When I was a kid I watched a lot of the movies that people these days describe as classics. They had an impact on me. I’d even go so far as to say they heavily influenced my perceptions of social interaction and the idea of cool. I got a lot of ideas from old movies, and a surprisingly important idea from the old Karate Kid. No, I’m not talking about the ‘pro-america’ Will Smith effort, but the original wax on, wax off. That movie made me consider the idea of teaching without letting the students on to the fact they were being taught. I call this strategy the Miyagi hypothesis.
The hypothesis suggests that students are more inclined to learn information if they don’t know they are being taught. This is the deception parents use to slip in peas and carrots by calling it a pie. My specific use of this is in regards to learning. I want to be able to create an environment where learning happens without formal instruction–without students knowing they are being taught but learning nonetheless.