“AHA” Moment

My biggest “Aha” moment was when I realized that what ever lesson I decided to write would have to revolve around communication.  There is constant communication at Biogen. You can “ping” some one on the computer and have a chat with them electronically or email them. The computers are hooked up to the telephone system so you can talk on the “phone” to someone in another department. You can have a “hallway conversation” with someone on another floor or in another state simply by standing in front of a monitor under a big bubble.  Of course, you can always “pop” by their cubicle and have a face to face discussion with them. Most of the conversations started with questions like, “Have you seen the results of …… tests?” or “What should we do about …..?” or “Have you seen the PFD (process flow diagram) for ….?” or “When will we be ready to start the……?” As I was listening to them talk, I realized they were asking the same type of questions that teachers ask everyday. Every time I meet with a group of teachers at my school the questions start out the same way, “Have you seen the results of …… tests?” or “What should we do about …….?” or “When will we be ready to start the …..?” It’s all about asking questions and comparing notes. The only difference is the subject matter. Biogen scientists ask about their products and teachers ask about our students. Communication among the scientists is vital to the success of Biogen  just like communication among teachers and parents is vital to the success of our students. There is always a way to communicate with someone about anything! Once I made this connection, it was easy to figure out how to go about planning my lesson. I just used one of the methods that Biogen uses (a Process Flow Diagram) and scaled it for elementary students. Same format just different materials and equipment to use in the “lab” activities.