A quick review of "The Geometry of Learning and the Architecture of Knowledge"

Attention: If this is your first visit to SWWRocBot Click to INTRODUCTION on list to your right and proceed down the Contents.

The Geodesic Mind is

The Geodesic/HyperArchical Geometry of
Learning and Architecture of Knowledge
Condensed from "The Geometry of Learning and the
Architecture of Knowledge", Nick Clark, 2001

Knowledge domains are hierarchically organized information one has adopted that create learning or living strategies. These are formally called Heterachies. In this theory they are called strategy strands, that are made up of these knowledge domains. Heterachies are comprised of hierarchically organized knowledge (different from hierarchically organized information). While having a common core or point of origination, i.e. a school, these heterarchies neither necessarily nor meaningfully relate to one another unless one creates a learning environment that demands a sort of cross-pollination, such as is found using the TW3K Learning Technology.

When a heterarchy reaches it's limit it is clear how nearly impossible it is for one strategy strand to connect with another, even though the contents of one strategy strand, the collected hierarchical knowledge that a heterarchy represents, might be useful in or with another. However, this not need be the case. Rather a magical process can kick in called Self-assembly. [This definition has greatly expanded since the term was first used and linked in the original online paper, 2001] This results in the immediate construction of a HyperArchy.

This same Self Assembly process continues with in the HyperArchy and works in a way reminiscent of wormholes (from the Cosmology of Space, Time and Learning, 2001.)

However, this HyperArchy is not the only one we have. We are always constructing these geodesic spheres of knowledge.

Like all good dynamic processes and systems, the same magical linking occurs among HyperArchies ...

However, this synergy among HyperArchies does not stop. In fact, the hypothesis of this theory of learning, the Geometry of Learning, posits that the Nth iteration of this process (death or the inability to learn and retain information) there is a huge, almost infinitly interconnected HyperArchy and the Architecture is the

Soccer Ball of Knowledge

Conclusion

School Without Walls' robotics class is being designed to enhance the opportunities to create these structures and enhance what R. Buckminster Fuller dubbed 'synergy'.

"SWWRocBot" will be an independent class with 12 to 15 students (more can be added). Using the TW3K learning environment, a variety of traditional subjects, even those being taken by students in the course of their studies, will have modules designed and matched with "corporate departments" as a way to optimize the opportunities for geodesic learning and bring new meanings to their experience.

PS This entire learning theory owes its construction to R. Buckminster Fuller.

Watch as "Bucky" reveals to you all he knows - in just 41 minutes!
Nick Clark

Material Copyright 1998 - 2009

Sometimes I think we're alone.
Sometimes I think we're not.
In either case, the thought is staggering.
R. Buckminster Fuller

Part 6 - Instructional Design & Funding

Instructional Design & Program Funding

Some Initial Elements

SWW Robotics Program

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Nick Clark

The worlds of gaming and business offer some templates and protocols that we might look at as integrated parts of the Instructional Design of our robotics program. Just how we implement them is a challenge but let me illustrate just one way by which we could proceed.

1. This will be a goal and planning-driven course. It will have rewards for the completion of those goals and objectives, not just for students but for teachers mentors. parents, etc.

2. The structure will provide the means for measurement for both the students and the program.

3. The structure will not only support student advancement but also encourage students’ exceptional achievement.

4. The program will employ metaphors that replicate or illustrate the real world.

Example: SWWRocBot, Robots, Inc./Extreme 'Bots, Inc. (These are not given names, just examples of what the name might be.) or

Where’s the money?

The course is designed as a small business, SWWRocBot.

SWWRocBot has a variety of departments, from product design to public relations.

Each student who signs up for the program receives $1000 in faux money. This is theirs to “invest” in the company. This also represents their base line for success/passing the course.

The money each member has is to be “invested”/divided up among the variety of program projects, program expectations, departments within SWWRocBot. Each of these is essential to both the success of the “business”/program and of the investor/worker/student. These are the “accounts” the student must deal with over the course of the year.

The foundation of each department or account will be a fundamental course of study and include math, science, engineering, communications technologies, Web design, film-making (video), photography, digital arts, accounting, history and social studies. (See Proposal Part 3 - Curriculum)

The various corporate departments/accounts will have projects related to them. This will facilitate a multi-program multi-disciplinary approach, the cross-pollination of what might be called the “mechanical arts” and “liberal arts”.

The successful completion of each project renders students with a number of faux dollars that they can then “bank”. The concept of “banking” is important since it is this aspect of our corporate metaphor that will make the program more effective. The more dollars put into their accounts means money they can add to their initial capital: the thousand dollars in faux money.

If students simply complete the basic projects, the goals and objectives, they will “maintain” their account and, at the conclusion of the course, he or she will receive a “completed basic work and met basic expectations”. Their investment will have neither increased nor decreased.

However, let me suggest this scenario:

The Web Design account or department is responsible for designing, launching and maintaining a Web site. The account group decides to take the easy route: they use existing templates; they decide to use a static approach to the design; the decide against any user/site interactivity. The group fulfills the basic requirements which, all things being equal, renders the group members the minimum amount of money.

But, let's say the Web Design department, decides to take a different approach. Showing initiative, they recruit the help of the Graphic Arts account to assist them in designing a unique graphical user interface. Then, since they have also decided to make the site dynamic, data-base driven and to encourage interactivity between the user and the site, they recruit the Computer Programming account to help them design and code a the site's digital structure.

There a several payoffs for approaching their departmental goals in this way. First, it should be noted that the Web Design department will take some of their cash and pay it out to the Graphic Arts and Computer Programming departments, thus paying for their services. These two departments gain money for the work they do and their banked capital increases. The Website Design department also wins since it has gone waaaay beyond the basic requirements and for each additional component they add to the Web site, they get additional money. This not only makes up for the "money they spent" paying for the work done by the other two departments, they "profit" since the money awarded them is more than the money they paid out."

Just as in real life, however, there are always risks, decisions rewards or consequences. For example, if a student misses a day of school, for whatever reason, the student gives up some of his or her basic account. This means that the student must have extra money banked or earn additional money (extra work, project, etc.) so he or she can put “money” back into that basic account to get the basic award of “completed basic work and basic expectations”.

Communication and 21st century technologies are critical for any kid to learn and to succeed in life. So, a “money” earner must follow the corporation's communications expectations between and among students, staff, mentors, supporters, etc. Each time, for instance, a meeting notice is sent out, the student will earn a certain amount of “money” for responding to the notice, putting it on his or her calendar and actually attending the meeting. Failure to respond, put it on his or her calendar or attend the meeting will cost the student money from his or her basic account.

There are other ways of earning money or points. Those will be developed during the Instruction/Program Design project. This actually may be one of the money-earning projects taken on by the students and their teachers/mentors. This would increase student ownership of the class.

What might be interesting is to extend this metaphor to teachers and mentors!

Now, what’s the payoff for meeting and exceeding the program requirements – aside from learning how to think critically and creatively, learning new skills, gaining life experience? A lot.

For instance, those who have worked hard and leveraged their learnings/earnings would be eligible for “prizes”.

The winners or highest scoring members of the “mechanical arts” side of the student population would have the choice of three real and exciting prizes. Examples might include a week at NASA Space Camp, a thousand dollar scholarship or an internship at a major robotics lab. For those on the “liberal arts” side, the three highest scoring kids might have their choice of a week at Florida's SAIL, the world’s leading digital and graphic arts and animation school, a thousand dollar scholarship or maybe an internship with Ken Burns.

Oh, did I mention that teachers and mentors might work in with the same metaphor? In this case, the three highest scoring teachers/mentors would have their choice of really cool and important “prizes”. Or they could “donate” their points to students or corporate account groups of their choice.

Finally, the question of how to keep the program running from year to year and maintaining student involvement from semester to semester and year to year. As in real life and real business, promotions are in order for work done well. A mechanism of “job promotion” can be designed to enable kids to stay involved and maintain the program semester to semester and year to year.

This instructional design would encourage cooperative competition and collaboration among students and the establishment of reasonable evaluation protocols for both the program and students.

Funding
Funding for the design, development, implementation and evaluation of this program will come from public, private and individual sources. "In-kind" support will come from primarily private sector resources.

If you or anyone you know might be interested in becoming a contributing source or want to know more about this aspect of the project, contact Dan Drmacich, principal, School Without Walls, 585-546-6732 in Rochester, New York. You can also Email your questions to SWWRocBot

Nick Clark

Robotics Coach, School Without Walls

SWWRocBot@Gmail.Com

Timewarp3K@Gmail.Com

Search others for their virtue, and yourself for your vices.
R. Buckminster Fuller

Proposal Part 5 -Challenges+Solutions=Results

CSR Rationale for the '09 - '10 Robotics Proposal

A formal class or an After-School Class

Nick Clark

Monday, May 18, 2009

The rationale for a new robotics program at SWW takes a Challenge/Solution/Results (CSR) approach to the design and development of an After-School class. It represents a holistic learning environment. Thus, it lists some of the major Challenges observed over the last few years that act as obstacles to learning; it suggests Solutions to those challenges; it defines the Results that are anticipated. While not exhaustive, the four challenges focused on in this proposal are ones that generally impede healthy growth and development of many kids.

Challenge A: Inconsistent and haphazard long-term attendance.

Solution: Design and develop the robotics program as a formal class or an Extended Class that lasts the entire school year. This class would carry grades with the expectation of completion of a series of projects/products in an inter-related curriculum that integrates math, science, and engineering with technology, media and communications.

Results:

1. Regular attendance
2. The opportunity to build a team with a "cause"
3. The opportunity to introduce all team members to the variety of skills and professions that FIRST includes in its approach
4. The opportunity to provide an over-arching context that connects their learning experiences and lays the foundation for added and diversified learnings.
5. The opportunity for the participants to gain a consistent and reliable set of learning experiences and environments that yields projects and products for which they earn credit.
6. The opportunity for each student to take learnings they gain from math, science, engineering, technology, media, communications and other liberal arts into an integrated body knowledge and a useful array of skills sets.

Challenge B: Lack of awareness/appeciation for the variety of tasks and timings a team requires to be successful.

Solution: Engage in a concentrated and integrated learning program that focuses on teaching a planning process based on Smart Goals.

Results: Students will learn how to create action structures that promote

1. Creativity
2. Critical Thinking
3. Predictive SkillS
4. Realistic Goal Setting
5. Detailed Project/Product Assessment and Evaluation
6. Time Management
7. Resource Identification and Management

Challenge C: A lack of sustained, long-term group/team-based collegial and cooperative experiences.

Solution: Design, development and implementation of a cohesive multifaceted curriculum that actively involves faculty and administration with students, parents and mentors from supporting organizations and businesses to promote active, interactive and dynamic learning.

Results:

1. Faculty, administration and mentors will form lasting and powerful bonds with students
2. Resources will become evident as the class progresses
3. Students will learn how to identify their needs
4. Students will learn how distinguish between personal and team/project needs and between needs and wants.
5. Students will learn how to solicit appropriate assistance and support

Challenge D: The often undefined and untested need for personal and ethical responsibility and accountability to both themselves and others.

Solution: A practical and "real-life" setting where the consequences of personal and group decisions, including the decision to not make a decision, are allowed to have their impact on themselves and others; a ritualized setting that encourages and supports the honest and open support for acknowledging errors, discovering constructive solutions as well as making appropriate decisions and successfully completing tasks.

Results:

1. The growth and refinement of a set of personal ethical "rules"
2. The ability to assess and evaluate various propositions in light of these personal ethical rules
3. The development of a sense of responsibility that the student can apply to both him/herself and as a member of a group
4. The learning what it means to be accountable as it (accountability) applies to others both as a member of a group and as the group is accountable to others.

Don't fight forces, use them.

R. Buckminster Fuller

Proposal Part 4 - FIRST Efforts

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) represents a dynamic and powerful learning environment for all who become engaged in the program, from students to school faculty to industry and business mentors.

It provides the culture for individuals to grow both cognitively and emotionally. FIRST is an ideal template upon which to build a truly liberal arts program that is inclusive of science, math, engineering, computer science, communications, English, social and global studies and the creative arts such as multi-media design and production, graphic arts, Web service design and development.

Using FIRST SWWRocBot will make the maximum use of the real-life, real-time metaphor FIRST offers its students and other participants (including parents).

SWWRocBot students will be drawn from those with the traditional interests in math, science, engineering and technology. What perhaps makes this proposal just a bit different is that the program will be marketed to students who are not particularly interested in those subjects by providing a wider variety of “hooks” to engage their interest.

Using this dual approach, all participating students will have a unique advantage over a single themed robotics program. Students who would never imagine they would have a need for or even an interest in communications, language arts, graphic design, advertising or fundraising will have that opportunity. Those who are naturally inclined toward the “artsy” side of things will have the opportunity to be introduced in a meaningful way to science, math, engineering and technology.

Undergirding SWWRocBot’s robotics program is the foundational belief that to be a fully functioning person in the 21st century requires a knowledge of and an appreciation for empathy among people and organizations, cooperation and collaboration vs. a single-minded dedication to win-at-all-costs competition. In other words, grace and civility.

It provides the culture for individuals to grow both cognitively and emotionally. FIRST is an ideal template upon which to build a truly liberal arts program that is inclusive of science, math, engineering, computer science, communications, social and global studies and the creative arts such as multi-media design and production, graphic arts, Web service design and development.

Using FIRST, as illustrated above, SWW will make the maximum use of the real-life, real-time metaphor FIRST offers its students and other participants (including parents).

SWW students will be drawn from those with the traditional interests in math, science, engineering and technology, what we are calling "Mechanical Arts". What perhaps makes this proposal just a bit different is that the program will be marketed to students who are not particularly interested in those subjects by providing a wider variety of “hooks” to engage their interest.

Using this dual approach, all participating students will have a unique advantage over a single themed program. Students who would never imagine they would have a need for or even an interest in what we are calling the "Liberal Arts",communications, language arts, graphic design, advertising or fundraising will have that opportunity. Those who are naturally inclined toward the “Liberal Arts will have the opportunity to be introduced in a meaningful way to the Mechanical Arts: science, math, engineering and technology.

Undergirding SWW’s robotics program is a foundational belief that to be a fully functioning person in the 21st century requires a knowledge of and an appreciation for empathy among people and organizations, cooperation and collaboration vs a single-minded dedication to win-at-all-costs competition. This, we believe, will result in the diminution the "attitude of failure" and the growth of grace and civility.

School Without Walls

School Without Walls is supportive of the robotics program as described above. This includes the principal, Dan Drmacich, the computer/digital media faculty, Ken Steffen, the math, science and technology faculty, Negussie G. Tsadkan and the Information Science and Learning Technologies specialist and "team champion", Nick Clark. These people make up the initial instructional design team. Other faculty and mentors will be added as each module is laid out.

If you are the master be sometimes blind, if you are the servant be sometimes deaf.

R. Buckminster Fuller

Proposal Part 3 - Curriculum

SWWRocBot (SWW Robotics Program)

Proposed Curriculum

SWW robotics program will be a 2 semester credit bearing course. It will be modular in design. The trajectory of the course will include, but not be limited to, modules that focus on:

• Applied science
• Applied math
• Applied design
• Applied engineering
• Applied computer science and programming
• Applied communications and technology
• Design, production & distribution of audio and video media
• Graphic arts
• Web site & service design and implementation
• Civic responsibility (community service, mentoring others)
• Personal and project planning
• Time management
• Personal and program fundraising and accounting
• Spoken and written English
• The art of persuasive communications (public relations)
• What is honest advertising and how is it designed

Each module will be supervised/mentored by one or more from the following:

• SWW faculty members
• Professionals recruited from the local business community
• Professionals from supporting organizations, i.e. Bausch & Lomb, Cross Brothers Engineering, CooperVision and others to be recruited
• Faculty from local educational institutions
• Community volunteers
• Mentors

I look for what needs to be done. After all, that's how the universe designs itself.

R. Buckminster Fuller

Proposal Part 2 - Vision Statement

VISION STATEMENT

School Without Walls will design, develop, implement, assess and evaluate a multi-dimensional, interactive learning environment based on the FIRST Robotics Program. It will recruit, expose, and enhance its students with an appreciation for a world of possibilities that, for many, is restricted by their urban environment.

Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them.
R. Buckminster Fuller

Proposal Part 1 - Mission Statement

School Without Walls proposes a multi-year instructional design, development and evaluation program that fully integrates the wide array of learning and subject components within the TW3K learning environment.

MISSION STATEMENT

The School Without Walls robotics program has, as its mission, the following goals:

1. The design of a comprehensive, interactive learning environment that harnesses the energy and innate desire to learn on the part of students and engages them with novel and experiential activities that result in real-life knowledge and skills; that has, at each step, evaluations of both student performance and the program itself.
2. The provision for students and mentors of a group structure, i.e. team, class, work group, that creates and sustains an ethical culture of responsibility and accountability.
3. The design of an environment that promotes planning and time management as life-long means of organizing and pursuing activities that are success oriented.
4. The development of a program that teaches students (and mentors) to realize steps needed to succeed in most endeavors of his/her life, i.e. scholastic improvement, preparation for higher education, career development.
5. The purposeful design of a program that focuses on the acquisition of critical thinking skills.
6. The provision of an environment where scholastic achievement is deemed important to personal success and for which student involvement yields academic credits.
7. The provision of a learning environment that promotes cross-pollination of learning as in exposing those who are interested in math science, engineering and technology with meaningful learning experiences with language, multi-media and communications. By the same token, a learning environment that exposes those who are already interested in language, multi-media and communications with meaningful experiences in math, science, engineering and technology.
8. The design and implementation of a program that recognizes the importance of “community”, social responsibility and service to the community.
9. The provision of a program that ensures team members learn how to become mentors themselves, such as supporting each other, the FLL Robotics Team at the School Without Walls Foundation Academy and other youth organizations.
10. The implementation of a program team that will learn how support and sustain itself from year to year.

Either war is obsolete, or men are.
R. Buckminster Fuller

Introduction

SWWRocBot

A Unique Learning Environment

SWWRocBot is a site laying out the Challenges, Solutions and Results that are the foundations of a unique learning environment. At this time it is a proposal for the Rochester (NY) City School District. It's focus is on normal, everyday urban kids with the aim of increasing their rate of matriculation from grade to grade and graduation with honors.

This learning environment is based on the work of Nick Clark, author of "The Geometry of Learning and the Architecture of Knowledge". It will be a multi-disciplinary, interactive and immersive experience (See animation above) with positive outcomes for the following stake holders:

1. Students
2. Parents
3. Teachers
4. Administrators
5. Mentors
6. The School (School Without Walls)
7. The City School System
8. Community Business Partners
9. Community Organization Partners
10. Individuals whose talents are required for the success of the program

SWWRocBot will use the organizing structure, a small business, that R. Buckminster Fuller adopted for nearly all the classes he taught. SWWRocBot will annually design, develop, program, build, raise funds for and promote a new functioning 'ShowBot'. SWWRocBot will take the robot to schools, malls and other venues demonstrating the wide variety of skills that these students are learning in this comprehensive environment.

You are invited to explore the proposal. You are encouraged to comment on and/or critique any/or all portions of the proposal, offer ideas, join the School Without Walls SWWRocBot team and be a collaborator building this learning environment.

Nick Clark

Information Science & Learning Technologies

Robotics Coach

School Without Walls

SWWRocBot@Gmail.Com