School is boring for lots of kids, regardless of Intellig Ence level (assumption alert - is there such a thing as an 'intelligence level'? it seems to presume a single number rating - IQ).
Some of this is due to process - chairs in rows, fixed class period length, isolation between classes. Those have to be fixed too! But if you design a good agenda, then let the structure follow from that, the structure will take care of itself that way.
Some big disclaimers
Lots of the notes below don't take into account (yet) ability level and prerequisites (e.g. you can't study the mathematics of flight if you haven't learned to multiply yet). (Learning Curve)
- There are also often issues of how to maintain interest in a context when it takes a long time to learn the abstractions behind it (e.g. if it takes 2 days to build a catapult, but 3 months to learn the math that will result in a better design, what then?).
hmm, I think there's a bad assumption in there - I bet you could teach some amount of the math, then supplement it with automated tools ("Catapult Builder") that would make that stuff really simple.
- Since everything is intertwingled, any single topic can lead to anything else. I err below on the side of getting too tangential, for the sake of inspiration.
Some meta-ideas
Game Theory: who are the various players/agents? What are their multiple goals (and meta-goals)? Do those goals conflict? Do they have to conflict? What are the rules in the game? How real are those rules - are they official rules, or just traditional forms of behavior? What happens if you break those rules in certain ways? Is there a way to change the rules? What pieces of information do some parties have which others lack? What are the implications? Why might players chose to share or hoard certain types of information?
- open/dynamic systems: what are some causal links? Invent some more! Which ones seem the strongest? How can we test those theories? If we significantly change the state, does that change which causal links become most significant?
integrate studies with the lessons of General Semantics.
Some specific ideas:
Learning from Sept11 terrorist attacks
history of Middle East, history of Afghani Stan (Saudi Arabia, Paki Stan, India, etc.)
history of Is Lam, varying factions of Islam
history of Judaism/Christianity in the Middle East, varying factions
Fundamental Ism/extremism in all religions and non-religious thoughts
US Foreign Policy in the Middle East, policies involving terrorism, policies involving Sovereign Ty of foreign governments. Blow Back. Implications for current internal issues in Middle East countries.
corporate interests in US Middle East foreign policy. In other US foreign policy, in US domestic policy.
varying policy meta-rules: Non Interventionism, Prime Directive, International Development models
Game Theory of Secur Ity, safety, Free Dom. As relates to Dealing With Terrorism (airport security; immigration; ...). As relates to other policies (FDA, consumer product safety).
Free Speech. Free speech on college campuses; in high schools. Freedom Of Information Act.
Math/Phys Ics of athletics
- punting, placekicking, golf club swing, ball throw: what are the goals (distance, time to target, accuracy, etc.). What are degrees of freedom of action? How might outcomes vary based on parameters of action (e.g. if you try to kick higher, how does that affect strength of the kick).
Build machines, study theory behind performance affectors
- start with learning about how an interesting object/machine works
John Taylor Gatto writes often about the Shelter Institute (where you can learn to build a house) and the Maine Maritime Museum where you can be an apprentice to learn ship building.
- bridge
- catapult
lean-to, tent, Geodesic Dome
- paper airplanes, balsa planes (rubber band powered)
Philip Greenspun recommends a shop course centered on building a Bi Cycle. At least 50 percent of what is taught in High School Math And Science can be motivated by the Engineer Ing challenge of making a bike that functions properly and weighs less than 100 kg. In particular one can dream that this Project Based Learning approach would rescue computer instruction from its current abyss. Instead of teaching the kids how to use Microsoft Office and write lame little graphics programs in VB or Java, we'd show them how computers can become analytical tools. For the hands-on oriented kids we can let them machine their own parts and maybe do some welding, thus combining math and shop in one period!
- go-karts (?)
Dan Lyke recommends Lindsay's Technical Books (Highest quality books, new and old, for experimenters, inventors, tinkerers,
mad scientists, and a very few normal people...)
Dori Smith pointed to Science Toys You Can Make With Your Kids also available as as book 1556525206 (semi-related see 0740738593 )
pseudo-structures: Tinker Toy, Meccano Erector Set
Build analog (maybe low-digital) Electron Ics (that do something cool/fun)
Forrest Mims "has"http://www.forrestmims.org/ an Electronics Learning Lab from Radio Shack. He also wrote some books on learning electronics.
see Adam Curry on building transmitters with Radio Shack kit.
elenco Project Lab kits http://www.littlesmarties.com/shop-by-brand-7.html
Micro Controller projects
Lab projects: Paul Nakada recommends http://www.sciencekit.com and http://www.scientificsonline.com/
Expression
keep a Wiki Weblog! (Need easy way to do very granular access control, so different groups can read different pieces.)
might be key to (a) support offline creation/editing, and (b) do that via Mob Ile instead of computer, due to per-student price. (Super Cheap Laptop)
use a Digital Camera - no film expenses! Capture little vignettes, or learn more formal composition techniques. Write stories around pictures.
visual, performing arts (Arts And Crafts). Group involvement. Intern with someone (Apprentice Ship).
hack a Chum By?
Write Social Software (e.g. Weblog Engine, RSS aggregator, Blog Web connector, etc.)
Computer Game-s (Simulat Ion-s) that realistically model physics. See [[http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/physicsgame/
|book]]
maybe better to go "beyond" that to biological and social systems - non-linear Emerg Ence is more interesting...
or just eye-candy generators http://www.levitated.net/gravityIndex.html (those are done in Flash but probably could be done in Process Ing)
Ro Bot and related program-controlled toys: build or Hack
which Language For Learning Programming?
David Handy wrote Computer Programming Is Fun to teach Py Thon.
VPython is Visual Python for doing 3D dev work
Lo Go language
Process Ing, Al Ice, Scr Atch, Ren Py, Squeak Small Talk....
build Musical Instrument-s
- acoustic
sequencing, Music Mouse (by Laurie Spiegel), etc.
- acoustic
drawing on the computer
Exposing Young Kids To Science
DNA Hacking http://www.dnahack.com/
Do Outdoorsy Stuff?
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Some sources of inspiration
Charles Eames' Mathematica (and Powers Of Ten) http://www.powersoften.com/
- somebody wrote a series of stories, each about a specific constant (e.g. the speed of light) from a physics equation. In the story, that constant was manipulated, showing how that would affect reality.
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<b>improv</b> --2003/11/08 23:55 GMT<br> I would suggest having kids study improv. I've taken improv classes as an adult. Improv teaches mostly through fun exercises and games.