Tag Archives: k-12

+ Helping Students Set Goals

other topics: use search box

 An article in the Wall Street Journal by Sue Shellenbarger reports that a student’s ability to set and reach realistic goals is clearly linked to higher grades as well as lower college dropout rates and adult well-being.

Shellenbarger cites a recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology

The researchers asked college students to complete an intensive written exercise in which they had to identify goals, and also map out steps to reach them.   These students posted a significant increase in grades as well as credit earned, compared with other students.

But students in the US, according to a Gallup poll last year, lack faith in their ability to reach goals.  Children begin to form ideas about what they might or might not achieve by the age of seven or eight.  

But the poll found that only 42% of students ages 10 to 18 say they are energetically pursuing their goals.  And only 35 % believe they could find ways around obstacles to their goals.

Students may struggle with this skill, writes Shellenbarger, partly because schools focus more on raising test scores or lowering dropout rates than on helping kids learn about setting and achieving goals.

Now, however, more and more states are mandating career planning for all students.  Goal setting is drawing increasing attention.

To help students remember the steps, schools often use the acronym SMART.  Goals must be

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Results (clear)
  • Time frame (set)

The concept of “Smart” goal-setting came into use by project managers in business during the 1980s.  Around a decade ago, educators began to embrace it as a method to help administrators and teachers set their own goals.  Recently, school districts moved this goal-setting approach into the classroom

At Bruce Jenner High School in Texas, test scores and state ratings have risen in the three years since administrators began a goal-setting program. 

At the beginning of every year, students use their own test scores to identify specific, measurable learning goals.  It might be achieving a certain grade: the student will set a  target date for achieving it and break that big goal into smaller steps.  He will write down the skills he needs to learn, name specific strategies and resources he will use to overcome obstacles (perhaps, spending more time on homework).

And teachers will help him track his progress each quarter.

Jackson Sikes’s mother says he has not only benefitted in the classroom, but he is now applying his goal-setting skills on the baseball diamond.  And his coach praises his achievements.

Jackson asserts that the approach “taught me to out-do other people.  Even though they might be better physically, I think I might be a little better mentally.”   

For example, Shellenbarger notes that student Renee Lamarque set a goal: to learn to dance en pointe in ballet.

Renee strengthened her muscles even when not in ballet class, doing sit-ups and exercises.  She wrote that she would “do different jumps every class” and “practice balancing on her feet.” 

 She also focused on role-models whom she wants to emulate.  That kind of intrinsic motivation makes goal-setting work for kids, according to Anne Cozemius of Madison WI, who works with school districts on goal-setting.

Another student in Falls Church VA set a goal of getting straight A’s.  She gave up time with her friends; she stayed after class to re-take tests or ask for a teacher’s help.  She hit her mark.

Dominique Morisano is assistant professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University, and author of the college goal-setting study.  She says that even when students cling to lofty ambitions, they sometimes set themselves up for failure.

They might say ‘I want to be a pediatrician,’ but they’re not attending school, they’re using drugs, they’re not taking care of themselves.

That can lead to hopelessness. 

A belief in one’s abilities to reach her goal is key to building a hopeful attitude, says Shane Lopez, a senior scientist in Omaha, who works for Gallup Inc.  A hopeful attitude is a high predictor of college success.

When David Schafer’s mother noticed that striving to compete with peers for high grades made him anxious, she encouraged him to set a different goal: making a traveling soccer team.

He failed his first tryout, but instead of giving up, he mapped out a new approach:  practicing at home, getting coaching and learning to visualize himself playing well.  He made the team for several years and his confidence bloomed.

David now knows that if he fails in some endeavor, there is always something else to strive for. 

What matters is the striving, writes Shellenbarger.  The striving instills a sense of mastery and confidence.  Says David, “If you aim to be No. 1 — even if you can’t achieve that in everything — you’re still going to do great.”

sole source: Sue Shellenbarger’s article in the Wall Street Journal on March 9, 2011.  http://www.wsj.com

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021 or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Contest: America’s Greenest School

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

Show your classmates, teachers, parents and future generations you really care about the sustainability of the world we live in!  

Enter the 2010 America’s Greenest School Contest.  http://www.americasgreenestschool.com/

Your entry can be in the form of a photo collection, music, a video, an essay, or photos of a diorama, collage or piece of artwork.

But no matter what form it takes, it must tell the world how you’d make your school experience the greenest in the country.

The top 10 finalists will be chosen.  Then, all of America will be invited to vote for the ultimate champion.

Students of any age can enter (although a parent or teacher will need to sponsor students under 13 years of age).  Group or class entries are also encouraged.

Prizes

For your school:

  • the amazing, clean, green IC Bus (Hybrid Bus);
  • school audit by LEED Professionals and Green Makeover
  • free concert by The Maine, the official band of America’s Greenest School

For you:

  • $3,000 scholarship for the winning student and/or classroom

For your teacher:

  • $500 in class supplies for the winning sponsor/teacher

For voters:

  • $100 Visa gift Card to a lucky voter every day during the voting period

You have until March 8, 2010 to submit your entry.

Schedule

  • Entry period: January 18, 2010 – March 8, 2010
  • Judging period: March 9 – March 21
  • Finalist announcement: March 22
  • Public voting: March 22-April 2
  • Winner announcement: Week of April 21

Rules

No purchase necessary.  Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are enrolled in a public or private school, not a home school, and between  the grades of Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Contest begins at 12:00pm ET January 18, 2010; it ends 11:59pm ET March 8, 2010.  Void where prohibited. 

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021  or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com  

+ Teacher Institutes from the Library of Congress

other topics: click a “category or use search box

If you’re interested in one day professional development opportunities, the Library of Congress has two for you: 

  • “Creating the US”  Teacher Institute 

Interested in learning strategies to teach about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, using the Library of Congress primary sources?  Register to attend this Institute and leave with strategies and materials you can use in your school.

The Institute uses the Library’s exhibition, “Creating the United States,” as its foundation.

Learn how to make this era in our country’s history come alive for students, using images, manuscripts, letters, photographs, maps, and poetry. 

http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/creatingtheus/Pages/teacher_institute_form.aspx

  • “Exploring the Early Americas” Teacher Institute

Interested in learning strategies to teach about European explorers in the Americas? 

Want to know more about the indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica (Maya, Inca and Aztec)?

Explore the cartographic knowledge of the world in the sixteenth century.  You’ll be able to do all this and more by using the Library of Congress primary sources.  Register and leave with strategies and materials to use at your school.

This Institute uses as its foundation the Library’s exhibition “Exploring the Early Americas.”

Learn how to make this era in history come alive for your students using the Library’s images, manuscripts, letters, three-dimensional objects, and maps.

http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/earlyamericas/Pages/teacher_institute_form.aspx

The Library of Congress has myriad resources and projects for teachers.  They will add you to its list of email subscribers, so you can find information relevant to your needs.  Visit http://www.LOC.gov

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards 614-579-6021   or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Parent Conferences: More Tips for Teachers

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

From The 2 Sisters at www.thedailycafe.com : they share tips from Trish Prentice.

  1. Give parents a photo of their child enjoying a school activity.  A twenty-five cent investment will pay big dividends and begin your conference on a positive note.
  2. Want a great way to show parents how special their child is to you?  Try saying something like “One of the things I love best about your child is…”
  3. Parent goals — if parents haven’t filled out a goal-setting sheet, ask “What are the goals you have for your child this year?”
  4. Assessment results:  explain in plain terms.  Don’t use educational jargon with parents.
  5. Share what you’ve started to envision for this child: appropriate goals, strategies to achieve them.  Even if there are only one or two things to say, parents will be impressed that you have considered their child at this level.  (Prentice has a system for teachers called a “Pensive,” a checklist of considerations about each child.) 
  6. If there is a problem that needs addressing, use the phrase “We’re continuing to work on…”
  7. Listen.  Encourage parents to share their thoughts too.
  8. Handouts — it can be hard for parents to absorb and remember everything you’re sharing.  Give them a packet to take home.  Include fun, hands-on activities that parents can do at home with their child.
  9. Always end each conference with an invitation for parents to call or email with questions at a later date.

Prentice reminds us that parents sit through only one (two or three?) conferences.  Teachers’ words matter and are replayed in their heads; they share them with neighbors.  So be thoughtful and kind. 

Be the teacher you’d want for your own child.

source: The 2 Sisters newsletter, “The Daily Cafe” at www.thedailycafe.com .  This piece is available to members only, however.

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021   or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Writing: Teach Strategies and Self Monitoring Directly

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

A great article in IDA Perspectives (Summer 2009) by Linda H Mason.  Here are some highlights of “Effective Instruction for Written Expression.”

Mason bases the advice on the instructional approach called S. R. S. D.: Self-Regulated Strategy Development.

Researchers have established that explicit instruction is necessary for  teaching strategies to students with learning challenges. 

They need direct  instruction and modeling in ways of generating ideas, organizing those ideas, and regulating writing behavior (self-regulation).

The stages for strategy acquisition are

  1. Develop/assess background knowledge relating to the writing content
  2. Discuss the strategy to be used (see below)
  3. Model it
  4. Memorize it
  5. Practice it with guidance
  6. Perform it independently

Include these steps in every strategy session.

The one Universal Strategy is called P O W  –

  • P (pick an idea
  • O (organize notes)  
  • W (write and say more).

Here are some specific strategies for three types of writing  (make charts): 

Story and Narrative Writing – think “W – W – W, What 2, How 2″

  • W……..Who is the main character?
  • W……..Where does the story take place?
  • W……..When does the story take place?
  • What…What does the main character do /want to do?
  • What…What happens next?
  • How….How does the story end?
  • How….How do the characters feel?

Persuasive Writingthink “TREE”

  • T……..Topic sentence: Tell what you believe!
  • R……..Reasons (3+): Why do I believe it; will my readers, too?
  • E……..Explain reasons:  Say more about each reason.
  • E……..Ending: Wrap it up right!

Informative Writingthink “PLAN then WRITE”

  • P………Pay attention to the writing prompt.
  • L………List main ideas to develop the essay.
  • A………Add supporting ideas (details, examples, etc).
  • N………Number major points in the order you will use them.

then

  • W………Work from your plan to develop thesis statement.
  • R……….Remember your goals.
  • I………..Include transition words for each paragraph.
  • T……….Try to use different kinds of sentences.
  • E……….Exciting, interesting, “$1,000″ words.

Teaching Self-Regulation

 Explicit instruction in self-regulation should be embedded in every session. 

The four self-regulatory procedures are

  • goal setting
  • self monitoring
  • self instruction
  • self reinforcement

Goal Setting

First, students should be taught how to set personal, individual and specific goals for learning, using and maintaining the use of the strategy.

Use a learning contract to support goal setting: for example, “Today I will write a story with 7 parts.”  Do this every day.

Self-Monitoring

Students self-monitor by counting the number of strategy parts they have written.  Use a chart or graphic organizer, and have the student count off what he has done.  When finished, have the students count to make sure all parts have been used.

Encourage the student to revise the papers to include any missing parts.  They might graph the number of strategy parts on a graphing sheet.

Students need to understand that self-monitoring is a process to use at every stage of their work.

Self Instruction

You should model self-instructions for problem definition.  For example, “I need to write a story with 7 parts.”  Focus on attention and planning (“First, I need to pick an idea“); strategy implementation (“I know what to do, I do the first strategy step“);  self evaluation (“Did I include all the strategy parts?“) coping (“I can do this, I know this strategy!”); and self reinforcement (“Wow, I can write a good story!”)

Self Reinforcement

After modeling, then  support the student in developing a listing of personal self-statement he can use before, during and after writing.  These personal self-statements are written out, so he can see them at any time.

Finally, teach your student to recognize his own successes in writing.  Often, the graphing sheet serves as an excellent self-reinforcement.  Here again, make a list and write out positive self-reinforcing statements: “I did it!”

sole source: Linda H Mason’s article “Effective Instruction for Written Expression” in the Summer 2009 ”Perspectives on Lanuage and Literacy” magazine of the International Dyslexia Association.  See the entire article for detailed instructions on how to implement this approach.  IDA’s Web site is www.interdys.org

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021   or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

 

+ Back to School Anxiety? Teach Kids to Relax

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

Experts at Duke University recommend “mindfulness,” a technique borrowed from meditation, to help nervous children relax, HealthDay News reports.

It is especially useful for children who are nervous about transitioning into the new school year.  It can also help them deal with academic and social pressures.

The following exercises can help young practitioners achieve a level of mindfulness:

  • Mindful breathing — Ask the child to take time in the morning and evening to pay attention to his or her breathing for 20 inhales and exhales.  Steady breathing has a calming effect on the body.
  • Mindful walking — After dinner, take a walk and pay attention to all the sights, sounds and colors.  Encourage the child to use this technique on the playground and at school.
  • Mindful listening — At the dinner table, ring a bell or play a note on a musical instrument to capture the family’s attention, then give each person a turn to speak about their day while the rest of the family gives their full attention, to encourage active listening.

Mindfulness helps kids recognize their thoughts, reconnect with their emotions and understand how that impacts their behavior.  Ultimately, if we can heighten awareness of our thoughts, we can modify our emotions and that changes behavior.

Says Michelle Bailey, a pediatrician at Duke Integrative Medicine

Making a transition, whether it’s to a new school, a new teacher or a new grade, signals change.  When adults are stressed, they often turn to smoking or alcohol or food to pacify emotions.  We need to teach kids how to handle stress in a healthy way.

Mindfulness helps kids recognize their thoughts, reconnect with their emotions and understand how that impacts their behavior.  Ultimately, if we can heighten awareness of our thoughts, we can modify our emotions and that changes behavior.

Mindfulness encourages children to live in the moment and not fret as much about future events.  In addition, practicing meditative techniques can help children sleep better, reduce anxiety and stay more focused.

[Note: many clinics and hospitals offer accredited, mindfulness-based, stress-reduction programs.]

source: HealthDay News report on Yahoo.com http://news.yahoo.com

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards 614-579-6021   or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ STEM Equity Web Sites

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

 From EduHound’s “Classroom Tools & Tips” Newsletter, some sites to support teachers who want to spark interest — especially girls’ interest — in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Topic: STEM EQUITY

  • National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT): Gotta Have IT – This computing resource kit designed with K-12 educators’ needs in mind.  A select set of high-quality posters, computing and careers information, digital media and more, the resource kit builds awareness and inspires interest in computing.  http://www.ncwit.org/ghit
  • Access STEM – Where K-12 teachers, postsecondary educators, and employers learn to make classroom and employment opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) accessible to individuals with disabilities, and share promising practices.  http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/
  • Sally Ride Science: For Educators –  Features innovative science content dedicated to supporting girls’ and boys’ interests in science, math and technology.  A key part of their mission is to make a difference in girls’ lives, and in society’s perceptions of their roles in technical fields.  http://www.sallyridescience.com/for_educators
  • Educational Equity Center –  Promoting bias free learning through innovative programs and materials.  It strives to decrease discrimination based on gender, race/ethnicity, disability, and level of family income.  Includes information on programs and materials, and training.  http://www.edequity.org
  • STEM Transitions — At the heart of the project are the six Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) career clusters that will provide the context for instructional materials demonstrating the convergence of academic and technical content.  http://www.stemtransitions.org
  • Ingear — Provides teachers and teacher educators with access to materials that will enhance their own understanding of gender equitable classroom practices and access to materials that can be used to help teacher education students address issues of gender equity in their teaching.  http://www.coe.uga.edu/ingear/
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Equity Resources — Features equitable resources to encourage teachers and students to value and respect the work of all members of the classroom community and to believe that all students can make important contributions.  http://www.nctm.org/equity.aspx

source: EduHound’s Classroom Tools & Tips, a newsletter that provides valuable ed tech resources to incorporate into K-12 curriculum.  Educational topics, preformatted templates, technology tutorials and practical tips.  Judi Rajala invites you to suggest topics, share templates or join the list.  JRajala@eduhound.com.  

EduHound’s other Web sites include Awesome Clipart for Educators, EH Schools on the Web, EH Classrooms on the Web, T.H.E. Journal, Campus Technology.

for tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021  or email   aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Providing Feedback to Your Students

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

From Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies For Increasing Student Achievement, by Robert J Marzano, Debra  J Pickering and Jane EPollack, some generalizations to guide the use of feedback.

  1. Feedback should be “corrective” in nature.  Corrective feedback provides students with an explanation of what they are doing well, and what went wrong.  The best feedback involves an explanation as to what is accurate and inaccurate.  The writers also suggest that asking students to keep working on a task until they succeed appears to enhance achievement.
  2. Feedback should be timely.  Timing of feedback appears to be critical to its effectiveness.  The best feedback is given immediately after a test-like situation.  In general, they say, the more delay that occurs, the less improvement there is.  Note as well that giving tests immediately after a learning situation  has a negligible effect; waiting a day seems optimal.
  3. Feedback should be specific to a criterion.  For feedback to be most useful, it should reference a specific level of skill or knowledge.   Make it criterion referenced (where they stand relative to a specific target of knowledge or skill) and not norm-referenced (where they stand in relation to others).  Criterion-based feedback has a more powerful effect on student learning.  One way to do this is the use of rubrics.  Make rubrics informational; explain what  a score of four means with regard to proficiency as opposed to a score of two.  Rubrics can also be adapted for processes or skills.
  4. Students can effectively provide some of their own feedback.  Research indicates that students can sometimes effectively monitor their own progress.  This commonly takes the form of students’ simply keeping track of ther progress during learning.  They might make a chart of their accuracy, speed or both while learning is taking place.

In general, the more specific feedback is, the better.  When possible, try to focus feedback on specific types of knowledge and skill.  Set objectives, and then provide timely feedback.

sole source: “Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement” by Robert J Marzano, Debra J Pickering and Jane E Pollack.  Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.  ISBN 0-87120-504-1. 

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021   or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Stenhouse Blog for Teachers — Looks Great

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

Stenhouse Publishers  produce professional development books and videos by teachers and for teachers.  They promise that all of their titles are grounded in a philosophy of education that respects both teacher and learner.  And all are designed to integrate theory, research and practice in an accessible manner.

But they also offer The Stenhouse Blog, a site for discussions about what books are being prepared,  book reviews, podcasts, videos, and updates about authors.

Quick Tip Tuesdays

A new project is “Quick Tip Tuesday,” where each week a teaching technique or strategy will be offered by one of the authors.  Already posted: “How to write a good ending;” “Independent reading with ELLs;”  “Strategies for responding to student work;” ”Creating a writing routine;” and “Find your storytelling voice.”

Poetry Fridays, and More

Most recent posts include:

  • Poetry Friday: Mary Oliver’s “At the Pond” which takes us to www.orionmagazine.org
  • Questions & Authors: Motivating students to read in the New Year
  • Poetry Friday: Proud Son of an Honor Roll Student
  • Poetry Friday: You Can’t Have It All
  • Study group discussion: Of Primary Importance

Categories

  • Assessment
  • Author News
  • Classroom Practice
  • English Language Learners
  • Leadership
  • Literacy
  • Poetry Friday
  • Quick Tip Tuesday
  • Reading
  • Reviews
  • Teaching in the Content Areas
  • Word Work
  • Writing

In addition there are author sites and a blogroll.  This appears to be a valuable site. Visit http://blog.stenhouse.com

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021   or email   aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com.

+ “Falling for Science:” New Book

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

from Morning Edition, December 8, 2008

On NPR Robert Krulwich reviews Sherry Turkle’s “Falling for Science: Objects in Mind.” 

Turkle, the  Abby Rockefeller Mauze professor of the social studies of science and technology at MIT, feels that one way to fall in love with the world is to play with things.

According to Turkle, when you get your first microscope or your first set of Legos or take apart your first broken radio, you become an explorer.  And for some kids, the thrill of touching, fastening, examining, rebuilding and unbuilding is life-changing.  Mind-changing.  And the thrill never goes away.

In her book, Turkle has collected essays written by senior scientists (for example artificial intelligence pioneer Seymour Papert, MIT president and neuroanatomist Susan Hockfield, architect Moshe Safdie, among others), as well as by students who passed through her classes at MIT over the past 25 years.

They were all asked the same question: “Was there an object you met during childhood or adolescence that had an influence on your path into science?”

According to Krulwich, there are seven essays on Legos, several on computer games and broken radios.  But he found some wonderful surprises, including an MIT student who reported how she couldn’t stop braiding her My Little Pony’s tail, weaving the hairs into endlessly repeating patterns (a possible clue to her fascination with mathematics).

And he found this gem:

“Egg Basket” by Erica Carmel (1992)

 I was five years old and it was probably April, because I had an Easter basket full of brightly colored plastic eggs. The basket had a long handle so I was able to swing it around in circles. One wall of my playroom was lined with bookshelves that had drawers as well as shelves. They held my doll and toy collection, most of which I never looked at. At the end of the playroom, across from the shelves, was a set of double doors. When I made inventions, I usually included these doors in my designs, probably because their doorknobs were good anchors onto which one could tie things.

I did an experiment with the egg basket. I took a string (in this case, I think it was an extra- long jump rope) and tied it from the handle of a bookshelf drawer to a doorknob of one of the double doors all the way across the playroom. My idea was to create a gondola, such as the one I had seen at Disneyland on a family vacation. I hung my egg basket from the string and tried to run it down the string. When that worked I went on to transport objects from one side of the room to the other by placing them in the egg basket. Next, I moved the string back and forth, causing the basket to swing. As I watched, the basket got further and further above horizontal. Finally, the basket swung all the way around the circle. But, as if by magic, the eggs did not fall out. I was stunned. 

I took the egg-filled basket off the string, deliberately turned the basket upside down, and watched the eggs fall out. But when I put the basket and eggs back on the string and once again swung it around, the eggs remained in the basket. I tried the experiment again and again and always got the same results. When they were on the swinging string, the eggs remained in the basket. Yet when I held the basket upside down, the eggs fell out.

I was sure that I had made a new scientific discovery that was going to make me world famous. I ran to share it with my parents. My father was less excited than I had anticipated. He didn’t seem surprised that the eggs remained in the basket. He even had a name for the magical force I had discovered: it was called centripetal force. Nevertheless, my excitement didn’t die. My father may have known about the force that made the eggs stay in the basket, but I had discovered it on my own. The discovery was mine.

 At  five years old, I had never heard of the scientific method, but I had followed it. I saw a problem: the eggs remained in the basket when it was swung on the string but fell out when the basket was turned upside down. I created an hypothesis: whatever was making the eggs stay in the basket was only present in the spinning basket. I devised a way to test the hypothesis: I guessed that the faster I turned the basket, the more likely it would be that the eggs would remain in the basket. So, for my experiment, I went back and forth between spinning the basket on the string and then turning it upside down slowly and watching the eggs fall. These results confirmed my hypothesis. There was a definite connection between the speed of the rotation and the likelihood that the eggs would remain in the basket. The conclusions I drew were the most exciting of all: that I had discovered a new principle of science and that my hypothesis was correct. Something “held” the eggs to the basket.

Thirteen years later, as I sat in an MIT lecture hall for my Monday morning class, 8.01, I watched Professor Walter Lewin demonstrate the experiment that I had performed in my playroom with plastic Easter eggs and a straw basket. Lewin took a pail of water and swung it above his head on a string. Sure enough, the water remained in the pail, and Professor Lewin remained dry. At five, I didn’t know that centripetal acceleration equals the quotient of the velocity squared over the radius. I also didn’t know that for the object not to fall the centripetal acceleration had to be greater than the forces on the object by gravity. What I did know was that the eggs wouldn’t fall out of the basket and, as much as the equations are useful, in the end that is all they tell us.

Erica Carmel worked as a management consultant and joined a technology start up in Silicon Valley before going to Harvard Business School. A 1996 recipient of an SM in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, she currently works at IBM, managing a team focused on improving customer experience with software.

Excerpted from ‘Falling For Science: Objects in Mind’, edited and with an introduction by Sherry Turkle, published in May 2008 by The MIT Press. Copyright: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008, all rights reserved.

source: “Krulwich on Science” story on NPR 12/17/08.  www.npr.org

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021   or email   aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com