Ask Adam Savage: When to Intervene and When to Let Mistakes Happen
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- Опубліковано 18 тра 2024
- Tested member John England asks, "I often find it hard to balance when to knowingly allow someone to learn from their mistakes rather than provide a possible answer. Aside from 'will they shoot their eye out,' have you discovered any tricks to weighing the benefit of when and when not to step in?" Here's Adam's answer! Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam a question:
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#AdamSavage - Наука та технологія
"It is best to get negative reinforcement from the world and positive reinforcement from the people you love." That is some serious wisdom.
And what to do when you are the teacher? Negative reinforcement from teacher can be devastating even if it's meant for reinforcement. I'm not asking from you, I'm just trying to figure that one out myself. I try to be supportive, but if the student is strong enough you should be a bit "I'll show what I can do" -kind of way...
Y'all need to google the difference between negative reinforcement and positive punishment
@@CommieBastard-dj9ot @CommieBastard1312 After studying 800 hours in university about the subject I say "I actually can not tell you what to do unless I know what we are exactly talking about" and you just say "just Google it". Yes, we are in an equal level in this discussion....
@@paulivalo5979 I'm pointing out that it seems that when y'all say negative reinforcement y'all really mean positive punishment. I said google it because it should have been easier than me trying to spell it out. Since you're having trouble deducing the fact that my comment is in reference to nothing more than your use of a single term, looks like my expectations were a bit high.
Negative reinforcement- removing a negative stimulus as a reward. Ex: taking off a dog's muzzle when it stops barking
Positive punishment- adding a negative stimulus as a punishment. Ex: using a shock collar every time the dog barks
@@clo7263 but is that the context here? The two quotes are "the world will give them negative reinforcement" and "a teacher using negative reinforcement can be bad" (obviously paraphrased). Which implies that the "bad thing" being removed was not *also* placed their by the world/teacher otherwise the discussion would be about positive punishment
I think "is this going to result in bodily harm?" and/or "will this result in financial ruin?" are probably the only boundaries you need to set on when to prevent a mistake, otherwise, lesson after mistake if needed
I agree. But I'd replace bodily harm with severe bodily harm.
"Until such time that they realize they're crushingly alone and the universe doesn't care about them." Love this.
and they don't matter. haha
@@Charok1 Yeah. But they do. Sorry, my husband does pastoral work at the hospital. It matters when you die.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
I think he meant in the grand scheme of the universe. Everything is moot. But yes, our lives absolutely have however meaning we ascribe to them.
@@Browncoat66 But you still matter.
Why lie to them in order to help them cope? Couldn't you teach a kid that's how the world works so they make peace with it?
If the David and Goliath story is to be believed, then David is really famous for being the first guy in history to bring a gun to a knife fight.
One of the most rewarding feelings as a parent was the day I realised my son has exceeded my knowledge and experience in a subject area I'd always been his 'go to' for.
It's really rewarding as a university teacher as well (even if not ass well rewarding as a parent of course). Somehow it's also very hard to think that someone you have taught have actually surpassed you in that subject. But after a couple of years you will succumb to that feeling, you actually learn yourself and you grow as a teacher. Or so do I hope =)
This is also rewarding as a manager of employees. I find myself showing a ton of respect for my employees that exceed my knowledge in any area.
"Allegedly" He's still Adam.
LOL...... I loved the "Allegedly" comment also.
👍
"Kids bore so easily, man."
I've always thought of the Mythbusters as a bunch of overgrown kids, and I mean that as a compliment.
Holy crap, Adam's life experiences have given him such a HUGE insight into human psychology and behavior, as well as positive developmental psychology!! You may not realize it Adam, but your insights are incredibly inspiring and positive, you are such a bright light in this dim world, keep being you
This is important. Especially for girls. I love building and creating and I found my way to an engineering career. Growing up my dad had a wood shop in the garage and when I wanted to make something he would hover over me and tell me exactly what to do and I would get so mad because I wanted to do it myself and make mistakes so that I could learn. My dad had the best intentions and he thought that he was saving me the trouble of making mistakes. The thing is, I NEEDED to make the mistakes for myself. I still will not build anything with other people around because of this. Please let your kids discover and make mistakes for themselves. Otherwise they only learn to follow directions and not think for themselves.
Why especially for girls?
I imagine probably because there are already a lot of forces at play, that try to lead women to believe that these type of things aren't feminine or something women should be interested in and having people baringdown on you while your already fighting stigmas makes people lose enthusiasm for something they could truely end up loving... but im a guy and haven't had to deal with this specifically so my perception could be off, but thats what I would figure. But it does sound really frustrating to deal with in general, and probably makes people feel incompetent when they wont let you do something for yourself.
Hit the nail on the head Clonile
@@clo7263 that's exactly it. a lot of times men hovering over your work and correcting every mistake is some sexist 'women cant do this right' garbage, so we get used to that happening. yeah, give us pointers, help us if we're doing something dangerously stupid, but overall just. let people work. it feels less like someone trying to teach you and more like someone judging every little action you take
The best quote from Adam Savage ever "As adults nobody knows what's going on" hearing this from someone as successful in life as him makes me feel alot better about myself.
I decided early in my life that children weren't for me. 40-odd years on I am entirely happy with that choice.
However, hearing others talk with such love about the joy and pride they have in their kids always touches me.
Life choices! Nothing worse than having to cope with a situation you never really wanted.
You don't know what your missing out on not having kids!
But I don't know what I'm missing out on by having kids?
Yeah, I'm 36 and feel the same as you. I do like teaching things to people of any age though. One thing I learned pretty early on is to never correct people unless they ask you specifically to do so. I always think twice before responding to someone with, "Um, actually..."
Considering the impact of human population growth on the planet and its implications for the future of all species, not creating children (especially in a society that contributes more to carbon and waste footprint like ours) is the ethical choice, and one that I made, as well.
@@emimonsterlicious Keep your edgy bullshit somewhere else. Over population is a myth spread by doomers and wannabe eugenicists, we already produce enough food to feed over 12 billion people and have more than enough space for them, and we are more than capable of doing so non-destructively. Pathetic wastrel trying to jerk themselves off about how righteous they are for not having kids.
I love these questions when Adam talks about life and his experience. It is really helpful for me to listen to someone who has wisdom like this.
I love hearing Adam talk about Thing 1 and Thing 2. So much love and passion for parenting, right there.
I will always remember my father and grandfather "teaching" me by letting me do a task, hit a roadblock then offer just enough help to allow me to get to a solution. Right or wrong I was allowed to make those choices and learn from them.
I appreciate your incredibly forthright opinion on parenting. And this story was very sweet.
My dad was one of those people who would say "I wouldn't do it that way." So what happened was that rather than just avoiding making mistakes, I avoided making anything at all when I was around him for fear of criticism.
My mother on the other hand is incredibly supportive of all of my tinkering and creating even if I think it's terrible so she gets a lot of hand made gifts lol.
As the old saying goes, "You can't pick your parents." In contrast to Adam, my parents were intolerant, demanding, cold, seldom around, and when they were, berated me for my mistakes. We never learned anything together. I received no help with school homework, even when I asked for it. So I stopped asking. What little I did learn, I was forced to learn by myself. And that has been the way it was for my entire life. No doubt others can relate.
That's true for some, for me too, but that's all the more reason we have to learn from our parents mistakes too. They were demanding, cold, seldom around, and berate any mistakes made. As a parent, you have the choice to repeat this cycle of parenting and trauma or learn from their mistakes and treat your child the way you wish you were treated. We may not be perfect, but we can be exceptional. We may make mistakes, but we can learn from them. In my opinion at least :)
From a child's point of view that sounds terrible, as an adult you can honestly say you are solely responsible for what you have learned. From reading this one comment from you, you come across as well educated,
So the question is, did your parents succeed or fail in producing the person you are today?
There's no such thing as a professional parent, we are all amateurs making it up as we go!
@@sally6457 As an adult, I now have some understanding of why my parents treated me as they did. Through my own research (and intimate knowledge of them), plus some psychology courses in college, I learned that my mother most likely suffered from depression and my father was very probably a high-functioning autistic. (Basically, the Ice Queen married the Village Idiot). As for myself, what I learned much later (by accident) came some 50 years too late to do me much good. (It's genetic.) Did my parents succeed or fail? In a word, both. One of many reasons why I chose to not pass on my genes. I did not want another child to suffer their whole life as I did. The family name ends with me. (More info than you probably wanted.) Thanks for asking.
@@thomaslevy2119 thanks for sharing,
With any luck our understanding of our own past will help us do better for our own children.
You've given me a perspective on life I didn't have yesterday, thank you.
@@sally6457 Mate, no offence. But you shouldn't tell a person from an abusive childhood that their trauma was "good for them"
Two quotes from my uncle, a senior level manager in the accounting department for $2B/year company: a mistake at least indicates that somebody is doing something, and you learn more from a mistake than you ever will when things randomly go well.
I'm a mid level accounting manager. Some people will make the same mistake over and over until you finally fire them.
This videos with Adam answering questions are just becoming my therapy at this point. I love it.
Thank you Adam for this video. As a parent and an high school educator, this video really resonated with me. My favorite bit was near the end when you said " As long as you're making stuff with your kids, you're teaching them the best kinds of lessons". So I never pass up a chance to engage with my kids with Legos, jigsaw puzzles, model kits, and even Ikea furniture and home repairs as they got older.
Doing this right now with my older son, who’s home for the summer after his freshman year. He’s using the table saw and some other tools for the first time and I’m trying to concentrate on safety and technique and not worry too much about mistakes. that last part’s not easy! We are having a great time together, though
Adam's hair looks more and more like like a mad scientist's as he ages. Awesome. And he's the best answerer ever!
Nursing instructors often have the same issue. I follow the same rule - let them find their own rhythm as long as the care is safe. Share what I know about the best known way to do something and why it seems to be the best. Sprinkle round: tips and tricks for stuff : how I eliminate airbubbles from IVs and why it works, etc.
Sometimes, they surprise me with a BETTER ONE. Helps that they prob took physics and I didn't.
Pretty sure I've said this before but im extremely envious of the "things" for growing up with Adam as a Dad.
Been watching Adam for so many years. Never really thought of him as a Dad. Not bad Adam. Good answer.
As a teacher, I will often ask 'do you want my help with this, or to keep figuring it out on your own?', or get them to find a way to 'check their own work'', where they discover the mistake themselves.
I'm a teacher in university, and I "ask" this same question multiple times in a day. First of all: I have no definite answer to you. If the same student has done the same kind of "error" before, I will intervene. If it's the first time they make this kind of "mistake", I most likely will let it go and see what happens (it there is no harm to them and we (I) have time to it). And the latter one will be interesting occasionally. Because occasionally they actually find solutions that I was not prepared for and that is the time I will learn something new from my students and I can teach to the new generation. I know that's not how it supposed to go (?), but that is the reality....
@@paulivalo5979 I LOVE when students find solutions I don't expect! Makes teaching worth it!
@@curiousfirely I have to agree 100%. (even if sometimes that solution is so obvious you should have figured it out yourself, but you know an answer and did not think about it). My students are adults, so I have relatively easier time to "submit" to their better answers. If they were pupils, I don't know how I would handle it. Perhaps it's best I'm not teaching anyone that is underaged... :P
@@paulivalo5979 I actually like making mistakes in front of my students (12 and 13 year olds.) It helps me model mistake-making to them, and that we all can be wrong.
@@curiousfirely It's difficult to be the know-it-all teacher and show how it would be okay make mistakes as well. Again, I think it's easier for me (as my students are adults), but I do think it would be much more difficult for someone who is teaching 12-13 year olds. You have (or so I think, how would I know) to be someone who knows more so you have to some kind of authority, but at a same time show them that that "To Err Is Human". I do not envy your job (as I could probably not do that), but I do appreciate it! (I hope my bad english did not make that sound like I would dis you at any way, on the contrary!).
The research here is actually pretty straightforward. Be available, and wait until they ask for your help. This promotes self regulation, exploration, openness to experience, and a better sense of agency and independence.
Wow. Adam speaks from the heart!
I did a project on medieval weapons back in the 90s. My dad and I welded up and built a catapult that fired golfballs. It was really awesome
As a driving instructor i can say that reflection is very important.
Instead of correcting, ask questions so they explain what they are about to do. Let them "learn by themselves" instead of giving the answer
Adams watch times must be super high vs other channels. its hard to imagine skipping ahead
As an engineering teacher I love the “ah-ha” moments! I tell my kids, yes all of my students are my kids, that failure is an option in the design and prototype process. Things go wrong, I head off the dangerous parts, but when things don’t work it is so fun to find the why with them and redo.
Failure is not an option. Failure is a standard feature included in all projects.
I am a motorcycle rider coach (instructor) for the MSF. one of the best things to ask a student after they attempt an exercise is "so, what did you do wrong?" most of the time they know, but just bringing it out, and having them say it out loud and acknowledge it, usually corrects it quicker then me telling them. and yes, I make sure to tell them what they did right too, as keeping their confidence up (but not too high) is important for them to learn. a typical conversation would be,
"you know what you did wrong?" "yeah, I didn't turn my head enough" "yup, your speed was good, just get that head turn on the next try" or something like that.
quick instruction, and fix one thing at a time. and let them fumble around a bit (if they are still safe) and they will get it.
While I don't resent him for it, having just turned 31 I haven't come close to forgetting all the blatantly wrong answers to my random kid questions that my dad made up for me to bolster the illusion that he knew everything. It ended up teaching me that "I don't know" followed by "let's figure it out together" or at the least "let's look it up" are so much better in the long run.
As somebody who is intrested n physics and cosmology, the "nobody knows the answer" part really hit home. I am applying to a university right now to get started on a physics degree. I've been a mechanic in a wood work shop for 20 years.
This is one of the best Q&A videos yet.
Thank you Adam and The Tested Team for giving us great fun content.
This was wonderful! More parents need to understand this message.
Hello from Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. Thanks for sharing your great video’s please keep them coming.
Thanks Adam!
I LOVE these videos, great food for thought, i think...
What an incredible lessen in this conversation! Great. Great. Great. Let them make mistakes. It’s teaching students to ask the right questions that is a struggle for me.
Great episodes
I love that man. A lot. Thank You, Adam.
That is a good question. I struggle with at with my kids. They sometimes get frustrated when they make mistakes instead and I will explain what the mistake was and talk about how to fix it.
In a lot of ways, mistakes are the whole point of making things, especially at the beginning. Learning how not to do things is just as important as learning how to do them. There have been times I've done things the not correct way on purpose just to see what would happen. Sometimes you get a win, a new better way of doing things, and sometimes you don't and it fails. But either way I learn, and sometimes that's more important than having a perfect finished project.
I dawned on me the difference in approaching and teach your child. You ( and I) as a maker, artist see things very different than an engineer that must follow the plan and precision. Neither is wrong or right. Let the child experience frustration then show how to overcome , and retry. One of the best lessons one can teach is how failure and it’s frustration is the a learning experience. My father handed me a book on how Edison’s search for an light bulb filament
Was a long procession of failures. Instead of beating up oneself,,too much; take a break; then think of approach, research it. Then Solve the problem.
What a fantastic video. Jam-packed with wisdom and heart.
10:09 that's the advice I was looking for, thanks, Adam!
Wise words.
Starts out answering a question about correcting errors. Ends with emotionally opening up and sharing his experience on parenting with us. We are Adams therapist.
This put a genuine smile on my face. Multiple times. Adam you are an amazing person. I don't even have kids and this just made my heart happy.
Ah this as just really good - i like your take on life, big probs !
That’s a fabulous answer! My father cautioned against too much correction or doing things over for children exploring tasks. He said it disheartens them and makes them think their contributions aren’t valuable.
I told my children from the time they could understand words, there's things that you will know that I don't know but there's also things that I know that you don't know. The things that we don't know together, we will learn together.
As a father of 3 grown kids, knowing when to step in and when to hang back is a learning process for us. As adults, your kids aren't necessarily going to want unsolicited advice from you. You have to learn to be okay with that and wait for them to come to you. As children, you're kids needs to know that there will be times when they fail, or make a mistake, and you're not always going to be there to bail them out. You want to, even when their adults, oh how you want to. Especially if it's only been a few years since they struck out on their own. It's a learning process for us parents and we will make mistakes, sometimes, in trying to help/not help with their mistakes.
A life lesson I embrace is "dont let the fact you've never done something, stop you from doing it for the first time"
A saying that my dad always used when presented with a new task or skill, "You're not going to learn it any younger."
The thing I miss most of all about my late father, is working with him to build/repair things around the home. Out of the whole 56 years I had with him, those were the happiest times. Even now, two years on, with me in my own home, I still feel him watching me over my shoulder as I work, and I know when I do something he wouldn't accept, so I do it again the way he would want me to do it.
Your father left you the best of all legacies 😊
@@Sodabowski Thanks. They broke the mould when they made my old man!
great answer
It was a great question, and a great answer as well. I wish my dad (and many others) could be aware of all this before engaging in parenthood
My personal experience is that time is a commodity. I stop when I see that things are going south and explain. I never display distain or even anger unless its a repeat of a safety issue
Adam is always so insightful. I definitely struggle with letting my kids make mistakes. I've learned that saying "you're about to mess up, and here's why" just doesn't work. And yet it still comes out of me sometimes, unless I'm constantly on guard and thinking about not doing it.
"I still have hundreds floating around in the shop.". Might I suggest a helmet.
I was waiting the whole video to see this quote after reading your comment and I was thinking as he made the statement preceding your quote how damn neat it is his kid made a school project just causally with ball bearings from MythBusters bahahahaha (get they weren't actually used in the myth, and spare say, but still!)
As someone who has always been so hungry to learn and find new information and who has always been happy to be shown a better way to do something I find the way some people react to help and reject anything that challenges their world view very strange and hard to understand.
There are no failed tests, only learning experiences. And I've learned a lot!
Lot of wisdom in this one, I struggle with it. Even when people DO ask for advice, they have usually already resolved to do as they please, and are just hoping you will confirm it.
As a maker who works often with my husband, this is tricky to navigate. We have found a phrase "I have an idea for that," and then walking away works well. Then the other person can decide if they want to hear it.
Sometimes the most awesome inventions and ideas comes from mistakes… and sometime people that feel like they are helping, are actually stopping development and curiosity. I am an engineer, as an architect i build completely new processes (actually have a toolmaker background before my engineering degree) so i do know about craftmanship. i have been in plenty of situations where people have stod on your back ALL the way through a development saying that it "CAN´T" be done, it is wrong, a mistake. on things that has improved quality, productivity, cost, leadtime, maybe insourced new jobs and been an actualy + thing.
I have also been in situations where i have tried something, and yes it was not the right solution, and have done an afteraction.. and felt the enourmous joy amoung others about them "BEING RIGHT".
I don´t believe in correcting mistakes, i believe in helping if people ask, using my experience to give them oppertunities, i try not to give solutions, i just try to highlight potential ways of attacking a problem.
Fun thing with stopping things that are dangerous, i protect my child but here in Denmark, childern are given the freedom that comes with injuries, they get to crawl in trees in kindergarden and put them selves in situations where injury might happen, and they learn, they learn by doing something, and it hurt a bit, that .. okay this was not the way to do things.. i have stairs in my house, and we had "bars" and were really focused on protecting our child from falling, one day he sat himself the stairs when he slipped, hit his bum, and an arm, no injuries, but it hurt, that lesson instantly made him respect stairs more then us in 3 years trying to explain and protect.
There is just something about learning things your self, it get that some knowledge is good to learn from, because it can speed up progression, but feeling failure, and frustration, and trying to find a solution, is a thing that develop minds, problem solving is such an important skill, it is going to help you the rest of your life, and learning to deal with frustration, and ups and downs in small scale, will also prepare you on life.
And just admitting a bit of "bad parenting" i LOVE watching my son troubleshoot, first of all, just finding all the non functioning solutions, becoming frustrated, finding something else to do, and try and try, until a solution works it self out. Then seeing him use that solution on other parts of what he plays with. I have also become the "supporter" more than a partner in building with him, he tells me what to do, and i do it with him, and then we fail together.. okay when we build things at home, on the house, somethings take 4x as long. but seriously it is 10x as fun.
I work in a sheet metal fabrication factory. I tell all the people I train, you really don't know how to do something until you've screwed it up and had to fix it. If I constantly show them how to do something, and correct everything they never learn to work on their own. If I let them struggle with it a bit, then give them a pointer or two to help it tends to sink in better.
I also try to mix in plenty of positive reinforcement. Especially when they start feeling like they aren't getting the hang of things. I point out all the things they have mastered without realizing it by reminding them how badly they struggled with it when they first started.
I did the same with my kids. Let them explore on their own as long as there was no danger to themselves. Waited until they asked for help, or suggestions before I would put my 2 cents in. They knew they could come to me any time. Just like they knew I would help, but I wasn't going to do it for them, unless it was beyond their abilities completely.
Just wanted Adam and the crew to know i watched Mythbusters for as long as i can remember as a little kid and into my adulthood now im in the Coast Guard learning about aircraft electronics and i credit much of my interest in these things to this man so just wanted to say thanks Adam and crew!🤙🏼
Love you Adam
The real beauty of your choices with thing1 is that he could “own” the experience as much as it was shared.
Balance the ideas of:
A) "will they learn from this oopsie"
against
B) "will this failure frustrate them and make them want to quit forever"
Studies show with reading that children learn at 93% success, 7% failure. Enough ease to feel confident and yet challenged. Something to consider.
I think It’s good to allow others to make mistakes if it will allow them to build their problem solving/thinking skills as a result.
ya, the release is the tricky part of a trebuchet... as I recall I went through a similar problem solving process with it when I built one with my dad.
Made a small bamboo trebuchet years ago for a project out of bamboo. Used D batteries as counter weights and nailed the release hook. The day I was showing it off the teacher was in front of it and wouldn't move, didn't think it would hit him several meters away, nearly took out an eye. But he learned from his mistake which was nice
People call me a downer when I say that everything we are and do is virtually meaningless, but I feel it's a liberating sentiment. Nothing I do matters... but then again, nothing I do matters! It's quite nice to know that all my mistakes and all my pain will be washed away by the eons. We're here for a blink, like the bubbles violently emerging and bursting on the bottom of a pot of boiling water... so we might as well enjoy the hell out of it.
Friend of mine has this rule: When you ask for his opinion about something you will get a polite, non-offensive reply as honest as possible withoug being offensive or insulting.
But as soon as someone adds "be honest" (or something similar) to that question, my friend will give him his absolutely honest opinion, no matter how brutal and potentially destructive to their friendship it might be. He once was asked about his honest opinion on someones new girlfriend (truth be told, we all didn't like her, she was a very toxic person for various reasons, but he liked her so we were polite), and boy was that a *grab popcorn* moment.
They are no longer friends, but the friend and his girlfriend also didn't last that long, so there was that.
I love you adam. Thank you for your sharing honestly, but one place i disagree is there is one person that is consistent...
One of the ways I've learned to deal with guiding people away from potential mistakes is not by saying, "You're wrong, do it this other way!", but instead to ask questions about their thought process. "Hey, I'm not sure I fully understand your approach to this problem, can you explain it to me?", then as they're answering you, maybe ask some more specific, guiding questions, and let them talk themselves into realizing their mistake. (Or possibly they talk you into realizing they're right to begin with.)
It was a great question and it was a great answer. I can't really add much to Adam's thoughtful and wise response except to say that mistakes and the art of correcting them make you a way better maker/craftsman/whatever in the long run. However, there is a question of who is paying for those mistakes you need to take into account. In this case, John's kids (or John) are the ones bearing most of the burden of their mistakes so I'd just let them make them and then help them understand after the fact why they happened and how to recover from them. I think a lot of inventors would concur that the insights gained from failures were the most valuable parts of their education. In the case of his coworkers, those costs are shouldered by the company/owner/shareholders etc. etc. and you'd have to assess the impact of letting the failure happen if you know ahead of time you can prevent it. When you get into the costs of materials, inventory, and recovery times involved can be really expensive, it would be better to pursue a "screw up on your own dime" approach. I really enjoyed this Adam and I loved the story you used to develop your thoughts.
The boom lift catapult from early in MythBusters was very similar to a trebuchet.
In that case, Buster was the rock.
My dad loved seeing me build things when I was a kid so when I would ask on a Friday night "can we go to home Depot?" He would always respond with "sure. What are we building?"
As someone who has built a 4 foot trebuchet out of Lego... 1) Its funny that you used ball bearings as the counterweight, because mine did too. 2) you don't necessarily want a straight pin on the sling release. We had an adjustable pin which we played around with quite a bit and I think we ended up with a 15 or 20 degree angle that gave us the maximal release distance. However, I can completely see where the "best" angle is going to depend on how your sling is setup. 3) Adam's story about how far it went it totally believable. Our projectile was a mouse ball (1" dia solid heavy rubber ball for those of you not old enough to know what that is). We underestimated how far it would go. We threw it at a wall 100 ft away and left a 1/4" dent in the wall. Later we used a longer hallway in the office and I think our impact site was around 250 feet away. Good times.
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I love the trebuchet story. ❤️
The biggest skill I've learned as a Scout leader is to ASK QUESTIONS. Don't give an answer, ask how the person decided this is the right thing to do. They may be thinking about it in a completely valid (maybe even better) way than you. "Why do you think that should be a hook on the trebuchet sling? When do you think that will let it release? What happens if it releases early/late?"
And don't just ask the question if you think they're wrong. I had a chemistry teacher in high school who shook everybody up by responding to an answer to a question "are you sure?" It shook everyone up, but made us ask ourselves that first.
I've got a meta-answer in the domain that I know -- I'm a juggler. I learned on my 15th birthday, and I just turned 50. I stopped juggling seriously when I got married (15 years ago), and started again when the pandemic hit. The thing that I've learned in the last year is *how to practice in order to teach myself*. There's a sweet spot in the pace of learning to juggle -- break things down too far, and the lessons will be easy, but you'll never get anywhere with the practice. Don't break things down enough, and you'll just bang your head against the wall -- and you'll probably also miss most of the reasons that you're making mistakes. I lean heavily toward biting off more than I can chew, and the lesson of the past year has been dialing that way back. There may have been half a dozen lessons in the last 35 years where someone has shown me a better way to juggle. Some of them have stuck, I suppose, but I'd be hard pressed to tell you what those lessons are... but if someone had been able to explain how I could guide myself toward that sweet spot, I'd be a much better juggler right now.
Hi Adam. Long time fan here. (Pain relief suggestion) I noticed that you are wearing a band. I also wore one for a couple years with terrible pain from tennis elbow.I work in construction and could hardly hold a drill or a hammer. I finally went to a surgeon to see my options for repairing it. He advised me to try Shock Wave Therapy before surgery. It totally worked. I went for 6 treatments and the pain was completely gone. I had this done about 4 years ago and have had to go back maybe a year later for a couple for treatments because I had slight pain and never needed to go back again and have been pain free ever since. Not sure if treat is called different things depending on the location ( I’m from Canada). I hope you look into this and have the same success I have. Be Safe and keep up the videos
"It's a straight pin!"
Interesting. My first trebuchet (a table top model about 12" high) shot best with a pin bent roughly 15 degrees. But it was the hinged counterweight design which is more efficient
lol you did the same "if that is your real name?" for my question back in 2018 asking you about your experiences working with Peter Jackson lol. Mythbusters Jr. comes to mind with that question. the things you and those amazing young people did was awesome.
Teaching kids to be successful is important but also teaching to them to fail and learn from their failures is very important. Not everyone can or should win a trophy!!
Something I try to do is: explain the basic steps while showing them, explain safety hazards (except if it's minor), let them try, and give some feedback if they want it
This works really well teaching on my sailboat. For example using the trapeze:
I'll be showing them like "hook up your harness, keep this line with you so you can pull yourself back in, always keep your front foot on the deck and regulate how far you lean out with your back foot (if you do it the other way around, you may swing forward into the water), remember to unhook yourself if we capsize or anything". Then I'll show going out and coming back in a few times and let them try. While they're trying, I'm repeating the exact key phrases to make a strong connection between what they saw me do, what they heard me say, and what they felt doing it. They'll be able to do it the correct way in 15 minutes.
If there isn't really a right way of doing it I won't go into details in the explaining part, for example when teaching how to steer (minimizing the angle to the wind):
"Pushing on the joystick turns into the wind, pulling turns away from the wind. You see the front of the sail flapping if your angle is too low, and the pieces of string in the sail all fall down if your angle is far too high, steer into the wind or let go of the sail if you feel we're almost capsizing (I'll let you know if that happens)". Then I let them try, and they'll take all day to really get a feel for how to steer (actually perfecting takes a few years though). Once in a while, the boat does something strange and they look at me without saying anything, and that's my cue for giving advice on what they should do (which often is "you're doing well, it's just the wind died down a bit and you want to keep this heading").
This also isn't a complete framework, but this is my go-to method if I know how to do it and the thing I'm still learning is to not give too much advice while they're trying it for themselves.
Hope this helps
I work in a factory. I train people to run a cutting machine. I tend to let people fail when keeping multiple carts on a single roll separate. When they have to correct that mistake, they never make it again. Or at least ask questions for a change. There's easier ways to undo if you're early in the mistake. And even I make that mistake. But for mistakes that costs IRL $$$ beyond time, I intervene. It's not about feelings, it's about meeting production goals.
"It's best to get negative reinforcement from the world and positive reinforcement from the ones you love" Brilliant. I made a meme an posted that quote. Thanks, Adam!
The best way to learn is from your mistakes.
However, if a situation is life threatening or if too much is at starke, someone should intervene. At home, you want to make the experience pleasent and fun. At work, you need to bring a project forward. Keep that in mind.
*wince* Feedback. Not reinforcement. I know it's moderately pedantic of me to do so, but it's important to point it out, because this little misunderstanding is _everywhere._ Positive and negative reinforcement isn't a reward vs punishment idea. It's all reward with those two, the difference is in what behaviors you're rewarding. Positive reinforcement is when you reward behaviors you want to see continued, while negative reinforcement is rewarding behaviors you _don't_ want to see continued. Positive feedback vs negative feedback is the reward vs punishment dynamic.
Other'n that...loved the perspective you offered. It's kinda rare nowadays, for some reason, but it's a really useful one.
I read an article in a magazine that you wrote that had the instructions to make the trebuchet and I made that with my 2 sons. We had a ball. We were launching pieces of brick and clods of dry mud into the empty land behind our house. It was great! I wanted to make a big one but my wife said no :(
I know this problem. I supervise work placement students who are studying Entertainment (Lighting/Sound/Vision) and if I can I'll let them do it wrong and teach them how their thought process was flawed or what they did wrong with the hope they learn how to think things through before they start doing something.