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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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
John Lydic<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 9/15/2012 11:27 AM, (Mary Collier)
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:8CF616DC2D1A0E2-122C-66769@webmail-d128.sysops.aol.com"
type="cite"><font color="black" face="arial" size="2">
<div>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.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>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.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>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. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>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".</div>
<div> </div>
<div>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.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Mary Collier</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: arial,helvetica;
font-size: 10pt;">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Gagel, Shannon <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:sgagel@aurora-schools.org"><sgagel@aurora-schools.org></a><br>
To: Will Fitzhugh <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:fitzhugh@tcr.org"><fitzhugh@tcr.org></a><br>
Cc: ohiogift <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:ohiogift@lists.service.ohio-state.edu"><ohiogift@lists.service.ohio-state.edu></a><br>
Sent: Sat, Sep 15, 2012 10:18 am<br>
Subject: Re: [Ohiogift] STEM with LEGOS<br>
<br>
<div id="AOLMsgPart_2_33ba397d-d1fa-4aab-aff0-4617e7c9b942">
<div>Please don't be so short sighted that you can't see a
good program because it sounds like a toy. </div>
<div>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. </div>
<div>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? </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>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.<br>
<br>
<div>Shannon Gagel</div>
<div>Gifted Intervention Specialist</div>
<div>Aurora City Schools</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
Sent from my iPad</div>
<div><br>
On Sep 15, 2012, at 9:24 AM, "Will Fitzhugh" <<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
__removedlink__1785510277__href="mailto:fitzhugh@tcr.org">fitzhugh@tcr.org</a>>
wrote:<br>
<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I didn't realize that the FIRST Lego League</div>
<div>could teach Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)</div>
<div>Technology, Engineering and Mathematics using</div>
<div>only LEGOS!</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If they can adapt that 13-year-old's STEM
curriculum</div>
<div>to manage all that with LEGOS, my hat is off to
them!</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>What until all those East Asian countries learn</div>
<div>about our advantage in that!!</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Amazing! Perhaps they will really tackle history</div>
<div>and academic expository writing with LEGOS next?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The just-released NAEP results show only 3% of </div>
<div>8th and 12th grade students are proficient in </div>
<div><b>writing</b> at present....</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Will Fitzhugh</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font:/normal Palatino; color: rgb(0, 0,
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class="Apple-style-span">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;
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style="font:/normal Palatino; color:
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class="Apple-style-span">
<div style="font: 16px/normal Palatino;
margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none;
font-stretch: normal;"><b><br
class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<span style="font-size: 14px;"
class="Apple-style-span">“Teach by
Example”</span></b></div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none;
font-stretch: normal;">Will Fitzhugh
[founder]</div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none;
font-stretch: normal;"><i>The Concord
Review</i> [1987]</div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none;
font-stretch: normal;">Ralph Waldo
Emerson Prizes [1995]</div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none;
font-stretch: normal;">National Writing
Board [1998]</div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none;
font-stretch: normal;">TCR Institute
[2002]</div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none;
font-stretch: normal;">730 Boston Post
Road, Suite 24</div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
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Massachusetts 01776-3371 USA</div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none;
font-stretch: normal;">978-443-0022;
800-331-5007</div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
margin: 0px; color: rgb(21, 15, 133);
font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch:
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style="text-decoration:
underline;">fitzhugh@tcr.org</span></a></span></div>
<div style="font: 14px/normal Palatino;
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="80">--
John Lydic <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:johnw@lydic.org">johnw@lydic.org</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:ka8lvz@arrl.net">ka8lvz@arrl.net</a>
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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