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Frequent poster 700 posts sunacres Frequent poster 700 posts
sunacres

Since my regular math classes have their hands (and minds) pretty full right now with homework and new classroom routines, I got the model railroad project back under way last week during a once-a-week elective called Applied Math. We only had an hour, and most of the students in the elective were not among those who worked on the project last year, but they were very eager to contribute nonetheless.

I offer students in the elective several options. The point of the class is to ease the stress that some kids feel around math by connecting it to topics and activities that are interesting to them and that provide some of the intrinsic rewards of satisfaction and pleasure. One activity that has been very successful in this regard is stonecutting, and about half of the kids wanted to have a go at that while I directed the rest in carrying the benchwork sections down from the attic.  I used a heavy hammer and wedge to break small fist-sized chunks of alabaster from a larger stone and gave each student a riffler file to experiment with grinding and shaping.

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Over the next few sessions I’ll introduce finer and finer abrasives – sandpapers, emery cloth, and ultimately polishing compounds – so they can explore the effects of silky smooth and glassy polished surfaces and discover the fantastic colors and patterns within the translucent crystalline stone. Here are some pictures from last year’s elective:

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What’s the math connection? Subtraction. Every operation they perform on a single stone is subtraction – they can only take material away.   

While I was helping the students get started with the stones, the other half of the class began to assemble the benchwork sections. Since this group wasn’t familiar with how they were designed to go together, some unexpected arrangements resulted. The irregular nature of the cheap lumber also contributed to this unusual misunderstanding of the intended alignment:

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I am so grateful for the opportunity to share this work with the MRH community and receive support and advice, particularly in this instance to Ken K (and M. C. Fujiwara) and Prof Klyzlr for their perspectives on section joints. As the photo above suggests, the context of student workmanship and inexperience adds an interesting layer of challenge to the task of developing appropriate designs for key features. I’m excited about diving back in!

Jeff Allen

Jeff Allen

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Prof_Klyzlr Moderator 7,956 posts
Prof_Klyzlr

Now that's some L-girder

Dear Jeff,

I love that L-girder array!

Seriously, suspect it highlights the need for design documentation and a "bible" for passing on down from year-to-year to "the next MS Shortline crew"...

...now that I think about it, isn't that one of the reasons the NMRA AP "encourages" modellers going for their Electrical, Golden Spike, and Civil certificates to document the wiring, trackplan, and structural details of their layouts???
(It's judged like it's something important in and of itself,
but it's actually "creating good project management/documentation habits by stealth", 
kinda like how "wax on, wax off" was actually instinct-reaction training for self-defence moves).

I can't see any track laid on the sections in question,
(One would think that massive track mis-alignment would have given the game away ),

but did the re-located girders cause any issues with the existing leg/support systems?
(IE quickly obvious that girder spacing and leg assembly width didn't match?)

Win/loose/draw, Jeff, you are teaching kids which is something I could never do on my best day,
and obviously engaging with them in a way that is demonstratably getting results....

...and that needs encouragement any/every/all-the-time...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

 

 
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Jackh Prolific poster 2,043 posts
Jackh

Variation on Rubix Cube

Not sure I spelled that right. I find it interesting that they did figure out how to get it together to some degree. Like the Rubix Cube, you keep trying until you get it right or find someone to demonstrate.

Jack
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sunacres Frequent poster 700 posts
sunacres

Oooh, oooh, I'm havin' a brainstorm...

Yet another pearl of wisdom - documentation! Great suggestion Prof! Many times it isn't practical for every student in the room to be doing the same task and I try to keep a list of appropriate alternate tasks in mind. There are so many ways in which students could make a contribution (and develop useful skills) by drawing diagrams, writing instructions, or just adding a story to a journal about an interesting interaction among the group that day (kind of like the club notes from Rob in Texas). Future participants would certainly enjoy the legacy. 

That L-girder was trouble from the start. You can see in the photo that it has a kink in the web at a knot about a foot from the end, causing a deflection from the vertical face of the flange when it was glued and screwed. When "properly" installed the mending plate was probably under some stress to keep it aligned, so the choice the kids had to make was probably a toss-up. Jack is exactly right, it looks funny to us because we're familiar with the intended design, but the kids have no frame of reference. It's one of the truly great rewards of my job - the opportunity to be reminded of what it's like to see things with fresh eyes. 

No track has been installed yet, so there's plenty of latitude for adjustments now. The elective meets again today, and the task at hand is to loosen all the bolts, get out a level and string line and adjust heights and alignments until some sort of workable compromise is achieved, then tighten it up and fasten it to the wall. 

And have the kids write about it!

Jeff

Jeff Allen

My MRH Blog Index
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