Customer Reviews

The Private Eye : "5X" Looking/Thinking by Analogy - A Guide to Developing the Interdisciplinary Mind

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At first glance, the book gives the cursory impression that it is a detective novel.

Drawing an analogy, i.e. applying the principles taught by this book, the reader's initial impression is not totally wrong.

If I am allowed to play with key words, this book shows you how to become a "detective": to detect what is around you, your backyard, on this Planet Earth. It provides you with "novel" approaches, with the use of the accompanying jeweler's loupe (5x magnification), to help you to observe & think about the world around you, draw an analogy, theorise a model, solve a(ny) problem(s), compose & write a report, stay in focus, communicate to & discuss your findings & with others.

It then takes the reader on a journey of discovery that incorporates mathematics, science, social sciences, art, literature, and creative writing & inventive thinking, plus some wit & humour, which encapsulates the intended inter-disciplinary curriculum.

In comparison with `How to Think Like a Scientist', by Stephen Kramer, which I have reviewed earlier, I would say this pleasant book puts (or pushes) the scientific thinking processes to work, right in your backyard. The book, not only explains the scientific method in greater depth, and demonstrates real-world applications with simple everyday tools, it helps the reader to develop a multi-disciplinary mind towards understanding & appreciating our beautiful planet.

There are plenty of photographs & illustrations in the book. At this particular juncture, I disagreed with one reviewer who lamented that this book was "messy." Bear in mind, "messy" is the starting (or flash) point for problem solving & creative thinking. A springboard for the Private Eye Program!

To share with readers who are teachers (or parents who want to be learning facilitators at home), I would like to add that this book actually provides me with the terrific framework to design my 5-day learning camp for young kids (from primary four to six), aptly entitled, `Science & The Art of Discovery.' In addition to the jeweler's loupe, each participating kid gets a copy of `How to Think like a Scientist', as well as a disposable camera, a Einstein note-pad, a 4-colour writing pen, a large pack of colour markers, 100-gm A3 size multi-colour art blocks, sticker labels, scissors & glue sticks, together with unlimited access to Googolplex & K'nex construction components.

To sum up, & if you are just looking for a simple working or implementation model to put the scientific method to work, right in your own backyard, this is it! I therefore rate this book a 5!

I was introduced to this book in my integrated science class in teacher training at PSU. My mind took flight as I shared visual discoveries with my cohort members. The links are so logical to art and poetry, as one's world transforms inexplicably from our everyday consciousness to a private universe of a world hitherto unseen. I have tried to put my hands on my copy of this book about five times--I give up! I will buy another--and a classroom set of 5x eyeloupes. It will become a regular addition to my substitute teacher "bag o' tricks". Thanks, Private Eye, for a new world!!

Whatever topic and level you teach, K-12, this book has creative and intriguing activities that any teacher can put to quick classroom use with just one purchase--an inexpensive loupe. The open-ended explorations of natural structures (leaf veins, for example) have applications in science, art, math, and language arts. Kids learn how to observe, classify, analyze--all the science process skills--but they also learn how to think creatively, visually, and poetically. A 5-year-old can get as much out of these projects as a teen--maybe more. One of my favorite teacher books, hands-down.

This book has a wonderful basic idea. It introduces the power of looking deeper, and shutting out peripheral distractions, inherent in the use of a 'jeweller's loupe', or in-eye magnifying lens, and relating this to the putting forward of analogies to what is observed in the 'close up' view. The analogies found can then be used as the basis of poetry, scientific postulation, extended discussion, or whatever. Many examples are given, in the form of suggested lesson outlines, but the layout and flow of the book is less than clear, and the visual impact is messy.

This book is clearly written with illustrations to demonstrate a point or demonstrate the type of artwork you can expect with a child.

It is an excellent book that teaches you how to put the scientific method to use. It teaches you to think creatively and to see the world in a new way. It is an exciting method for the teacher and if the teacher thinks it is exciting, then the children are ecstatic.

I bought this for my homeschool classroom and have not regretted it one bit. If I were to return to teaching this would be one of the books I would bring back to the classroom.

And it is inexpensive. With this book, a sharp pencil, a loupe and some drawing paper the world is open to you. It is a new way of looking and thinking and delving deeper and making comparisons between things.

The first chapter gives a great overview of the method and the rest of the chapters develop the theme further.

Well worth every penny. Enjoy.

I am using this book with my third grade class, and they love it. Loupes are available fairly cheap at Harbor Freight.

This book has several good things going for it.
A really interesting concept.
Great Title, and (intriguing) Cover.
A useful format.
But...While the style of writing covers a teenage range of understanding the presentation style seems geared for pre-teens, it actually represents a half-way ground that I'm afraid neither will find satisfying.
A shame because this kind of book might find a really receptive audience in the home schoolers market. I encourage anyone who wants to grow reasoning skills in their teens and pre-teens to take a look, but it might fail to grab you as it did me.