PBS高端访谈:缅因州学校锻炼学生解决问题的能力

 　　JEFFREY BROWN:Next: how one public school in New England is taking a different approach to teaching, immersing students in an unusually comprehensive science curriculum that emphasizes problem-solving.

　　Special correspondent John Tulenko of Learning Matters, which produces education stories for the NewsHour, has our story.

　　JOHN TULENKO:On a crisp fall morning last October, King Middle School in Portland, Maine, invited eighth graders to what it calls a kickoff, the unveiling of an in-depth project that would be at the center of nearly all the students' courses for the next four months.

　　PETER HILL,King Middle School: So, I want to direct your attention to this slide. This is called earth at night.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Science teacher Peter Hill set the stage.

　　PETER HILL:There are certain parts of the world that use a ton of energy. Along with that, 25 percent of the world's population doesn't have electricity in their home. But enough solar energy hits the Earth every hour to supply the entire world's energy needs for a year.

　　So we need to design tools that can capture all that sunlight that's hitting our Earth or capture all that wind power that's sitting out in the Gulf¹ of Maine. We need to—wait for it—revolt.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Hill handed the students an ambitious assignment to fulfill³ by the end of the project.

　　PETER HILL:You're going to create a device that captures natural energy and transforms it into something that's useful for people in some part of the world.

　　LIVA PIERCE, King Middle School: I was like, I can't do that.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Taking all this in was Liva Pierce.

　　LIVA PIERCE:That's—that's way too much. I don't know the first thing about electricity. I don't know the first thing about windmills. I am totally going to fail. I was like, there's no way that's going to happen.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Emma Schwartz:

　　EMMA SCHWARTZ, King Middle School: First of all, I can't build anything, and I have never handled a screwdriver⁴ in my entire life or an electric drill. Like, this isn't going to work.

　　MAN:So I want you to think about the big picture here.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Projects that take students into uncharted territory are at the heart of teaching and learning at King. Though it's a regular public school, this approach, called expeditionary learning, is unusual, but could be just the kind of education students need in a rapidly changing world.

　　This expedition began with a design challenge.

　　NAT YOUNGRIN,King Middle School:We're building robots that are made to collect resources, which are Ping-Pong balls.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Nat Youngrin and his classmates were building their robots from kits⁵ that allow for an almost infinite number of possibilities.

　　NAT YOUNGRIN: You can do whatever you want to make them do this, but they have to be able to go out, get Ping-Pong balls, and bring them back. I made mine completely sound-controlled. And you can control it to turn and move back to your base.

　　STUDENT:This one has to be much longer.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Working in teams, students spent four weeks perfecting their robots in a class called tech-ed.

　　Gus Goodwin is the teacher.

　　GUS GOODWIN, King Middle School: This kind of really hones in on engineering. What is the design process? They have to program a robot, build it, tinker with it, and get it to work.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Liva Pierce, who at the kickoff had feared failing, seemed to embrace robotics.

　　LIVA PIERCE:We made this wide thing that, when it goes forward, will catch the balls. It's pretty hard.

　　STUDENTS:Let's go, chipmunks⁶! Let's go! Let's go, chipmunks! Let's go!

　　JOHN TULENKO:Just before Thanksgiving, students put their creations to the test at a school competition dubbed⁷ Robo-Wars.

　　Nat Youngrin's robot started well enough and stalled. The room was too noisy for its sound controls.

　　NAT YOUNGRIN:Oh, my God.

　　JOHN TULENKO:As for Liva Pierce, her team finished second.

　　The objective for all the students was that this activity would somehow bring them closer to designing an energy-generating device of their own.

　　MAN:The robot competition was really successful.

　　PETER HILL:Kids are really -- I think they have internalized the design process. They know it's an ongoing⁸ process. They know they need to engineer their designs and constantly revise and get feedback. And so we're on our way.

　　JOHN TULENKO:By early December, students were on to the second leg of their journey: learning the science and social issues that would be at the heart of their invention.

　　And the path teachers choose to take students there? An eight-week-long interdisciplinary study of wind power.

　　Science teacher Peter Hill:

　　PETER HILL:We started with the wind turbine. How do these things create electricity? And we took apart a motor and we said, well, there's magnets and wires in here. How do magnets and wires interact to generate electricity?

　　JOHN TULENKO:To make the learning go deeper, in tech-ed class, students built working model wind turbines.

　　GUS GOODWIN:The criteria⁹ for this project is a wind turbine that is stable and sturdy. It has to generate at least one volt² of electricity, and the other piece is we want it to be creative, outrageous¹⁰, ingenious, and inspirational.

　　JOHN TULENKO:The politics of wind power was the subject in social studies.

　　Emma Schwartz:

　　EMMA SCHWARTZ:The point is to find a place where it would be good or possible to have a wind turbine, to see what the environmental impacts might be if there's a bunch of huge like turbines in the area.

　　MAN:You get those discussions around, what is a sense of place, and what is scenic¹¹ beauty, and how do you alleviate¹² that issue?

　　JOHN TULENKO:Next, Mark Gervais' students will argue for their turbine in a persuasive¹³ essay addressed to local officials. But for their life-improving invention, students would need to know about faraway places. In English class, they read "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," the autobiography¹⁴ of William Kamkwamba of Malawi, Africa.

　　STUDENT:He managed to build a wind turbine, power his house, and he did it with, like, a book and some trash.

　　EMMA SCHWARTZ:They went through this awful famine, and that was really shocking to me that he can go through all that and still have hope.

　　STUDENT:That was -- that was a really big theme in the book, like, if you really just try and you don't really stop, no matter kind of what's in your way, you will just -- you will eventually get there.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Inspired by the book, students like Liva Pierce pushed ahead with their own model wind turbines.

　　LIVA PIERCE:I had a lot of struggles with my turbine. And I said, you know what? I'm going to make this generate more than a volt. So I made a whole new set of blades. That worked a lot better. But then I heard about other people that were getting—like, I hear you got six volts¹⁵. And I was like, oh, I have got to get more than that.

　　JOHN TULENKO:After eight weeks and three new sets of blades, Liva and her classmates' wind turbines were finally ready. And King Middle School staged another competition.

　　LIVA PIERCE:The more I got into it, the more I just couldn't stop. I was steadily¹⁶ increasing, which is really, really good.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Each turbine's electrical output was captured by a computer. Liva's topped out at 5.9 volts.

　　PETER HILL:In the team competition ...

　　JOHN TULENKO:And when the final tallies¹⁷ were announced?

　　PETER HILL:Give it up for the winners: Lobsters¹⁸.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Her team finished first.

　　By February, students had reached the final stage of the project: creating an energy-generating device that improves people's lives.

　　PETER HILL:As a team of teachers, we brainstormed¹⁹, what are 10 things that really need to get solved in the world? We came up with purify water, light a room at night, charge a cell phone, stuff like that, just to kind of get kids rolling, just give them a little push to get the creative juices flowing.

　　JOHN TULENKO:The assignment was to create a technical drawing. Emma Schwartz designed a light.

　　EMMA SCHWARTZ:I call it the Rub-a-Dub Scrub. It's a sponge that generates light, which you might think, oh, my God, everyone is going to get electrocuted. But, no, I'm going to make sure no one gets electrocuted. As you can see, there's like a little dome²⁰ with lights at the top. There's scrubbers on the bottom.

　　The scrubbers are attached to magnets, which spin around wires. When you rotate it on dishes, the scrubbers rotate. That creates the electrons to flow. And that generates electricity.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Liva Pierce created a crank flashlight.

　　LIVA PIERCE: It will have UVB, UVC, and a regular light. UVC kills bacteria in water.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Her UVB light in supposed to draw insects away from people.

　　LIVA PIERCE:And it will have off, regular, water, bugs²¹. And I'm calling it the EcoBright.

　　JOHN TULENKO:For the final event of the project, parents were invited in to hear all about the students' inventions.

　　EMMA SCHWARTZ:The Rub-A-Dub Scrub takes the usually wasted rotational²² kinetic²³ energy of washing dishes.

　　This is, like, live showing what you're learning to other people, which kind of gives you something more back, I think.

　　LIVA PIERCE:And you have to be clear and concise²⁴. Giving presentations is so important, because it really arms you with skills that you will need later in life.

　　EMMA SCHWARTZ:Just think if washing dishes could be fun.

　　JOHN TULENKO:Like Emma's invention, the students' creations will go no farther than the drawing board. What's more, as they move on to new subjects and new grades, they may forget the particulars of amps and electrons. But some things, they will remember.

　　EMMA SCHWARTZ: Through this expedition, I have learned how to communicate with other people to make something happen. And I think that's what changed me most.

　　LIVA PIERCE:Before this expedition, I kind of always thought of myself as, I'm good at writing and I'm good at reading, and that's what I'm good at.

　　This expedition has completely changed my idea of science. Science is doing and science is building, and science is creating.

　　JOHN TULENKO:What makes this school a success? It's not because of any charter status. It's a regular public school. It's not because it caters²⁵ to some students over others. It's diverse with open admission. The secret, as we saw it, was relevance²⁶.

　　LIVA PIERCE:Usually, in school, you learn about things that are happening in the world that are bad. In social studies, you might learn about an earthquake. But I feel that schools shouldn't just be about learning about problems. I think they should be about solving them, because if you aren't learning about how to solve problems, then what will you do when you're out of school?

　　JOHN TULENKO:The expeditionary learning approach is growing and can be found in 161 schools nationwide.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:Well, there's one for all of you who write in asking for positive stories in our world.

　　And, tomorrow, we will have another look at new ways to engage students in science and promote problem solving, when Spencer Michels reports on the opening of the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。

3 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

4 screwdriver   

n.螺丝起子；伏特加橙汁鸡尾酒

参考例句：

• He took a screwdriver and teased out the remaining screws.他拿出螺丝刀把其余的螺丝卸了下来。
• The electric drill can also be used as a screwdriver.这把电钻也可用作螺丝刀。

5 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

6 chipmunks   

n.金花鼠( chipmunk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

7 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

10 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

11 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

12 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

13 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

14 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

15 volts   

n.（电压单位）伏特( volt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The floating potential, Vf is usually only a few volts below ground. 浮置电势Vf通常只低于接地电位几伏。 来自辞典例句
• If gamma particles are present, potential differences of several thousand volts can be generated. 如果存在γ粒子，可能产生几千伏的电位差。 来自辞典例句

16 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

17 tallies   

n.账( tally的名词复数 )；符合；（计数的）签；标签v.计算，清点( tally的第三人称单数 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合

参考例句：

• Cash on hand tallies with the figure in the accounts. 现款跟账上的数目没有出入。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He tallies his own marks. 他把自己的得分记了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 lobsters   

龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉

参考例句：

• I have no idea about how to prepare those cuttlefish and lobsters. 我对如何烹调那些乌贼和龙虾毫无概念。
• She sold me a couple of live lobsters. 她卖了几只活龙虾给我。

19 brainstormed   

集中各人智慧猛攻( brainstorm的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The marketing team brainstormed for hours in designing the marketing campaign for the new product. 行销小组脑力激荡多时，集思广益，设计新产品的行销策略。
• The team brainstormed the CAR response. 这队有人提供脑力激荡或意见者。

20 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

21 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 rotational   

adj.回转的，轮流的

参考例句：

• A synchronous motor drives the measuring bob at a constant rotational speed.同步马达驱动测锤以恒速旋转。
• With some limitations,this is true also of rotational degrees of freedom.在某些限定条件下，这一说法对转动自由度也成立。

23 kinetic   

adj.运动的；动力学的

参考例句：

• There exist many sources of energy both potential and kinetic.存在着许多势能和动能的能源。
• The kinetic theory of gases is the best known example.气体动力学理论就是最有名的例子。

24 concise   

adj.简洁的，简明的

参考例句：

• The explanation in this dictionary is concise and to the point.这部词典里的释义简明扼要。
• I gave a concise answer about this.我对于此事给了一个简要的答复。

25 caters   

提供饮食及服务( cater的第三人称单数 )； 满足需要，适合

参考例句：

• That shop caters exclusively to the weaker sex. 那家商店专供妇女需要的商品。
• The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. 这家精品店为特定的顾客群服务。

26 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。