tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post3557783925474609234..comments2024-03-26T07:00:11.620-05:00Comments on Wisdom of the Hands: What do you know? vs. What can you do?Doug Stowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13003845322415622289noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-3663745671317401742010-05-24T02:14:32.801-05:002010-05-24T02:14:32.801-05:00One of my greatest tasks in teaching the Industria...One of my greatest tasks in teaching the Industrial Arts to children is understanding their perspective. A lot has changed in the forty years or so since I was a boy and I have also forgotten a lot. My students, also, struggle to use pencils, squares and, rulers. Simple fractions give them fits. Of course their struggle to master these instruments helps them grow and I am happy to be a part of that.<br /><br />Your post about the jewellry class reminded me that a couple of years ago I gained new insight into my students' perspective. This generation does not know what sharp is. Few own a pocket knife and none will admit to carrying one, which explains why they treat chisels so casually. So, now I make it a point to demonstrate what sharp is and, with the occasional reminder, I've found another way to help them grow.<br /><br />Nick S. in CanadaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-38190377112902742612010-05-22T11:30:55.277-05:002010-05-22T11:30:55.277-05:00The saying is "use it or lose it." In sc...The saying is "use it or lose it." In schools, by not having kids do real things, their use of what we teach them is dead on arrival.Doug Stowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003845322415622289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-37183424546554426462010-05-22T11:22:21.561-05:002010-05-22T11:22:21.561-05:00What is simple to people like you and me is no lon...What is simple to people like you and me is no longer simple to young people. My son, who just graduated from college a year ago, admitted to me the other day that he has forgotten much of his times tables. The problem is that he never had to use them on a regular basis because they always used calculators all through grade school and college. It's not his fault as much as it is the educational system of today. <br />When I require my students to figure board feet without a calculator, they cry me a river and say they can't do it. Some are just lazy, and others actually can't. It really is the fault of our educational system, and the parents and teachers as well.cbolyardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03678815070130416727noreply@blogger.com