Sit. Rep. #83: Learning & Listening

1- I have talked about the news before.  I want to remind everyone to listen (or read, or watch) the news with a professional and scientific demeanor.  Scientists are under the microscope to prove everything that they do is repeatable.  That the discoveries and inventions are grounded in truth and fact.  News reporters are not under such scrutiny.

   I will give an example:  I read in the business section that a particular company is considering laying off 45 % of it’s employees.  The news headline from the reporter read the entire industry is going to lay off 45 % of the employees. 

   See how a reader might make bad decisions based on a large stretch of the truth.  When you come across such large claims, be very skeptical. Take the time to dig deeper.  Become the scientist that discovers the truth behind the headlines.

2-  The word Navigation comes from Latin.  Navis means ship.  Agere means to steer or drive.  Which together gives us navigationem.  So put them together and we have the combined meaning of To sail, To Steer a ship, To sail over, or To go by sea.  I bring this up because we now use the word navigation in 4 different contexts.  They are Marine navigation, Land Navigation, Aeronautical Navigation, and Space Flight Navigation.

   Look out for words and terms: Land Nav., Map & Compass, Celestial Navigation, Finding Your Way, GPS / Global Positioning System, Triangulation, Radar Navigation, Radio Navigation (there are lots of different ones of these such as LORAN),  and Orienteering.

E- A guy was flying around in a hot air balloon and got lost.  He spotted a farmer down below and shouts, “Hey do you know where I am?”
F- The farmer yells back, “Hey, you can’t fool me!  You are in the basket.”

3- Research shows that it takes a person 7 iterations or touches to learn something new.  Scouts use the EDGE Method.  Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable.  There is no conflict between the two.

   There are 3 basic different learning styles:  Reading or watching, Listening, and Kinesthetic.  Everyone has some of all three.  But we all have a stronger preference.  I believe the older we get and we are exposed to many different teaching styles then we become more adept at all three styles.  But Scout-age folks are not as adept at learning.

3B- When we are teaching a subject we need to incorporate all 3 styles into our presentation and class.  Let us combine all the above.  When we lecture and explain we are hitting the listening Style.  When we demonstrate we are hitting the watching style.  When we guide we are hitting the kinesthetic Style.  When we then watch we enable.

3C- Every student will proceed at their own pace.  As an instructor, I have to be able to see who is catching on very fast and who needs more help or time.  If I may use a baseball analogy:  It is my job to see that every student catches the ball.  I need to be able to throw so that the catching is accomplished.

4- Only 2 more questions on Ham Radio Propagation:
Which of the following is a likely cause of irregular fading of signals received by ionospheric reflection?
     Random combining of signals arrive via different paths

Which of the following results from the fact that skip signals refracted from the ionosphere are elliptically polarized?
      Either Vertically or horizontally polarized antennas may be used for transmission or reception

G- What do you say to a guy who lost his guitar?
H- Don’t fret over it.

Navigating life,
Gaither

Scout Cheers:   by Thomas Mercaldo

Dan Romanchik KB6NU, (Ham Radio)  Technician Study Guide

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.