Divine Errors!
“Don’t undertake projects unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible.” Edwin Land
What do Legos, Etch-A-Sketch, the balloons in balloons you get at the zoo, and dare I say, The Shrinky Dink have in common? Famous scientists and inventors cited them all as the direct inspiration for their major scientific breakthroughs and discoveries. The manipulative quality and simplicity of these toys allowed scientists to feel the world and ground them in it. So, what do we get in schools? We get less and less time to play with toys. At our two symposium coming up this week we will be playing with toys and manipulating objects as a way to get us to think about new and innovative solutions to programs for young adults who are out of school and out of work. We will also be listening to students and allowing students to participate in all the work for the two days. All the data collected for decades point out that whatever we’ve done as a society has not worked to decrease the number of dropouts and increase the productive learning capacity of young adults in post-secondary or going to work.
How is Gelato Like Big Picture Learning?
It turns out that gelato is part of the slow foods movement. There are 25,000 gelato shops in Italy alone. People want to make their own gelato from the freshest ingredients and then, later in the day sell it. They want to experience the whole process. And they want to eliminate processed food. I’ve used the slow food s metaphor many times as an example of our work. It seems the foodies are having more success than we are so they maybe become our new market.
Hoops Away!!!
For over a year the NBA and Hasbro have been developing BPL Math Hoops. It is now on the launching pad as Tim tests the game in eight schools, most them ours. This is our first real endeavor in the gaming world. If it is successful, it could change us in dramatic ways. It’s a very exciting innovation.
Monday, April 26, 2010 at 12:33PM
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