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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1961-10-05, Page 6'Learning Lessons Sy Push -Button Rarely had a glass been so Completely absorbed in study: From 7.30 in the morning to. 0,30 at night, for two months, students at Lompoc (Calif.) lEigh School flocked to the li- brary for a class in computer math, It was interesting that all 04 students passed the course, but the intriguing factor was that the teacher was a machine, Known as the Mark II Auto Tutor and hired for $100 from Western Design and Electronics of Santa Barbara, "teacher" had done a tireless job of quizzing and correeting the students and in the process had caught every- body's imagination. "Maybe it was because com- puter math is a fascinating sub- jest," mused Dr. Russell N. Cas- sel, director of Lompoc's pro- gram, "Then again, it may have been the novelty of the thing — being taught by pressing but- tons." Simply, the instruction was produced by a box about the size of a portable TV set with a 9 by 12 -inch viewing screen and a row of buttons. A printed statement 'of a given problem would be flashed on the screen followed by a question concern- ing it. Opposite the buttons a choice of answers would ap- pear, some right, some wrong. If a student pushed the right buttons, it would bring on a new problem in logical progres- sion; the wrong buttons would produce an explanation of why the answer was incorrect and then another question on the same subject. After gauging the results, Dr. Cassel was still undecided. "We could give courses in trigonome- try, electronics, first aid, busi- ness law, even bridge," he said, "and in each case the students would be taught by specialists, But the machines cost a lot of money (the AutoTutor sells for $1,200), and we want to find out some things first — how well the student retains what he learns and which machines do the best job for the courses we want to give." Dr. Cassel's mingled enthusi- asm and doubt is typical of edu- cators' reaction to one of the most •promising teaching tools ever to reach American class- rooms. This fall some 10,000 grade, high-school, and college students will be fed courses of instruction by machines. The U.S. Office of Education is - giv- ing two dozen institutions a to- tal of $2 million for research in the. field. At the University of Pittsburgh, for example, experi- menters will use the machines to determine whether languages can be taught to deaf children. These machines are descend- ants of one devised in 1957 by Harvard psychologist Dr. Burr - bus F. Skinner, Dr. Skinner, who by "educating" the reflexes of pigeons had taught them to peck out tunes on the piano, figured, relatively speaking, that he might do as well with stu- dents. To condition them, Dr. Skinner developed a machine. which asked questions of a stu- dent and then let him go on to ISSUE 39 — 1961 CHRISTMAS -BOUND — Maisee Wong is overshadowed b y early Christmas packages pil- ing up in a New York ware- house for Foster Parents' Plan, Inc. Thus far, 15 tons of gifts have been mailed to needy children in Europe and Far East, so that Santa arrives on time. new material only if he gave the right answer. From the first, the machines have been attacked by some educators and praised • by others. Robert Snider of the National Education Association says that his group is "very excited" about the machines. Experiments show, he says, that students learn twice as fast with them. But Kenneth Komoski, direc- tor of the Center for Programed Instruction in New York, says that "schools would be unwise to invest in teaching machines. The commercial outfits have not faced the fundamental prob- lem of what you are going to teach, In fact, in some cases com- panies have based their pro- gramed courses on textbooks. which are fifteen years old," Neither machines nor books are likely to replace teachers. "The 'teacher," says Komoski, "is the most sensitive teaching ma- chine yet devised." He believes that some subjects should be taught by conventional methods: "The social studies needinter- pretative reading' skill. If you present these subjects in visual terms, you could be selling stu- dents short." Harvard's Dr. Skinner firmly disagrees. "Anything that can be verbalized can be taught by machines," he said. "The teach- ing -machine principles can be applied to any living organism, whether it be a pigeon or a me- dical student." EXPANDED AREA HAULOYEP. CANAL';: To DAYTONA' BEACH 60 MILES TiTUSVILLE INDIAN CITY To ORLANDO 50 MILES FLORIDA CAPE' CANAVERAL':: COCOA TO MIAMI 200 MILES kOCKLEDGE MILES 0 . 3 MAKE WAY FOR MOON — Shaded area in Newsmap shows the 80,000 acres which will be acquired by the U.S. Notional Aeronautics and Space Administration for expanding the Cape Canaveral rocket launching facilities, The land, costing $60 million, will be used for the huge Saturn and Nova moon vehicle boosters. Black area, covering 15,000 acres, is preseht size of the Canaveral site, MELON MADNESS — Eating more than 2,000 watermelons can leave quite a mess of seeds and juice, and that is exactly what the citizens of Vincennes, ind., found to be true. They really didn't care, however; for, a little muss is worth all the fun at annual Indiana Watermelon Festival. (Firemen had to wash away the seeds and juice.) TA LE T41 KKS 4Jax Andrews If you want sliced chicken for sandwiches for school — stew a chicken. If you want cubed chicken for salad for your luncheon -stew a chicken. If you want cut-up chicken for creaming or to put in a cas- serole with rice, macaroni, or noodles, or to make a pie or a shortcake or a loaf or croquettes -stew a chicken. * * a A stewing chicken (used for both stewing and braising) is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as a "mature female chicken (usu- ally more than 10 months old) with meat less tender than that of the roaster, and non -flexi- ble breastbone." a a * Both braising and stewing — both moist -heat methods — are used for cooking a less tender chicken. Both require long, slow cooking until the chicken is fork -tender. To stew, place whole or cut- up chicken in kettle. Add % to 1 cup water and 1/z to 3/4 tea- spoon salt to each pound. (Quan- tity of water used depends on amount of broth desired.) Sim- mer until thickest portions are fork -tender. Remove chicken broth. Cool both chicken and broth promptly. Cover and re- frigerate unless served immedi- ately. If desired, 3 or 4 pepper- corns, 1 small carrot, a celery stick, and I small onion may be cooked with the chicken for additional flavor. * * * To braise, coat the cut-up chicken, giblets, and neck with seasoning and flour. For each pound of chicken, ready -to -cook. weight, use 2 tablespoons flour, i teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper:' Brown slowly in a shallow layer of moderately hot fat, turning to brown evenly. Use tongs or 2 spoons to avoid piercing coating and chicken. About 1/y hour is required to brown 4 pounds of chicken. Remove ' from heat. Add %-1 cup water. Cover tightly. Replace over low heat or place in a 325° F. oven and cook until thickest pieces are fork -tender. Should liquid be used up before chicken is ten- der, add more water in '-% cup amounts. * * * Garnish this Oriental dish with oranges (you'll need two) and coconut. It is a convenient party dish because it can be prepare d, refrigerated, and cooked for only 20 minutes be- fore serving. CHICKEN -AND -RICE ORIENTAL 3 cups cooked chicken 1.1„ cups pineapple juice 1_ cup water !.: cup cornstarch 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons salad oil 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1r -S teaspoons salt !c teaspoon each, ground all- spice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger 1 clove garlic, crushed 3 cups cooked rice Combine all ingredients except chicken and rice to make a marinade. Place chicken in this mixture and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, ..Re- move ..from ..refrigerator ..20 minutes before placing in oven. Cook at 325' F, for 20 minutes. during last 5 minutes, place sections of 2 oranges over chicken and replace cover. Serve withrice, garnished with coco- nut, Serve chicken gravy over this scalloped chicken. It serves 8-10. SCALLOPED CHICKEN 4-5 cups diced cooked chicken 1 cup sliced cooked celery 3 cups crushed soda crackers (about 3 dozen) 2. eggs, beaten slightly 154: cups chicken broth 1A cups milk Combine chicken, celery, and crackers in a mixing bowl. Beat eggs slightly and add broth and milk, Add to chicken mixture. Place in buttered, shallow 2 - quart baking dish. Bake at 350° FF for 40 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with chicken gravy. Gravy: Combine 1/s cup chick- en fat or butter with 6 table- spoons flour in heavy saucepan. Blend and heat. Gradually add 2 cups milk and 2 cups broth mixed. Season to ' taste. Cook 10 minutes. Just before serving, beat 2 egg yolks (or 1 egg), add ; a little of the hot broth to it,' mix and return to pan, Com-• bine thoroughly. Heat 2 min- utes, stirring constantly. * * a Serve the following chicken - in -cream hash over Melba toast or crisp toast points, or divide into individual shallow rame- kins and top with grated Par- mesan cheese (brown lightly under broiler). CHICKEN -IN -CREAM HASH' 1/4 pound mushrooms, washed, dried and chopped fine • 1/; cup butter 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped fine 1 cup cream 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon flour 1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate Salt and pepper to taste Pan-frymushrooms slowly in the 1/4 cup butter until soft and dark, about 5 minutes. Turn into double boiler top placed over hot, not boiling, water. Add chicken and cream to "buttery" pan; stir well; acid to mush- rooms, Heat all together. Cream remaining butter, flour, and monosodium glutamate together until smooth; stir into hot chick- en mixture. Stir gently and cook until thickened; cover and cook 3-5 minutes longer. Serves And here's something that doesn't come in a can. It's a recipe for a prune -orange gela- tin pudding—a concoction of my mother's which our family has always thought rather special, writes Gertrude J. Lancaster in the Christian Science Monitor. You can vary the fruit, of course, to suit your taste. Dissolve a package of lemon gelatin in % cup boiling water, then add 1 cup hot prune juice and stir until the gelatin is entirely dissolved. Add l cup cold prune juice and Vs cup orange juice and chill this mix- ture until it thickens. To the thickened gelatin add between 2 and 3 cups of fruit—we use prunes cut in thirds (cooked first, of course), orange sections, and banana slices. Add also % cup of walnut meats, We have the prunes predominate, with orange and banana as accent. Serve with cream when it has jelled. Q, How can I remedy a salt shaker that pours too fast and • generously? A. First, wash the shaker to remove all salt, then dry thor- oughly, Then, all you have to do is plug up the desired number of holes in the cap with some fingernail polish, A Kitchen On The !Irish Sea -Shore When we had made all se- cure, we went up to. Joe's house for tea. We sat in the kitchen before a "blazing fire of turf, The room. was scrupulously clean. Even the bentwood chairs shone, and the light from the fire was reflected in the dishes on the dresser and the big delft mugs hanging iii rows from shelves. The r o m, painted in light green and yellow, was made gay by these 'colours. Joe's eldest daughter, who was ten, made the tea. He spoke to her in Gaelic and she cut the 'thick slices of soda bread and put perhaps two pounds of butter on the table. Then Kevin and I were made to sit down first at the table, being the guests. Joe and the old man went off to another room, and reappeared with their hair combed, faces washed and wearing beautiful knitted sweaters combining a variety of stitches. "My daughter is only just learning to keep house," said Joe to me, to apologize for any errors she might make. Only the men sat at the table -' the little girls had to wait for their tea by the fireside. That is the Irish custom, The men do the work, the, men are out in the weather — the man's time is valuable. Therefore when they come into the house the women wait on them. The old man sat at the door where, he kept looking out at the island where he had been burn. He was deferred to in all mat- ters. His cup was filled first (after my own and Kevin's as guests.) and it was he who was turned to for judgment ' when any matter of disagreement arose. "Do you know Martin?" be asked Tom. "Martin Joyce is it?" Tom ask- ed. 'Yes, Is he still alive?" "Alive and hearty," said Tom. "He must he an old man now," said the other, "I am glad to hear he is well. Does he still go out in his curragh?" "lie does," said Torn. "He came over from Inishmor, with me one time in a curragh. We landed on the Clare coast, It was a fine day, That .was the first time I met him." "How old were you then?" asked Tom. "I was about twenty," "How long it is since you. have leen him?" "I have not seen him since," said the old man. "But I ani glad that he is well. Tell him that I am well, too." "I will," said Tom. "I would not like to live far from the sea," said the olcl man. "It is a great delight," said Joe, "I can think of nothing pleasanter than to take the glaucog out on the oc e a n- on a good clay and fish, It is more pleasant than to go to a wed- ding," "It is the best thing in life," said the old man, — From "The Land That Isn't There,." by Leo - nerd Wibberley. Texas Also Has Sales Tax Trouble Till the first of September, the life of a Texas housewife was' a pleasant one, But, since the beginning of the month, due to the solicitude of the state and the new selective sales tax, each time she steps into a store she is confronted with ethical, moral, and mathematical problems such as no philosopher ever had to re- solve simultaneously—and quick- ly—for there are other customers waiting! Is she going to wear a pair of tennis shoes often enough to the shopping centre to be able to state truthfully that she is buy- ing them for street wear? If she ' buys them only for playing ten- nis, she will have to pay a tax of 2 cents on every dollar value. If she declares she intends to wear them for street wear she saves the 2 cents tax on every dollar. Also work clothes are not tax- able. If a secretary wears her new $50 crocodile 'shoes to work, she will go . tax free; while the housewife has no choice but to pay the tax. (Till now there is no set clothing requirement for housewives, except the duster and curlers favored by cartoon- ists.) But if your husband enter- tains a let for business reasons, could you not truthfully declare a new Dios evening gown as work clothing? Food, in general, is not tax- able, but soft drinks and certain other items are, And there loom mathematical problems, as noth- ing under 25 cents is taxable. So if you buy soft drinks in the usual cartons, you pay 3 cents tax, while buying the same brand one by one, or three bottles at a time, makes them tax free, ac- cording to a writer in the Chris- tian Science Monitor. These . quick Calculations and moral dilemmas are causing traf- fic jams in front of check-out counters in Texas, but very few complaints. Salespeople and cus- tomers both confess that they are confused and 'are trying to apply the law as best they, can. But who can 'blame Texas for being con- fused after just a week, when, according to authorities, confu- sion still appears in Illinois and California after 28 years of the selective tax! Fashion Hint • uli111l Illl�ll pgC�l�!N , 11'' II�Nmlllllll@lip��" 4 ��ly 1♦ � i'id"I�Maim, 'y,., m.r+."'