Under the Magnifying Glass

Observation of Trifles

By Steven H. Fyffe

“Look Papa!” Jared exclaimed, pointing to the ground. My grandson interrupted our trek to the ice cream store, stooping down to inspect bicycle tracks made in the dirt. He then wrote notes in his imaginary journal.

Sherlock Holmes scrutinizes the grass along a path, in A Study of Scarlet, when a sudden expression of satisfaction crosses his lips, having determined which scoundrel had done the dirty deed.

A Biblical Greek student slowly parsed each syllable of the text I assigned him to read aloud in class. Then, his face brightened in recognition. He rather sheepishly read without hesitation John 3:16 from the Greek Bible.

What do Jared, Sherlock, and this student have in common? They all experienced the joy of discovery through inductive analysis.

“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles” … “It is, of course, a trifle, but there is nothing so important as trifles” so spoke Sherlock Holmes. Holmes's creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a physician and he based the Holmes character on his medical school professor Joseph Bell, who emphasized the importance of close observation of details in making a medical diagnosis. Bell was one of the first to apply scientific observation to forensic investigations, just as Doyle’s character often lectured Watson to practice in their many adventures.

In my experience, teaching Biblical Greek and nurturing our girls in home school, inductive learning is the fastest and surest method for retaining knowledge. The Georgia Department of Education gives a very clear description of inductive learning. To paraphrase, inductive learning is built on the process of inductive thinking and helps students connect what they discover with their prior knowledge. By carefully examining seemingly unrelated details, “trifles” as Holmes called them, students learn to classify these pieces of the puzzle into groups with common characteristics, learn to apply what they have learned to any project they tackle, and motivates them with the desire to learn more.

Let me share another example. Jared started in kindergarten last week with all the traumatic emotions that entails. But in spite of that, he was guided into a discovery of the letters i and s and how they magically form the word is. The teacher did not define the rules of grammar or explain the difference between a verb and a noun … deductive lecturing will come later. Although there were tears from the academic torture, Jared truly enjoyed his “guided discovery” of the letters i and s, telling his mom “I want to see how many is’s I can write.”

Building upon his audiolingualismexperience, i.e. mimicking what he heard from parents and others, with his new found discovery of the letter i, he formed the words it and in. He picked up on this, all on his own, while his mom was reading to him. WOW! In less than two weeks he can write a sentence fragment, “It is in”.

All on his own, Jared fit the puzzle pieces of language together. He will retain this knowledge much longer than if he had sat through a lecture … in one ear and out the other. By sharing what he has learned, Jared will seal that knowledge into his memory … he taught grandma and grandpa to spell is and later proudly told his mom he taught us how to spell it.

Those who love puzzles examine each piece, groups together those with common characteristics, and, for those with a keen eye for observation, the pieces of a puzzle fall into place to form a beautiful picture.

Likewise, detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Adrian Monk develop an eagle’s eye for what may seem to be the most obsure trifle. “Elementary, my dear Watson.”

Now, you may be like Dr. Watson in A Study of Scarlet and are thinking “What ineffable twaddle.” Well, I have given you the first clue. Perhaps, you have formulated your first conjecture as to why I gave my column the title, “Under the Magnifying Glass.” Perhaps, you found the first piece to the puzzle in understanding the purpose for the beautiful graphic my daughter, Amy, designed for us.

However, you probably are still scratching your head as to why I am penning an article about inductive analysis in macCompanion? Well, the mystery will become clearer in the months to come, but let me say that we are embarking on a great adventure, a safari if you will.

To give a taste of our future escapades, here is your first “guided discovery” assignment: Open a Quick Time movie. Resize the window, by clicking and holding the lower right corner. Do you notice any limitations? Now, hold the Shift key down, while doing the same thing. What did you discover? Wasn’t that fun? You discovered, with a little guidance, this hidden gem. Now, share your discovery with someone else. Don’t just tell them (deductive lecture), but lead them to a “guided discovery” of this fun feature of Quick Time.

Please come back next month and visit “Under the Magnifying Glass”, where I hope to be your companion in another adventure. As we get to know one another, we will be steering each other toward a “guided discovery” of the Macintosh and all those other creative tools and toys we enjoy so much. I want to invite you to come back and sit a spell. Experience the same kind of excitement discovering the Macintosh, as Jared and his Papa have when they discover bicycle tracks in the dirt and letters of the alphabet.