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    Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

    My best friend is a single father. He has a son who recently turned 12 years old. Last year, he was in a workshop at his school, where the kids learned how to design something simple in a cad program that they got to print on a 3D printer. During that workshop, they were briefly exposed to C++ and I don't know what context that was in but he talks about it all these months later.

    Yesterday I asked him if he would be interested in learning how to use C++ to program Arduinos. He said he was definitely interested.

    When I was 12, I was given a Commodore 64 computer. I taught myself how to understand it using the book that came with it along with periodicals that existed at the time. I learned how to create programs with Basic as well as how to make sprites and when I was 16, I learned how to write data directly to sectors on a floppy disk and needless to say that by the time I got my first college degree, I was way ahead of my peers in terms of what I understood and what I was able to do in a work environment which put my career on a fast track where I ended up building a nice life for myself and my family.

    This boy's father, my best friend, has spent his adult life doing construction and is now teaching himself how to be a blacksmith. He and I are definitely polar opposites in that he can't stand being indoors for too long and I'm not a fan of being outside for too long. And what I do know, is that if his son is interested in technology, then he could have a nice advantage in life by learning at this age when his brain is prime to learn and absorb.

    So, I'm sure you can understand that I want to expose this young man to the wonder of technology, and I want to teach him in the most effective way possible. In short, I'm looking for advice on what others think might be the best way to approach this.

    I don't want to screw up and discourage him by overwhelming him, and I've never tutored anyone before in technology, much less a 12 year old.

    Thank you,
    Last edited by EasyGoing1; 02-13-2020, 02:54 PM.

    #2
    Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

    One idea?

    Try to find a good youtube channel/channels that has lots of tutorials and that appeals to the 12 year old.

    Maybe he will take a liking to one or two and the learning will start from there.
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      #3
      Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

      Originally posted by EasyGoing1 View Post
      So, I'm sure you can understand that I want to expose this young man to the wonder of technology, and I want to teach him in the most effective way possible. In short, I'm looking for advice on what others think might be the best way to approach this.

      I don't want to screw up and discourage him by overwhelming him, and I've never tutored anyone before in technology, much less a 12 year old.
      IMO, don't focus on "technology" as much as fostering a creative/inquisitive mind. There, you want to focus on exposure to new/different ideas, possibilities, etc. and let his particular interests blossom.

      A local Maker house would be a good "investment" as they will expose him to a mix of the practical/trades as well as how technology meshes with that.

      There are also "sponsored" robotic competitions that might be available in your/his area with which he could become involved. That might also be an opportunity for "father-son" (as opposed to "fathersbestfriend-son") activities as there is usually some amount of "construction" required with which his dad might be well suited.

      https://www.vexrobotics.com/

      IME, kids are more interested in making something "do" something than in "flashing a light" or emitting a line of text, etc.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

        Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
        There are also "sponsored" robotic competitions that might be available in your/his area with which he could become involved. That might also be an opportunity for "father-son" (as opposed to "fathersbestfriend-son") activities as there is usually some amount of "construction" required with which his dad might be well suited.

        https://www.vexrobotics.com/

        IME, kids are more interested in making something "do" something than in "flashing a light" or emitting a line of text, etc.
        I love this suggestion and it never occurred to me to look into potential local robotic events and yes, his dad is a hands-on guy, although he and I have an ongoing and friendly "debate" where we differ in opinion on doing things "RIGHT" as opposed to doing the bare minimum to achieve a result.

        For example, I often find things like an extension cord laying on the floor where the wires are just twisted together and fastened with electrical tape where even the tape is unraveling from the join ... and then I look over on the bench and I see wire nuts ... or a soldering iron ... and so I have to say, "DUDE ... C'MON - work with me here ... this leans into issues of safety ... " and he just laughs and says "WHAT ... it works ... !" And I just shake my head ... but in matters of doing work where I place a high value on quality and concern for wear and tear and even aesthetics, he has only taken on my views in this arena on occasion ... after I introduced him to heat shrink ... he seems to like it but still doesn't use it all the time.

        I do love the idea of pushing this goal back into a father-son realm ... I mean there is nothing better than that! So I will definitely make that my top requirement as I move forward and I'll fill in gaps where my knowledge will be necessary.

        I did talk to his dad before asking his son if he was interested ... obviously I wanted to see what his dad thought of the idea and I needed to know that he wouldn't perceive me as any kind of hindrance in his relationship with his son, but he was immediately receptive to the idea because he sees the interest that his son has and he doesn't seem threatened at all at the fact that he lacks the knowledge to help his son explore this interest. But the robotics thing could be perfect ... he and his boy could build the thing while I work with his son on the electronics aspect of it ... what a great idea!

        Thank you!

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

          One thing that I wanted to avoid, is just throwing projects at him where you just purchase a kit and they assemble it and all that has been accomplished is that they have a new toy that they put together by following the bouncing ball... at the end of that activity, they have learned nothing about the physics that makes it possible which in my opinion should be the whole point in doing such projects. The knowledge that went into making the toy possible is the knowledge that has the power to give someone an advantage in life ... knowledge is power and it empowers the mind to make ideas turn into things that benefit people's lives ... and that's where someone can earn a paycheck ... no company that I know of hires people who can assemble toys and if they exist, certainly an assembler won't earn much more than minimum wage ... and although I certainly hold high respect for anyone who works and earns a paycheck regardless of what kind of work they do, it is certainly better to strive to earn a living that rises above what I consider to be working poverty because minimum wage is thinly above that level, unfortunately.

          I have the utmost respect for my friend in fighting to maintain custody of his son who was born into circumstances that were horribly detrimental to his well being. His dad stepped up and did the right thing and this boy, in spite of going through unimaginable difficulties, has managed to become someone who is compassionate, forgiving and loving, while still being the definition of "BOY" ... lol ... Ill never forget when I was at their house on a Saturday morning when he was only 9 years old ... I heard him out in the yard hammering on something, and he walks into the house - proud as punch - as he displayed his creation and said to me, "LOOK MIKE, I MADE A WEAPON" ... and what he was holding was a stick that had at least a dozen nails sticking out of the tip of one end ... I had to laugh because it was funny and SOOOO very much a boy thing to do ... but I also had to take it from him and I told him I would use it to protect myself ... but that I couldn't let him have that because it was far too dangerous... although very creative.

          LOL

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            #6
            Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

            Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
            I've been going over this site, and it looks like the closest event to our area is a one hour drive from here ... but what is of even more concern than that, is that these kits are kind of pricey. My friend doesn't have much in the way of disposable income, although his parents often pick up slack where his son is concerned which has been awesome and necessary for the boy ... a godsend at times actually ... but I don't think they would step up to the levels I'm seeing in the cost of these robotic kits ... we might have to find ways to be more creative in this endeavor.

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              #7
              Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

              Originally posted by EasyGoing1 View Post
              I did talk to his dad before asking his son if he was interested ... obviously I wanted to see what his dad thought of the idea and I needed to know that he wouldn't perceive me as any kind of hindrance in his relationship with his son, but he was immediately receptive to the idea because he sees the interest that his son has and he doesn't seem threatened at all at the fact that he lacks the knowledge to help his son explore this interest.
              My folks were "high school educated" -- at best (?) When I (as a toddler/young kid) asked questions that were beyond their comprehension, they bought me "stuff" to tinker with -- dry cells, wire, knife switches, lights, bells, buzzers, etc. -- sat me down and figured I would sort it all out, in time.

              When I was old enough to read, they bought me books and expected me to sort through them.

              OTOH, from them, I learned The Trades, living skills, etc. So, I could lay on a new roof or wire an addition while other kids were still trying to deal with geometry or algebra.

              Having to solve problems independently was a valuable learning experience as it taught me that I could get to AN answer, given enough patience.

              But the robotics thing could be perfect ... he and his boy could build the thing while I work with his son on the electronics aspect of it ... what a great idea!
              I've only limited, second-hand experience with these. My understanding is that some few adult "mentors" guide the kids (15-25?) through a solution to the presented problem (they are contests, after all). Then, similarly guide them to a potential solution/plan-of-attack. And, finally, to an actual implementation.

              As with all groups, I am sure there are some interpersonal dynamics involved so I'm not sure how "Dad" might DIRECTLY participate. But, at least being an "experienced ear" could help the kid bounce ideas off his father as well as letting the father understand the issues that the kid (and his team) are trying to address.

              If "Dad" is the type who wants to barge in and "do it himself", I suspect he would have some problems with such groups.

              My point was to look for these sorts of activities "nearby". They have the added benefit of building social skills whereas just "tinkering in his bedroom" doesn't do much to prepare a kid for The Real World.

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                #8
                Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

                Originally posted by EasyGoing1 View Post
                I've been going over this site, and it looks like the closest event to our area is a one hour drive from here ...
                It was just the first hit that turned up in my search. You (he) might ask the local schools if they have or know of any such programs nearby. Or, if they might want to START one.

                but what is of even more concern than that, is that these kits are kind of pricey.
                No idea. The local group is largely "sponsored" by a Maker house. I think the only costs the kids incur is travel to/from these competitions. (though that can be substantial)

                My friend doesn't have much in the way of disposable income, although his parents often pick up slack where his son is concerned which has been awesome and necessary for the boy ... a godsend at times actually ... but I don't think they would step up to the levels I'm seeing in the cost of these robotic kits ... we might have to find ways to be more creative in this endeavor.
                You could also look at these as "inspirational" -- things to poke at the imagination and SUGGEST projects/devices that could be built... either by father and son *or* perhaps some of the son's friends, as well. "Improvisation" is likely something that Dad would be good at and seeing how you can "approximate" a solution with comparable results could be instructive for the kid(s).

                When I was a kid, I built things with an Erector (TmReg) set; one of those 50-in-1 RadioShack project kits (with the little "spring" connectors); a fancier version of this (Electro? Kit) that consisted of individual components packaged in plastic blocks with metallic connection "pads" on the side surfaces and a magnetic base (you placed them on a metallic base and abutted them together to form circuits -- the schematic of which would be visible from the symbology on the TOP of each plastic block); a windmill generator; a go-kart; etc. Just things that let me experiment without concern for how "finished" a project it might be. (e.g., I screwed up the design of the clutch on my go-kart so would have to start it with the drive wheels elevated, the rock it off the blocks to actually start moving)

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                  #9
                  Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

                  big clive and diode gone wild on utube.
                  because who doesnt like taking stuff apart or blowing it up!!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

                    and electroboom!!!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

                      Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
                      Having to solve problems independently was a valuable learning experience as it taught me that I could get to AN answer, given enough patience.
                      My father had some junior college, but no degree. In spite of that, he became an aerospace engineer - first at McDonnel Dougless then around the time I was born, he worked for General Dynamics and remained with them till he passed away from cancer when I was about 24 I suppose... I always respected his ability to achieve an engineering position without formal education, but back then, the only thing that mattered was a person's abilities whereas now, the sheepskin is mandatory regardless of your skills.

                      Like you, I also learned by simply reading and searching for knowledge then solving problems I wanted to solve ... maybe a program that would help me check my math homework, or often finding a way to make copies of copy-protected games ... at 16, I learned how to write data to the sectors of a floppy disk which I did ... what I remember was that I was able to define a data record each with specific items in the record ... I used that program to store my McDonalds paystub information such as FICA deductions etc. that was when the minimum wage was only $3.25 an hour. I didn't realize until I got my first exposure to SQL when I was about 25, that I had actually created a very rudimentary database using disk sectors as raw data storage ... I can't remember if we actually had a file allocation table on Commodore floppy disks ... I would think that if we did, then I would have just stored the data inside some kind of file ... but for some reason, I wrote ASCII directly to disk sectors... but I digress ... point was that I relate to not having parents with the knowledge to help in what interested us ... I was totally alone in finding the answers but my appetite was insatiable from age 12 until ... well ... now actually and I see no end in sight.

                      Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
                      If "Dad" is the type who wants to barge in and "do it himself", I suspect he would have some problems with such groups.
                      He might be ... but to his credit, I have seen him acknowledge harmful habits in exchange for the right ones.


                      Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
                      My point was to look for these sorts of activities "nearby". They have the added benefit of building social skills whereas just "tinkering in his bedroom" doesn't do much to prepare a kid for The Real World.
                      Well, your suggestion definitely got me thinking in a different direction... I realize that my goal needs to be finding a way to trigger his curiosity and find a way to see that he gets what he needs to pursue that curiosity... I know that the boy must have interests that could rise above the entertainment received from video games ... and who knows, maybe he ends up having a passion to be involved in video game development ... doesn't mean that some core aspect that is relevant to that pursuit cannot be developed early in his life ... a 12-year-old brain fueled with curiosity is a powerful formula when fed with the right materials... and a little encouragement... :-)

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

                        I would say you should think back to the way you learned electronics - if it worked for you then it should work for him (if has has any interest in it)

                        My dad was a coal miner - when we were kids we were poor

                        One day he came home from the pit with a second hand paperback book 'How to build your own transistor radio' This would have been in the early 70s

                        He gave me the book, I sat and read it through and that is what started me in electronics. I really liked the book so went to the local library and found more electronics books and read those. I would copy circuits from them into my own notebooks to add to my 'collection' (no access to photocopiers in those days) but sitting and drawing circuits probably taught me a lot more than a photocopier would have.

                        I had no components, couldn't afford them or a soldering iron, but my dad said my uncle had one so he lent me his. I do think my dad got me some solder for 6d (six old pence)

                        I learned to solder by finding old radios on the waste ground near our house, taking them home, cutting components from them (these were old valve radios without PCBs) and then hammering some nails into a piece of wood and trying to solder the components to them!

                        From there I started to find more scrap kit to salvage components.

                        When I first spotted an electronics magazine 'Practical Electronics' in the local newsagent it was a moment of revalation!

                        I was still at school 14yrs old doing newspaper rounds for pocket money but I could still afford to buy the magazine. And WOW it had adverts where you could mail order components and stuff!

                        Birthdays and Christmas I wanted electronics stuff - a multimeter, a soldering iron, an oscilloscope (yeah in my dreams! no chance of that!!)

                        By now I had collected enough scrap components to start building a few simple circuits

                        The rest is history

                        So all that took 4-5 years and I didn't live and breath electronics - I had phases on and off. Usually, every time I would find some scrap item like a transistor radio or TV and take parts from it it would spark my interest for a while to try to do something with those parts. Just simple circuits, multivibrators and yes 'flashing lights'!

                        I guess the upshot of this all is that I taught myself from books and magazines. I didn't know anyone else in school or 6th form college who was interested in electronics, you couldn't learn electronics at school and they had no equipment to do that (was a bit at 6th form in A level physics but no electronics qualification you could learn). No help from my father either other than he first gave me that book (and buying me stuff when he could) because he had no knowledge of electronics. And I never did build one of those radios in that book lol

                        So if a kid is really interested in electronics I would say give them something simple to start with and they will find their way. It worked for me and I suspect I am not the only one who learned that way
                        Last edited by dicky96; 02-14-2020, 03:29 AM.
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                          #13
                          Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

                          Originally posted by dicky96 View Post
                          So if a kid is really interested in electronics I would say give them something simple to start with and they will find their way. It worked for me and I suspect I am not the only one who learned that way
                          I think a big part of learning -- and "holding interest" -- is having activities that AREN'T "color by numbers". If a kid just has to complete a set of predefined steps to finish a project, it will quickly just be seen as a "chore". There needs to be some uncertainty in the result and, as experience increases, greater responsibilities to "fill in the blanks"... to finish the SOLUTION not just the CONSTRUCTION.

                          I think you learn much more from the "things that went wrong" than from the things that went right. Do you ever analyze all of the stuff that "just worked" to understand WHY it worked? By contrast, you're forced (coerced?) to think about the things that didn't work -- to sort out why they failed.

                          So, projects that are either incomplete or not yet "applied" (i.e., don't have a predefined application spelled out) give the kid a greater chance to think about how he can make this 90% solution work towards HIS particular goal.

                          E.g., a digital combination lock (type in a number and a light changes state to convey locked/unlocked) is useless in and of itself. OTOH, replace the light with a solenoid and it can actually hold a door/drawer "locked". But, that then poses the need for a design tweek as you wouldn't want to have the solenoid engaged constantly to "open the door"; nor would you want to have to manually relock the device just to release the solenoid.

                          Now, the kid has a 90% solution and has to think about how to get from there to the practical solution that he desires!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

                            Originally posted by EasyGoing1 View Post
                            Like you, I also learned by simply reading and searching for knowledge then solving problems I wanted to solve ... maybe a program that would help me check my math homework, or often finding a way to make copies of copy-protected games ... at 16, I learned how to write data to the sectors of a floppy disk which I did ... what I remember was that I was able to define a data record each with specific items in the record ... I used that program to store my McDonalds paystub information such as FICA deductions etc. that was when the minimum wage was only $3.25 an hour. I didn't realize until I got my first exposure to SQL when I was about 25, that I had actually created a very rudimentary database using disk sectors as raw data storage ...
                            My first "programming" experience with computers was an ASR33 via a 300 baud modem to a remotely located minicomputer (I'd played games -- Empire -- on The Plato System before that -- click the links for more info). After that, I "advanced" to punching cards for a small IBM mainframe. By the time I got to High School, I suspect I was the only student griping about the fact that our school system had NO computers. And, after lobbying officials about it, they managed to get a "toy" computer (can you spell Wang?) three years later -- after I was gone!

                            I see computers as a double-edged sword in this sort of endeavor (inspiring kids to STEM). They are affordable and ubiquitous. But, really only show you one small sliver of what you can do with technology -- moving pixels around on a screen. This is such a passive activity that it is too easy to avoid (by contrast, if you've got the heads off a '67 Chevy sitting in a pile on the garage floor, you can't ignore them for long without catching hell from SOMEONE!)

                            [Work done ON a computer only ever clutters up a virtual desktop -- so, its never as urgent as activities that are consuming physical space! (and pissing off your parents!)]
                            Last edited by Curious.George; 02-15-2020, 01:44 PM.

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                              #15
                              Re: Looking for advice in tutoring a child in basic electronics

                              Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
                              I think you learn much more from the "things that went wrong" than from the things that went right.
                              I have to agree with you on this point of view

                              For me I learn a hole lot more when this happens

                              Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
                              Do you ever analyze all of the stuff that "just worked" to understand WHY it worked?
                              Probably not—> unless you are interested in that subject


                              Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
                              By contrast, you're forced (coerced?) to think about the things that didn't work -- to sort out why they failed.
                              Yes if things do not go as planned then you are forced into looking at in that way if you want fix what wrong with it

                              This concept is very hard for people in general to understand


                              I had a quick look at this website

                              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLATO_...uter_system%29

                              When I more time I will read the hole thing I found the part that I did read very interesting
                              Last edited by sam_sam_sam; 02-15-2020, 02:46 PM.
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