I recently was trying to work out ways I could help my Year 12 students to remember their rather complex diagrams in the lead up to their IB final exams. After thinking about it for awhile I realised that they had the basics of the diagram it was just a matter of remembering the particulars. So I decided to make playdoh. The beautiful Kindy Teachers at school helped with the recipe:
2 cups plain flour
4 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup of fine salt
1/4 tsp powder paint
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups boiling waterMix dry ingredients.
Mix oil and water.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
Mix until dough.
Knead until soft.
What amazed me was the responses from the students. Some of them had never played with Playdoh before in their lives. The pure wonderment and awe meant that these students seemed to understand their diagrams so much better.
As with every lesson there is always someone who has to take it that one more step. The result was an Angry Birds Circular Flow Diagram… Check out the Birds take on the Pigs in an economy…