the immense
amount of junk you can find on the internet.  Oh, and these students were in
5th and 6th grade.  By introducing these topics through a TOY (the robot and
components), we hook kids into problem solving in a way that they feel
empowered.  So my hat IS off to them.  

I agree that history is not focused on to the same degree.  Should it?
Should we graduate equal numbers of students as history majors as those in
the STEM areas?  

 

When you develop a program that hooks 4th-8th grade students into history in
the same way, my hat will be off to you.  But please research the program
that another professional on this listserv discussed before putting it down.

Shannon Gagel

Gifted Intervention Specialist

Aurora City Schools

 

 

Sent from my iPad


On Sep 15, 2012, at 9:24 AM, "Will Fitzhugh" <fitzhugh at tcr.org> wrote:

 

I didn't realize that the FIRST Lego League

could teach Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)

Technology, Engineering and Mathematics using

only LEGOS!

 

If they can adapt that 13-year-old's STEM curriculum

to manage all that with LEGOS, my hat is off to them!

 

What until all those East Asian countries learn

about our advantage in that!!

 

Amazing! Perhaps they will really tackle history

and academic expository writing with LEGOS next?

 

The just-released NAEP results show only 3% of 

8th and 12th grade students are proficient in 

writing at present....

 

 

Will Fitzhugh

 


"Teach by Example"

Will Fitzhugh [founder]

The Concord Review [1987]

Ralph Waldo Emerson Prizes [1995]

National Writing Board [1998]

TCR Institute [2002]

730 Boston Post Road, Suite 24

Sudbury, Massachusetts 01776-3371 USA

978-443-0022; 800-331-5007

www.tcr.org; fitzhugh at tcr.org

Varsity AcademicsR

www.tcr.org/blog

 

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-- 
 
John Lydic  johnw at lydic.org  ka8lvz at arrl.net
NRA Life Member, Certified Instructor & Training Counselor
Refuse to be a Victim Instructor
Hunter Education Instructor (Ohio)
 
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better
than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not
your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May
your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our
countrymen. - Samuel Adams, 1776
 
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