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| Shaping the Environment |
Shaping the Environment
One last approach to avoiding problems is to shape your environment so that events and activities lead naturally to the intended result with minimal intervention.
As a very simple example, the drain in any bathtub is located at the lowest point so that water will drain completely when the plug is pulled. If the drain were located anywhere else in the tub, there would always be extra work required to remove all the water after a bath.
The Montessori method of education makes frequent use of equipment that is selfevaluating.
If children can place sets of geometric shapes in the corresponding recessed places on a board, then they can see for themselves that the task has been completed correctly. If a child can prepare fruit and pour juice without an accident, then they have obviously succeeded in serving a snack.
A proper fence around a yard can provide a safe place for children to play with minimal supervision.
In industry it is easier to operate in a neat control room with clearly labelled dials and colour coded switches than it is if all the switches and dials look alike and are distributed across a control panel at random.
Building a canal can simplify the transport of goods by water. Building a bridge across a valley can simplify travel. Reducing air pollution can ease suffering due to asthma and allergies.
Shaping your environment using elements of design, engineering, and creativity can eliminate a host of potential problems before they occur.
One last approach to avoiding problems is to shape your environment so that events and activities lead naturally to the intended result with minimal intervention.
As a very simple example, the drain in any bathtub is located at the lowest point so that water will drain completely when the plug is pulled. If the drain were located anywhere else in the tub, there would always be extra work required to remove all the water after a bath.
The Montessori method of education makes frequent use of equipment that is selfevaluating.
If children can place sets of geometric shapes in the corresponding recessed places on a board, then they can see for themselves that the task has been completed correctly. If a child can prepare fruit and pour juice without an accident, then they have obviously succeeded in serving a snack.
A proper fence around a yard can provide a safe place for children to play with minimal supervision.
In industry it is easier to operate in a neat control room with clearly labelled dials and colour coded switches than it is if all the switches and dials look alike and are distributed across a control panel at random.
Building a canal can simplify the transport of goods by water. Building a bridge across a valley can simplify travel. Reducing air pollution can ease suffering due to asthma and allergies.
Shaping your environment using elements of design, engineering, and creativity can eliminate a host of potential problems before they occur.
