Learning Styles

Reading an article in the latest American Scientist recently I came across an article that sparked a whole new thought train. Written by a specialist in learning psychology, it hits some points which I have long felt need to be addressed. The article is based in a number of extensive studies at schools and universities, and it identifies a number of key issues. The one which leapt out at me as I read this was the statement that scholars are being taught to 'think critically' and 'problem solve' without being given the foundations on which to build a sufficient knowledge base from which to work.

In part this is the 'high lighter' learning system at work. One study found that students who use extensive 'high lighting' in their text books and then read and reread these high lighted texts as a part of their exam preparation recall 50% or less of what they have read. In fact, several other studies have now shown this is the least effective way to study - yet it persists and is encouraged in classrooms and universities ...

As the article states, it is a common misconception that content is less important than critical skills and problem solving, but scientific studies suggest otherwise. Scientists have long known that to teach reading there has to be a connection between the letters and the sounds and this applies in other fields as well - but it isn't always practiced in classrooms. One advantage of 'learning by rote' meant that all the basic underpinning information for things like spelling, addition, multiplication and so on became embedded in the student's mind. Once there it surfaces almost 'on demand' whenever someone is faced with anything like simple arithmetic or the spelling of a tricky word. Reliance on these things being 'absorbed' as the child learns more complex skills without this 'memory databank' has led in some instances to people who cannot tell the difference between words like 'their,' 'they're' and 'there.' Or who cannot perform simple multiplication without using a calculator.

Throw in the currently held belief among teachers that all boys have one learning style and all girls another and you begin to get the sort of results we currently see in schools in the US and the UK. All to often it seems that 'the latest idea' (Anyone remember the 'real books' experiment of the 1990s? Some 'educationist' came up with the idea that simply putting children and books in the same space would lead to the kids learning to read) is an untried, untested 'pet theory' from someone who is not a teacher, but a persuasive 'salesman' for some gimmick. The idea, for instance, that boys are 'hardwired' to be better at 'spatial tasking' than girls has been thoroughly disproved by scientific studies - but it persists in the minds of teachers everywhere. In fact there are ample studies which would help teachers immensely - if they were more widely read and applied.

So the question arises; why aren't they? Part of the problem is access to them. Teaching is time intensive, so teachers don't have a lot of time to undertake 'research' of journals often really only widely available at a university. A 'digest' of the best of these would help, but no one has the inclination or perhaps the funding to undertake it and distribute it. Even if there were one, how many teachers would have the time to wade through some of the more detailed studies in between lesson preparation, marking and classroom management?

As the author of the article says, it is not an easy problem to address, but it is not insuperable either. One starting point he identifies is the universities themselves. After all, this is where most teachers get their training - so why are the various faculties not feeding the 'science' one department has researched, to another where it could be put to proper use? Perhaps this is something which should be looked at more closely, and perhaps then, we could see a 'trickle through' of better 'scientific' teaching skills to the schools - the foundation of an educated society ...

On the other hand, perhaps the 'educators' in places like the Department of Education don't want that. It might produce scholars who know too much!

 

Airships

Last week I joined my son and his partner on a little jaunt to Friedrichshafen on the Bodensee. Apart from the stunning setting, the big attraction was the Zeppelin Museum on the harbourside. The first of the photos below shows part of the full size recreation of the passenger saloon of the Hindenburg, which forms a part of the reconstruction of several other sections. One can see the sleeping cabins, dining room and even a part of the kitchen. The crew accommodation, by contrast, was extremely basic. The big attraction of these ships in the 1930s was their speed - two days from Hamburg to New York when the fastest ocean liner took five. 

On display are a couple of the hefty Maybach diesel engines which drove this huge 'lighter than air' superliner through the air. They didn't fly at a great altitude, usually under 5,000 feet, and flew round storms and other disturbances in the atmosphere. What is striking is the vast size of the ship, probably 90% of it occupied by the gas bags that kept it aloft. The re-creation of the accommodation includes sections of the framing which gives the visitor some idea of the construction. The animated displays, models and other information in the museum makes for a fascinating visit.

If one plans ahead, you can book a flight in a modern Zeppelin, the Zeppelin NT. It operates from the local airport and carries 15 passengers on a flight round the Bodensee. There are, we were told, three of these ships flying in Germany at present, and the company is planning expansion and perhaps some larger vessels. The new ships use helium in the gas cells, not hydrogen which used in the earlier ships and the direct cause of the Hindenburg's loss in New York in 1938.

I was interested to read recently that the concept of airships is far from dead. A company in California and even NASA are interested in developing large airships for cargo carrying. The latest design, I was surprised to learn, makes use of a principle I had pondered while watching the 'new' Zeppelin NT pass overhead.

It is now proposed to make an airship which has 'neutral' bouyancy or marginally 'negative' bouyancy when loaded. She would be lifted by jets or propellers which can be angled downward to lift her clear of the landing area and then gradually redirected to provide both lift and forward motion as it gathers speed. Stubby wings or 'lifting surfaces' would keep it stable and aloft as it travelled, once again at low altitude. The expectation is that these ships would be more economical than current cargo carrying aircraft and, because they are not subjected to the stresses of depressurising and repressurising within very short time frames, would be less costly to maintain.

I have to confess that there is something very appealling about travelling in one of these - as long as it isn't filled with hydrogen!

Bounty Hunters?

I think the offer of a 'bounty' for the killing of the maker of the video said to slander Islams founder is a step too far for anyone. In short, the Pakistani Minister for Railways is now stepping into the realms of 'incitement to murder.' Frankly, no matter what the supposed provocation, that is unacceptable behaviour from anyone i any society which wishes to be consider civilised. It may have been acceptable in the Middle Ages - though even then in Western societies it tended to be regarded as a crime - but it is certainly not acceptable in the 21st Century. Especially not from a Minister of State.

What is stunning is the absolute silence from the lobby that usually deafens us the moment anyone from our society suggests, even mildly, that some form of retribution may be in order for some criminal act. I have not yet seen anyone from one of the many usually vociferous 'human rights' groups utter even a small objection to the 'bounty.' One does wonder why they are so silent. Perhaps because the maker of this video comes from a group that they do not consider to have any 'rights' or perhaps because the video he has made breaches their 'politically correct' vision of the world?

The US President and his Secretary of State are bending over backwards to apologise for the 'offence' this video has caused, and while I can understand the diplomatic need, I find the language they are using interesting. As far as we know, not a murmur of protest was uttered over the treatment of Christians in Iran, in particular the Pastor ony recently released after three years on Death Row after being falsely accused of 'converting to Christianity' or at the treatment of the teenage girl suffering a mental disability, accused of burning the Quran.

There is never a word of protest from the White House or Westminster for that matter at the regular accusations of 'dishonouring the prophet' or heresy or some other 'offence against Islam' levelled at native Christians in these lands.

I wonder if placing prices on the heads of those who level these accusations at their neighbours in these lands would change a few minds? It wouldn't be what I consider civilised behaviour, but it might give some of these fanatics pause for thought.

Celebration

Last Saturday the Monk and Mausi celebrated their marriage in the Friedenskirch in Wiesbaden. It was a fun service, conducted by our local priest in the Old Catholic way and attended by a large number of our friends and the Monk's son and eldest daughter and their partners. A glass of 'Sekt' (can't call it 'champagne' even if that is what it is - the French and the EU don't like it) in the church afterward with everyone was followed by a superb dinner at the Eden Parc Hotel in Bad Schwalbach.

The Eden Parc is a fantastic hotel in a great setting. It was built in 1930 to the "Bauhaus" pattern, and includes large rooms with en suite facilities and an indoor swimming pool and gymnasium. Our guests were booked into rooms here so we could all enjoy the meal, some wine (German drink/driving enforcement tends to be very strict - one glass of anything is too much) and the company. We had guests from Poland, the UK and different parts of Germany so it was an 'international' gathering to say the least.

The dinner was superb. We chose dishes that were Rheingau specialities and a wine list to match. The Chef produced nothing less than a masterpiece, just the right quantity of each course and timing the courses to perfection. He and the rest of the staff were, however, amused and quite taken with the quaint 'English' tradition we insisted on to end the meal - a glass of Port wine accompanied by cheese and English water biscuits. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed the little ritual of 'passing the Port' and we finally retired to bed very late and very, very happy and well fed.

Eventually we will post some pictures - our photographer took plenty, but I haven't received them yet.

Intolerance

It never fails to amaze me that those who loudly trumpet their 'right' to do something, never consider the responsibility that having a 'right' imposes. The latest outburst of fundamentalist rioting, burning and killing in Libya, Yemen and several other Muslim states is a response to the rather crude video created and released by a US based film maker of Middle Eastern origin. OK, he has the right to do this in the US. He probably also has the motivation as he is, by the accounts I've read, a Christian driven out of his homeland by Islamic legalistic restrictions and persecution.

All well and good, he wants to bring this to world attention in a political world that, at present, doesn't want to raise these issues and would rather ignore them. So he makes a film which is, frankly, offensive. But this isn't, apparently, enough for some. Now we have a French magazine publishing deliberately provocative cartoons. All this does, despite their claims to be exercising their 'right' to publish what they choose, is to inflame extremists on both sides. It plays directly into the hands of those who wish to inflame things and bring about conflict.

Is it responsible behaviour? After all, we claim we have the right to 'freedom' of speech, religion and political affiliation, but all of these require the exercise of at least some responsibility. No one, it is true, has an absolute 'right' to not be offended by something, but that does not infer a 'right' to deliberately offend or provoke. In the case of the film maker in the US, he has exercised his 'right' to make his film, but he did so in the fullest knowledge that it would provoke a violent response. This is not responsible behaviour.

The French magazine editor has now published his offensive cartoons - again with the deliberate intent of causing maximum offence and in the full awareness of the fact he is endangering every westerner currently in any Muslim governed country. It has, no doubt, increased his circulation temporarily, but the cost is likely to be very high in terms of destroyed property, lives placed in jeopardy and damage to relations between peoples.

We are, at present in the western 'democracies,' very privileged. Our forefathers fought long and hard for the privileges we now take as 'rights,' but the abuse of these same privileges is likely to lead us back into a dark age of conflict and possibly a loss of all we currently enjoy. It is worth thinking carefully before we embark on any action which is deliberately provocative. Perhaps someone should make those who deliberately seek to provoke pay the piper ...

Final hurdles ...

The Monk and Mausi are in the final stages of preparing for the Church service to celebrate their marriage tomorrow. German law requires a 'civil' ceremony and a 'church' one may follow. As we wanted to celebrate this with a church ceremony, it meant having two goes at the whole. The little wrifggle in the middle was trying to find dates that suited friends and family - and keeping the legal 'permissions to marry' current.

These legal approvals lapse after six months if the wedding doesn't take place within that timeframe. So we opted to do the civil ceremony and legal bits in May, and wait for the church service until our friends and family could be here.

So, tomorrow, we do the church service. Our organist is furiously practicing the recessional voluntary we've chosen. It's fun, it's 'off the wall' and we hope our friends enjoy it. Try it if you can find it - 'Festmusikk' from Vag a Leve (Dare to Live) by Mons Leidvin Takle. He's Norwegian, and his music is fiery, lively and fun.

Our priest thinks its hilarious and loves it.

An insidious law ...

The 'Law of Unintended Consequences' is just such an insidious law, one might almost say it is an immutable law, one which will always create the opposite effect of what was intended. A copy of an article forwarded to me recently suggests that the effects of this 'law' are beginning to make themselves apparent as 'Green' policies for energy begin to bite. To quote the article -

"Around the world dysfunctional energy policies are forcing large electricity consumers to fend for themselves to keep the lights on."

The author goes on to state that -

"Germany, with its extreme 'Green' credentials, is the canary in the coal mine."

The main problem is that the drive to make countries reliant on "renewable" energy sources, such as solar or wind generators, has eroded the capacity to produce energy by other means. Massive subsidies for wind and solar farms has also hidden the true cost of these alternatives, and opened up a new opportunity for fraud. One Spanish solar park was found to be producing a massive amount of electricity even at night. Investigators found the operators were running diesel generators as their operation was paid according to the Mega Watts delivered and the diesels boosted generation ...

There are two problems with the 'renewable' energy schemes. The first is that the windmills are not close to the user. This means a fairly sophisticated network of powerlines, booster stations and distributions stations is needed to get the energy to the user. Current networks can't do it, so there has to be a massive change in the infrastructure to make it even marginally efficient. The second problem is that the wind is not constant, so the supply can be erratic. That is not good news for those who need a constant and reliable supply. Anyone running computer systems for example, or any operation that requires steady voltage. Current surges in a domestic supply can be costly, take them into industries where sensitive electronic equipment is used and suddenly you have the potential for ruin.

The article mentions the fact that the organisers of the London Olympics were so concerned that there might be supply problems from the electricity grid, they have installed massive emergency generating capacity at all the venues. There were even measures in place to blackout parts of London so power could be diverted to the Games. Many businesses are now finding it expedient to install their own power supplies for coping with outages and suppliers of emergency generators are reporting skyrocketing sales.

In Germany the over hasty closure of the nuclear plants has had to be reassessed. It is too late to reverse the closures, but now the government has had to approve the rather hasty construction of a new generation of coal burning power plants. These will be fitted with all sorts of new technology to ensure 'carbon capture' - more correctly, the filtering out of CO2, SO2 and a several other 'greenhouse' gases - and their storage deep underground. According to the author of the article, this will still result in an overall increase in CO2 emissions of 4% and it probably doesn't end there, even if the writer of this piece hasn't taken the new technologies into account. Germany already has the highest electricity prices in Europe thanks to all this 'greening' of energy, but it isn't reducing demand and it certainly isn't reducing emissions.

One reason is the introduction of "Electric Autos." These need their batteries charged up, which they do by plugging in to national grid outlets. So we simply transfer the exhaust gas from the car to the power station.

So it would seem that the drive to reduce energy consumption is in fact driving it up, while at the same time, reducing the supply. I think the next few winters here could be very interesting especially if, as all the old timers are predicting, it looks like being colder. Last winter Germany's electric grid came rather too close to blackout a couple of times for the government's comfort. This year they seem to be praying they can keep it going until the new power stations come on line.

Perhaps time for the Monk and Mausi to go out and buy our own little stand-by generator ...