Making a Clock Without Batteries
Can you imagine that you can make a clock without batteries? Yes, No batteries? If you join in teacher Tom’s class, you』ll have the chance to be a scientist as you discover how to power this digital clock using potatoes.
你可以想像製作一個沒有電池的時鐘嗎？是的，沒有電池。如果你加入Tom老師的課堂，你就會有這個當小小科學家的機會來探索如何用土豆給時鐘供電。
At the beginning of the class, teacher Tom asked everyone 「What is energy?」 It is difficult indeed for grade three students to answer this question. But Tom taught this word by playing a game. He asked a student to come to the front and had a competition with him. They tried to push each other hard in order to win. While they were pushing each other, Tom asked the other students 「Who has energy? Who has more energy?」 Students got the meaning of 「energy」 immediately.
After that, Tom raised another question 「What uses energy?」 Students gave some examples，such as lights, TV and the glittering Christmas tree outside. 「These things all use electricity. Can you tell me any other energy?」 Tom inspired. He let students think for a while, and showed some pictures on the screen. The first one is solar energy and the second one is wind energy. In order to let student experience the wind energy, Tom even brought a hair drier to blow a girls』 hair. This kind of small-scale experiment happens frequently in Tom’s class and it not only brings happiness to students, but gives them the chance to learn by doing.
課堂一開始，Tom老師問大家「什麼是能量？」對於小學生來說，這確實是一個較難回答的問題。但是Tom老師用了一個遊戲來教這個單詞。他請一個學生來和他比賽力量對抗，他們掌心相對，相互用力推對方。當他們玩這個遊戲的時候，Tom問同學們「誰有能量？誰的能量更大？」孩子們馬上便知道「energy」的意思了。然後，Tom提出了另一個問題「什麼會用能量？」學生給出了很多例子，如點燈，電視和外面一閃一閃的聖誕樹。「這些東西都是用電的。你能告訴其他的能量嗎？」Tom啟發大家。他給了學生一點時間思考，然後展示了幾幅圖片。第一幅圖是太陽能，第二幅圖是風能。為了讓學生能夠體驗風能，Tom甚至把吹風機也帶來吹一個女同學的頭髮。這種小範圍的實驗經常出現在Tom老師的課堂上。不僅給學生帶來歡樂，還讓他們在做中學。
The most exciting part of this class is making the potato clock. After Tom claimed that 「We’re going to make our own energy」, every group got their materials for the experiment, including a digital clock with wires, some connecting wires, metal strips and two potatoes. First, students need to connect the metal strips with wires. Second, connect the black wire from the clock to the metal strips. Finally, insert the metals into the potatoes. The clock should now start to work. One group did an excellent job, for their clock started to work right after their inserted the strips into the potatoes. Tom used a very funny way to explain how it works. 「The metals don’t like water. When they are in potatoes, they get angry. So the energy of angry goes into the clock.」
這堂課最令人興奮的部分就是製作土豆時鐘。當Tom宣布我們要DIY自己的能量後，每個小組拿到了他們的實驗材料，包括一個數字時鐘，一些導線，一些金屬條和兩個土豆。首先，學生需要連接金屬條和導線。然後，他們要把時鐘上的黑色導線和金屬條連接起來。最後，將金屬條插入土豆。時鐘這時就應該可以開始工作了。其中一個小組非常出色，他們一插入金屬條，時鐘馬上就開始工作了。Tom用一個非常有趣的方式來解釋它的工作原理。「金屬條不喜歡水。當他們在土豆裡面的時候，他們非常生氣。所以生氣的能量就進入到了時鐘裡。」
If I tell you, you will forget; if I teach you, you will remember; if I involve you, you will understand. The more we involve students into our class, the more they can absorb. This is what the Maple Leaf School always pursues.
如果我告訴你，你會忘記；如果我教你，屆時你記住；如果我讓你參與，你就會明白。學生參與得越多，他們吸收的也就越多。這也是楓葉學校所一直追尋的。