1 min read
What happens when students can explain an answer but struggle to build, measure, or test it? In this episode of the PocketLab Podcast, Dave talks with Temple Grandin about why hands-on learning matters—and how K–12 science teachers can help students connect abstract ideas to the physical world.
Temple makes the case for introducing practical problem-solving early, giving students opportunities to move from building with Legos to using tools, making scale drawings, and applying math to real measurements. She shares how concrete examples—from carpet and concrete to her “Denver Airport Units”—can make unfamiliar concepts easier to grasp and give students different ways to demonstrate their understanding.
The conversation explores differences between object visualizers and pattern thinkers, sensory experiences that can shape learning, and why students whose strengths emerge through practical work need opportunities to develop those abilities. Drawing on examples from the trades, veterinary work, and medicine, Temple challenges educators to consider which talents traditional academic pathways recognize—and which they may overlook.
As AI changes how students approach writing and research, Temple also argues for teaching them to examine primary sources, think before they search, and exercise their own judgment. For science teachers, the conversation offers a starting point for connecting classroom investigations with skills students can use beyond school: careful observation, measurement, building, and testing ideas.
Find Dr. Grandin's books here: https://www.templegrandin.com/templegrandinbooks.html
ABOUT DR. Grandin
Temple Grandin is a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed for handling livestock are used by many companies around the world. She has also been instrumental in implementing animal welfare auditing programs that are used by McDonalds, Wendy’s, Whole Foods, and other corporations. She has been featured on NPR (National Public Radio) and a BBC Special – "The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow". She has also appeared on National TV shows such as Larry King Live, 20/20, 60 Minutes, Fox and Friends, and she has a 2010 TED talk. Articles about Dr. Grandin have appeared in Time Magazine, New York Times, Discover Magazine, Forbes and USA Today. HBO made an Emmy Award-winning movie about her life and she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.
Connect with Dr. Grandin at https://www.templegrandin.com/
