Check out my new DNA sequencing demo. Read through the instructions, and then just play. Let the learning flow into you.
(And if the applet doesn’t appear in twenty seconds or so, try reloading the page. If that doesn’t work, make sure you’re using an up-to-date browser.)
This Sunday’s NYT Magazine had a fascinating article on the use of play to teach young children emotional-control skills. I noted this:
In one experiment, 4-year-old children were first asked to stand still for as long as they could. They typically did not make it past a minute. But when the kids played a make-believe game in which they were guards at a factory, they were able to stand at attention for more than four minutes. In another experiment, prekindergarten-age children were asked to memorize a list of unrelated words. Then they played “grocery store” and were asked to memorize a similar list of words — this time, though, as a shopping list. In the play situation, on average, the children were able to remember twice as many words.
All I’ll say is this: sometimes playing something is the same thing as doing that thing. Playing factory-guard is a lot like standing guard. Playing memorize-the-list is a lot like memorizing a list. And thinking like a scientist is a lot like being a scientist.
