Dear Parents, Students and Teachers,
In my monthly, five-minute STEM Skill Step Up Letter, I give hints like the following on improving critical cognitive and technical skills for young adults. I will also respond to questions that you submit. To do so, subscribe to the newsletter by emailing me. I will respond to questions on the Play-Ed Corporation Facebook page when appropriate.
Lunch-Time STEM
I hesitate to confess to Mom, who lovingly prepared succulent meatball sandwiches drenched in homemade marinara sauce and fried-pork cutlet hoagies, that peanut butter and jelly was my favorite lunch. In fact, p&j is still one of my favorite sandwiches, one of the few American foods I crave in Japan. I can purchase the ingredients here, but the local peanut butter is more of a creamy, sugary spread, presumably because peanuts are quite expensive, and Japanese tastes differ. Japanese peanut spread does not stick to my hard palate like the unctuous, salty American stuff.
Whenever I think of the p&j sandwich, I am reminded of an object lesson I use to teach the importance of precise communication in teaching STEM. I encourage parents to try this task at home. Instruct your children to write a paragraph explaining how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to someone who has never made one before. Then, reading their instructions aloud one line at a time, attempt to make the sandwiches. As you do so, follow the instructions explicitly. Like you, your children will realize that the instructions are inadequate because they assume knowledge the person making the sandwich may not have. The example below illustrates the problem.
Whenever I think of the p&j sandwich, I am reminded of an object lesson I use to teach the importance of precise communication in teaching STEM. I encourage parents to try this task at home. Instruct your children to write a paragraph explaining how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to someone who has never made one before. Then, reading their instructions aloud one line at a time, attempt to make the sandwiches. As you do so, follow the instructions explicitly. Like you, your children will realize that the instructions are inadequate because they assume knowledge the person making the sandwich may not have. The example below illustrates the problem.
1. Take the bread out of the bag.
Assumed knowledge: 1.The person knows to use slice bread as opposed to a baguette; 2. The person knows that raisin bread is usually not used for p&b sandwiches. For this reason, you might try to use this type of bread to make a point. 3. The person knows that two slices are used to make a sandwich.
2. Put the peanut butter on the bread.
Assumed knowledge: 1. The sandwich maker knows to unscrew the peanut butter, scoop some out on the bread, and spread it. 2. The person knows how much peanut butter to use. 3. The person knows a knife is typically used to scoop out, then spread, the peanut butter.
3. Put the jelly on top of the bread.
Assumed knowledge similar to that in the preceding instruction.
4. Put a piece of bread on top of the sandwich.
Assumed knowledge: 1. The person is using slice bread. 2. The person knows to position the piece of bread to align with and completely cover the piece with the peanut butter and jelly on it.
Whenever I have had children or adults do this exercise, I have never succeeded interpreting the directions like a person who has never made a p&g sandwich previously.
This simple demonstration illustrates a number of powerful lessons. First, teachers of all subjects, not just STEM, should think carefully about the assumptions they make related to the level and content of students’ knowledge. If your students often seem confused by your explanations, inaccurate assumptions are a likely culprit. Second, precision is extremely important, especially in STEM areas. Computers read programs exactly as written. If one instruction is unclear, computers will often generate an error. Finally, the more general lesson about clear, precise communication is obvious. You should constantly question assumptions you are making about the listener's background and knowledge and the suitability of these assumptions not only when you are teaching someone, but also when you are discussing problems or presenting your ideas,
Joseph Gabriella, Ph.D., MBA
Founder and CEO, Play-Ed Corporation
Author Profile
Dr. Gabriella is an accomplished scholar and businessman. Ivy-league educated, he has served as a lecturer or professor at universities in the U.S., Japan, and China. Currently, he resides in Japan, where he is a senior manager and active consultant. A former high-school math teacher, Joseph is passionate about teaching critical STEM skills to future generations through his company, Play-Ed Corporation.
Dr. Gabriella is an accomplished scholar and businessman. Ivy-league educated, he has served as a lecturer or professor at universities in the U.S., Japan, and China. Currently, he resides in Japan, where he is a senior manager and active consultant. A former high-school math teacher, Joseph is passionate about teaching critical STEM skills to future generations through his company, Play-Ed Corporation.
STEM Lessons
Each week, I will provide one STEM challenge problem for students to solve. Then, through a virtual lesson, I will review key concepts from the problem, respond to questions, and teach students various learning strategies, problem-solving methods, and types of thinking. I will also furnish opportunities for participants to learn from one another. Finally, I will collect feedback from students for use in improving the lessons, making them more fun and didactic.The purpose of this extra-curricular training is to guide students in the application of STEM subjects to real-world problem, thereby preparing them for future careers.
Uncle Joe's Tutoring
For a nominal fee, I will set up four, 30-minute online sessions with students to tutor middle-school and high-school math, science and English each month. Students will participate in sessions with up to four others depending on scheduling. While I plan to tutor as frequently as possible, I also use tutors I have trained, usually career teachers or university instructors. Students will have access to discussion forums where they can pose questions to other students and to me. To maximize learning, I strongly encourage students in the same class to register together.Contact Dr. Joseph Gabriella at jgabriella.played@gmail.com to register.
© 2017 Joseph Gabriella, Ph.D., MBA. All rights reserved.
