Subject:
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Re: lego Technic "class"
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.edu
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Date:
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Mon, 8 Nov 1999 14:57:22 GMT
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Viewed:
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8461 times
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Thanks, Terry, for the intro to "eduspeak" and the NASA Curriculum. One thing
I would like to see a Technic curriculum do is balance teaching of "learning
objectives" with time to just explore and "tinker." Learning some basic
mechanical, electronics and programming skills is great, but more important to
me is seeing kids imagining new ideas and then problem solving and
experimenting to bring the ideas to life.
-John Van
Terry King <tking@together.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.128c9ede377295a09896af@lugnet.com...
> John, Kevin and others,
>
> I have been significantly confused about a lot of EduSpeak
> terms over the last few years as I have tried to do more, as
> an Engineer, in School settings. Maybe someday I'll write an
> Engineers Guide to EduSpeak! I told a teachers conference a
> while ago that they were "As bad as Engineers" with their
> acronyms. They offered to give me an IEP.
>
> Meanwhile, the "C" word:
>
> Oh, first I have to say that there IS a lot to learn about teaching
> things to children. There IS a lot of actual content to the question
> of how kids develop, and how they perceive things and how learning
> happens. Dealing with the incredible diversity of kids in an Elementary
> school is a great challenge. I'm looking for a good, short introduction
> to this stuff for adults wanting to get involved in schools at a level
> Beyond Bake Sales.
>
> I found a Curriculum developed by NASA and some actual educators that I felt
> was a good example of what Curriculum might mean. It covers the subject
> of Aerodynamics. Maybe it is a good example of what a Robotics Curriculum
> might look like, if it was detailed. I do NOT mean to suggest that the kind
> of stuff I am doing right now, or you're doing, needs to follow something • this
> detailed. This is just an example of what we MIGHT get together over the • next
> year.
>
> But First, some definitions: (Stolen, in this case, from the Florida Dept. • of Ed.)
> -------( copy )--------
>
> What is Curriculum?
> -------------------
>
> It is the plan by which instruction is delivered.
>
> It is the sum total of the resources, materials, strategies, goals,
> objectives, and standards available to teachers for planning.
>
> It defines what will be taught in terms of a specific scope and sequence for
> a particular course.
>
> What is Instruction?
> --------------------
> It is the manner in which curriculum will be delivered.
>
> It is the sum total of the resources, materials, strategies, goals,
> objectives and standards available to teachers for presentation.
>
> It defines how teaching will take place in terms of a specific scope and
> sequence for a particular course.
>
> What is Assessment?
> -------------------
> It is the measure of the plan of curriculum and the manner of instruction.
>
> It is the sum total of the resources, materials, strategies, goals,
> objectives and standards available to teachers for evaluation.
>
> It defines why teaching took place in terms of a specific scope and sequence
> for a particular course.
> ------------------( end copy )---------------------
>
> OK, as an Engineer, I at least agree that we should "Define Our Objectives"
> and get organized. Things just work better.
>
> ROBOTICS, to me, includes 3 primary areas:
>
> - Mechanical Design
> - Electronics
> - Computer Science
>
> The cool thing is, this kind of multidisciplinary, project-oriented subject
> is much more interesting and educational than any one area alone. A simple
> MindStorms line-follower Robot with a two-motor Mechanical Design, • Electronics
> including motor drivers and a Light Sensor, and an 8-line NQC program to run • it
> is a great example of how this stuff comes together.
>
> Let's keep collaborating on this! I'll try to post some beginning • Curriculum
> here soon. Meanwhile, I've copied the example NASA curriculum below:
> ----( copy )---------------
>
>
*****************************************************************************
> Aerodynamics Curriculum
>
> Curriculum Overview:
>
> This curriculum has been designed to help teachers bring aeronautic
> education into the classroom. The explanations and descriptions do
> not assume any knowledge of aeronautics, and were designed to be
> un intimidating and easy to understand. Depending on the age and skill
> level of the students, you may want to skip some sections of the
> curriculum. Older students, for example, probably have some
> intuitive sense of the properties of air, so you may want to shorten
> or omit this section. Many of the sections, especially the wind
> tunnel section, can be expanded. In our experience, we have found the
> wind tunnel to be something that helped and interested students
> immensely when they were given a chance to experiment with it
> themselves. For this reason, you may want to allow enough time for
> each student to get first-hand experience with the tunnel. A wind
> tunnel is an investment which we feel is well worth while and can
> be used at many different grade levels and for years to come. The
> objective of this curriculum is for students to come away with a
> basic understanding of how planes fly and with an interest in
> aeronautical engineering. We have tested this curriculum with many
> different age groups, some as young as first grade. With first
> graders, we chose to concentrate on drag forces, which are more
> intuitive than lift forces. Even at this level, students were able to
> gain a solid understanding of drag.
>
> Curriculum Outline
> *******************
>
> Properties of Air - air has weight and takes up space - air moves -air • exerts
> pressure, a measure of the amount of "push" something has
>
> Basic relationships - pressure vs area : Pressure = Force/Area -pressure • vs
> velocity : increase in velocity leads to decrease in pressure - lift vs
> velocity : lift force is created when there is a pressure difference
>
> Using a wind tunnel to : - explore lift - explore drag - explore stall
> - take computer measurements of lift and drag forces
>
> How are planes controlled? An experimental unit to discover how the pilot
> controls the plane using ailerons, elevators, and the rudder.
>
> How are planes powered? Simple experiments to explore: -propeller • planes -
> jet planes
>
> How are airplanes like birds? A biological comparison for students who • may
> find physical science uninteresting or intimidating.
>
> Wing design and aspect ratio - an introduction to taking data, making
> measurements, applied math, and making comparisons in determining how wing • size
> and shape affect flight.
>
> Final design competition to reinforce all of the concepts.
>
>
> -----------( end of copy )------------------
>
>
>
> --
> Regards,
> Terry King ...In The Woods In Vermont
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: lego Technic "class"
|
| John, I really agree. The challenge is to effectively combine the inquiry of kids with enough information and structure so that they keep advancing in their skills and perspective. I can tell you that in the last 10 years I have slowly moved to less (...) (25 years ago, 8-Nov-99, to lugnet.edu)
| | | Re: lego Technic "class"
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| Here's an interesting look at some lesson plans for Kindergarten, First and Second Grades: (URL) Regards, Terry King ...In The Woods In Vermont (25 years ago, 8-Nov-99, to lugnet.edu)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: lego Technic "class"
|
| John, Kevin and others, I have been significantly confused about a lot of EduSpeak terms over the last few years as I have tried to do more, as an Engineer, in School settings. Maybe someday I'll write an Engineers Guide to EduSpeak! I told a (...) (25 years ago, 5-Nov-99, to lugnet.edu)
|
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