The Parable of “Add the Egg !”

Cake mixes were introduced because people wanted to bake cakes with little to no fuss or muss. These cake mixes required no preparation other than requiring the user to add water.

The cake mixes did not sell well and were ultimately withdrawn from the stores.

In order to address this failure in marketing the product it was suggested that the cake mix be made without powdered egg. This would require the user to add a fresh egg. When this was done, cake mixes began to sell well.

Would-be cake bakers could now feel that they participated meaningfully in the act of baking.

Why do I tell this story?

In the collection of applets on this website I have tried to have the accompanying text of every applet end with the question

What questions could/would you ask your students based on this applet?

I believe this question can be the EGG that helps the teacher develop a sense of ownership of the material that he or she is teaching. I hope that this EGG is the ingredient that leads organically to the growth of curiosity and exploration by the teachers who use this site and ultimately, by their students.