So this past week, we delved a little into project two, and listened to a guest speaker, John Comazzi.
John's seminar was really interesting to listen to. I liked a lot of what he was saying with regards to education. I know education reform is something a lot of people are concerned about in our country, especially with the attempted reform, Common Core, turning out to be a failure full of confusion and headaches. I found myself particularly interested when he was talking about the cantilevers made from the decks of cards. I kept trying to think about how I would try to a cantilever, and I was thoroughly impressed by some of the designs that were pictured. Some of them were so complex, and from an engineering perspective, I loved it! I also liked the exercise at the end, for a couple reasons. One, I know my group was in the top three or four for the tallest structure, even if it wasn't the most stable, and two, I enjoyed a few of those dots :P I like learning by doing, and I agree that that kind of learning should be incorporated more in our education. I still think the traditional style of learning is important, too. I think the best thing to do would be to combine both styles of learning; start off with some of the traditional classes, to develop a clear foundation, and then use what you've learned to apply it to some real-world situations, where you learn even more. That is what I think would be the best way of teaching.
