The key term for 
the connection with my time in IR would be COMMUNICATION! I was so surprised at the level of communication necessary for manufacturing operations to run smoothly. Not only oral communicaiton but written as well. For example if the Tinman needs oil each day and doesn’t communicate that in writing to the scarecrow, then when the Tinman misses his oil and becomes rusted… then WHAT? He can’t tell the scarecrow what he needs… it’s too late. Also, the Scarecrow is greatly affected by heat and fire… what happens if that is not written down in a manner that is clear. Someone might invite Scarecrow to a bondfire or Luau and BOY OH BOY would he be in Kansas without a hotair balloon!!!
Effective communication is a deficiency in Middle School children! (And lots of adults too!) So I pondered, how can I use this as a key concept in my unit????? Then epiphany (hot air ballon from the sky)… I remembered part of the activity that one of the Castle of Glinda the Good ( AKA :NCCAT) presenters did… while trying as a team to create the highest tower with pipecleaners, we were forced to not communicate. After a little more pondering and clicking of the slippers… what if each team of students was a part of a global manufacturing company trying to create a “product” (ie. lego shape, origami item, etc) and they had lost the ability to communicate by anything but “TEXT” (not to be confused with “texting”)… they each would have a set of instructions for part of the building process, but only ONE part… they would have all the materials for the completed item…they could be forced to interact using a backchannel and that would hit home the concept of why writing skills and effective communication are so important!
What a powerful lesson from the Tinman and the Scarecrow!!!
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Funny you should mention communication and documentation. I am going to try to get the same concept across to my students. I am at Biogen Idec in the Quaility Control department. In the biotech industry the golden ruel is, “If it isn’t written, it never happened.” What comes to mind is the classic peanut butter and jelly demonstration. Set out a jar of jelly, peanutbutter (watch for allergies), a knife, and loaf of bread. Have students write down instructions for you regarding how to make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Pick one or two procedures to follow and don’t read between the lines, do exactly as they say. It is a great little demonstration that gets them thinking about communication. Check out this link: http://www.centexeweek.org/activities/peanut-butter-and-jelly
This is so true! When my students write their lab reports I ask them to write a procedure that can be repeated only using their papers. It brings back memories from middle school English class. We were given an assignment to write a paper explaining how to do something. It was one of the hardest assignments I have ever done! When I read my first draft, the teacher stopped me about 7 words in with a question. I had already forgotten a detail! I know my brain sometimes (OK, often) works faster than my mouth and I also leave out details. Our classrooms need to be this place where open communication is practiced so that we can all get better at it!
On a personal note, I’m glad you got into the site now and the geocaching is going very well!
That is such a powerful lesson. We appreciate your insight.
Amneris