Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Blog post - geology is different
As we venture off into geology I want to re-visit our thinking about process of science. Geology is different from physics in terms of process - way different. Both seek to understand phenomenon in the natural world but pursue questions in different ways. In physics we did experiments and were able to control variables. In geology we rely more on observations of natural phenomena and features; it is hard to control earthquakes or volcanic eruptions! Geology is more of a narrative science. We collect data and construct stories that include predictions and explanations. Some technical terms. Whereas physics (and chemistry) are analytical sciences, geology (anthropology, cosmology and some parts of biology) can be viewed as hermeneutic or narrative sciences; that is they involve interpretation of features that can not only be difficult to do but open to dispute and discussion. As we do more geology I will be asking you to reflect more on these differences.
Blog 3/28/12
Greetings
I hope everyone is doing well. This will be a long blog, but important. Please take the time to read through this...
The exam - as I said was difficult to grade due to poor performance. I Googled the 7 stages of grief and I definitely went through all of them! I am now at the "Acceptance and Hope" stage so I have made it a quick journey. I want you to know that I went through these stages because I care about my students' learning, so if you did not perform well no the exam I want to encourage you to renew your efforts, keep engaged and ask questions!
The average of the exam was a 52%, pretty low. I graded them 0-4 using the percentage as a basis: 0 = unacceptable; 1- below expectations; 2- meets expectations; 3- above expectations. You can find you grade on the your SBG sheet. For the low grades I included what your grade looked like if I only included those multiple choice questions that were on the pre-test. Even those grades were low! I also included how many times you did the pre-tests and your high scores.
I also did some reflection on the grades and my observations of student behavior, attitude and efforts within the group work. Honestly, there were very few surprises when you include some of these affective aspects into the grading. Before I enumerate these, I realize that instructional contingencies play a role in student performance - perhaps I was not clear about expectations or learning goals or something else. I am aware of this potential and am trying to address these in my teaching although I think I have been pretty clear about what I expect; maybe not clear enough. Here is what I have noted about performance.
Those who received 3 as a score tend to be group leaders or quietly involved in all aspects of the course. They rarely, if ever, miss or are late for class. Some in this group had significant previous knowledge and experience with physics. They appear to be rarely distracted by other things during the class. All of them have very positive attitudes about learning.
3 out of the 4 who received 2's have missed a lot of class. Perhaps they will do better if they come more regularly. The other person missed a couple of questions on material that was not part of the pre-test; this student works hard and I believe understands the material better than the grade.
The group who received 1's tend to miss class or come very late. Also people in this group seem to be distracted during class, especially by electronic media.
The group who received the lowest grade (0 - not acceptable) are not the group leaders, probably rely too much on other group members to complete tasks, and therefore do not gain the same level of understanding. Some students in this group have missed a lot of class or did not come to the test. They also tend to come late to class. Some of these students probably did not understand a lot of what we did and should have asked more questions. Many of these people have higher scores when you only count the multiple choice questions form the pre-test. They probably only studied by doing the pretest although only one of the did the pre-test more then once. Perhaps just seeing the questions a couple of times has helped them. Within this group there are 3 subgroups:
And I will leave you with a story. During my first semester in college I took a 200 level religion class that was way over my head. I was blown away receiving a ZERO on the first essay exam. And there were only 3 exams for the class. It was devastating. I just did not know how to study. But, I stuck with it, did better on the other exams and salvage a decent grade. I also got to know the religion professor very well, because I was always in his office, and for a bit considered pursuing a religion degree. The morale of the story (and you probably have ones as well) is to stick with it, work hard, enjoy the learning and good things will happen.
Please let me know if you have questions or comments.
See you tomorrow - dessert will be served.
Be well
Matt
I hope everyone is doing well. This will be a long blog, but important. Please take the time to read through this...
The exam - as I said was difficult to grade due to poor performance. I Googled the 7 stages of grief and I definitely went through all of them! I am now at the "Acceptance and Hope" stage so I have made it a quick journey. I want you to know that I went through these stages because I care about my students' learning, so if you did not perform well no the exam I want to encourage you to renew your efforts, keep engaged and ask questions!
The average of the exam was a 52%, pretty low. I graded them 0-4 using the percentage as a basis: 0 = unacceptable; 1- below expectations; 2- meets expectations; 3- above expectations. You can find you grade on the your SBG sheet. For the low grades I included what your grade looked like if I only included those multiple choice questions that were on the pre-test. Even those grades were low! I also included how many times you did the pre-tests and your high scores.
I also did some reflection on the grades and my observations of student behavior, attitude and efforts within the group work. Honestly, there were very few surprises when you include some of these affective aspects into the grading. Before I enumerate these, I realize that instructional contingencies play a role in student performance - perhaps I was not clear about expectations or learning goals or something else. I am aware of this potential and am trying to address these in my teaching although I think I have been pretty clear about what I expect; maybe not clear enough. Here is what I have noted about performance.
Those who received 3 as a score tend to be group leaders or quietly involved in all aspects of the course. They rarely, if ever, miss or are late for class. Some in this group had significant previous knowledge and experience with physics. They appear to be rarely distracted by other things during the class. All of them have very positive attitudes about learning.
3 out of the 4 who received 2's have missed a lot of class. Perhaps they will do better if they come more regularly. The other person missed a couple of questions on material that was not part of the pre-test; this student works hard and I believe understands the material better than the grade.
The group who received 1's tend to miss class or come very late. Also people in this group seem to be distracted during class, especially by electronic media.
The group who received the lowest grade (0 - not acceptable) are not the group leaders, probably rely too much on other group members to complete tasks, and therefore do not gain the same level of understanding. Some students in this group have missed a lot of class or did not come to the test. They also tend to come late to class. Some of these students probably did not understand a lot of what we did and should have asked more questions. Many of these people have higher scores when you only count the multiple choice questions form the pre-test. They probably only studied by doing the pretest although only one of the did the pre-test more then once. Perhaps just seeing the questions a couple of times has helped them. Within this group there are 3 subgroups:
- One group includes people who have missed a lot of class or are always late
- One group includes people who struggled with the content, may have relied too much on leaders and should have asked more questions
- One group is very distracted during class and don't participate in group dialogue or work to any great extent.
And I will leave you with a story. During my first semester in college I took a 200 level religion class that was way over my head. I was blown away receiving a ZERO on the first essay exam. And there were only 3 exams for the class. It was devastating. I just did not know how to study. But, I stuck with it, did better on the other exams and salvage a decent grade. I also got to know the religion professor very well, because I was always in his office, and for a bit considered pursuing a religion degree. The morale of the story (and you probably have ones as well) is to stick with it, work hard, enjoy the learning and good things will happen.
Please let me know if you have questions or comments.
See you tomorrow - dessert will be served.
Be well
Matt
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Blog 3-21-12
Greetings - I hope everyone is well.
For tomorrow we have two rather large tasks to attend - you need to have your presentation ready to roll. I am excited to see all of them. Each group has explored a different avenue to collect data, so there should be a lot of diversity. Good luck with finishing them up!
The second item is the exam. Perhaps one thing I did not stress is that you should know all of the formulas by heart. You should also know Newton's Three Laws of Motion by heart. The questions will only cover force and motion concepts; no energy questions. We really did not cover these concepts in any depth. Perhaps we will try to get to those in either earth science or astronomy. If you work through the questions on WebCT you should do ok. Good luck.
For this part of the semester in regard to our work in science and learning I am entertaining the idea of investigating the concept of neuroplasticity and perhaps some applications of neuroscience to education. I am going to investigate some resources on Friday and hopefully have some prepared for next week.
And next week we will be starting geology by investigating plate tectonics. On Tuesday during class we will be doing a pre-test so we can set the stage on our current content knowledge.
Good luck with everything and please let me know if you have questions.
For tomorrow we have two rather large tasks to attend - you need to have your presentation ready to roll. I am excited to see all of them. Each group has explored a different avenue to collect data, so there should be a lot of diversity. Good luck with finishing them up!
The second item is the exam. Perhaps one thing I did not stress is that you should know all of the formulas by heart. You should also know Newton's Three Laws of Motion by heart. The questions will only cover force and motion concepts; no energy questions. We really did not cover these concepts in any depth. Perhaps we will try to get to those in either earth science or astronomy. If you work through the questions on WebCT you should do ok. Good luck.
For this part of the semester in regard to our work in science and learning I am entertaining the idea of investigating the concept of neuroplasticity and perhaps some applications of neuroscience to education. I am going to investigate some resources on Friday and hopefully have some prepared for next week.
And next week we will be starting geology by investigating plate tectonics. On Tuesday during class we will be doing a pre-test so we can set the stage on our current content knowledge.
Good luck with everything and please let me know if you have questions.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Blog 3-6-12
Good morning everyone -
I hope all is well.
As we catapult towards spring break my blogs are getting shorter and shorter. Too much to do? A lot of other things going on, etc. A busy time for all.
I am compiling preliminary grades for everyone. This grade will be based on the blogs related to creativity, scientific process and the physics blog that you submitted. So, this is a limited sampling but should provide a guidepost for you work and effort in the class. Many people have opted not to complete the blogs, so their grades are VERY low. This is discouraging. There will be opportunities to improve these grades but to do so, you have to get it done. If you have questions, please let me know. And I am always available for assistance!
This week we will be working on our group physics project, which will be due the Thursday after spring break. I will have a list/rubric available later that provides specific details about requirements. I will be late for class on Thursday as I am returning from Las Vegas. So, official class will start at 12 noon and if you prefer to work on your own, the class is optional. I will be there to help.
I just finished reading a book by Susan Cain called "Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World Where People Can't Stop Talking". It was quite good although an introvert writing about introversion is somewhat of an oxymoron - wouldn't you expect introverts to keep it to themselves? In many ways I thought the book was important and has some application to teaching and learning. For example, group work is a big part of our work and likely will be for those going into teaching. And even for those going into other fields. But where does that leave the person who would rather slave away on their own? Or finds their learning hampered by the logistics and commitment required for group work? So, this is something I am going to reflect on and perhaps adjust a wee bit the emphasis on group projects. Maybe we can develop more of a dynamic between the individual and the group so that people can toggle in-and-out of these different modes?
If you are interested, and I think you should be, here is a very recent TED talk by Susan Cain
Susan Cain - Introverts
That is it - see you later this AM
Matt
I hope all is well.
As we catapult towards spring break my blogs are getting shorter and shorter. Too much to do? A lot of other things going on, etc. A busy time for all.
I am compiling preliminary grades for everyone. This grade will be based on the blogs related to creativity, scientific process and the physics blog that you submitted. So, this is a limited sampling but should provide a guidepost for you work and effort in the class. Many people have opted not to complete the blogs, so their grades are VERY low. This is discouraging. There will be opportunities to improve these grades but to do so, you have to get it done. If you have questions, please let me know. And I am always available for assistance!
This week we will be working on our group physics project, which will be due the Thursday after spring break. I will have a list/rubric available later that provides specific details about requirements. I will be late for class on Thursday as I am returning from Las Vegas. So, official class will start at 12 noon and if you prefer to work on your own, the class is optional. I will be there to help.
I just finished reading a book by Susan Cain called "Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World Where People Can't Stop Talking". It was quite good although an introvert writing about introversion is somewhat of an oxymoron - wouldn't you expect introverts to keep it to themselves? In many ways I thought the book was important and has some application to teaching and learning. For example, group work is a big part of our work and likely will be for those going into teaching. And even for those going into other fields. But where does that leave the person who would rather slave away on their own? Or finds their learning hampered by the logistics and commitment required for group work? So, this is something I am going to reflect on and perhaps adjust a wee bit the emphasis on group projects. Maybe we can develop more of a dynamic between the individual and the group so that people can toggle in-and-out of these different modes?
If you are interested, and I think you should be, here is a very recent TED talk by Susan Cain
Susan Cain - Introverts
That is it - see you later this AM
Matt
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Blog 3-1-12
Good morning NTSC'ers:
Happy March 1st - I hope everyone is well.
Just a quick post - gotta get the kids ready for school.
Today we will have a traditional lecture where I will try to summarize the important aspects of Newton's Laws of Motion and energy. My path here is to have given you chance to learn (re-learn) some of these concepts using the videos and experiments and then to provide the summary to solidify your knowledge. I hope it works.
I also want you to take a 12 question quiz (open notes and blogs) related to what we have been doing in class. This is my post assessment that will hopefully track our learning.
And then we are going to start our independent motion projects. This is the third prong of our work in physics, the other two being the shorter projects (that you have been putting on your blog) and the exam (which will be a take home exam). We will start the independent project by doing another round of question development, like we did at the beginning of the semester.
That's all - see you soon.
Matt
Happy March 1st - I hope everyone is well.
Just a quick post - gotta get the kids ready for school.
Today we will have a traditional lecture where I will try to summarize the important aspects of Newton's Laws of Motion and energy. My path here is to have given you chance to learn (re-learn) some of these concepts using the videos and experiments and then to provide the summary to solidify your knowledge. I hope it works.
I also want you to take a 12 question quiz (open notes and blogs) related to what we have been doing in class. This is my post assessment that will hopefully track our learning.
And then we are going to start our independent motion projects. This is the third prong of our work in physics, the other two being the shorter projects (that you have been putting on your blog) and the exam (which will be a take home exam). We will start the independent project by doing another round of question development, like we did at the beginning of the semester.
That's all - see you soon.
Matt
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Blog 2-28-2012
Good morning NTSC'ers
I hope you are all well...
Our progress through physics has (hopefully) followed these steps:
Describing motion - Quantifying motion - Explaining motion
The explaining motion is embodied in Newton's Laws of Motion. As indicated by the Khan videos - Newton's proposals were revolutionary and fundamentally changed how humans viewed and understood the natural world. They seem so common sense but, when view in depth, are quite profound. I hope you have gathered this as well. I will be expanding on this during our class.
We will be exploring the next subject day - energy! The connection to motion is what? Well, in order to move you need energy, right. So prior to motion there must be stored energy. Therefore we can separate energy into two categories: what is stored (has potential) and that is used during motion (kinetic). We will be exploring these in more detail today! And may use more Khan videos...
I have been exploring the connection between learning and creativity some more. Another blogger from Scientific American provided some details on how our society, although "supports" creativity is some ways, actually dissuades people from being too creative. The argument is that creativity breeds a bit of dissonance in our society; breaking norms and challenging the status quo. And perhaps, those creative types just don't really fit into our labeled and categorized society? Is this true? Sure, the Steve Jobs of the world are lionized because they find a way to maximize their creativity into something coveted by society (think iPads and iPhones) but not ever creative person is so "lucky". Sir Isaac Newton was, to be blunt, a very strange, reclusive person who in the end was enshrined in Western civilization but certainly did not "fit" in to many cultural norms. The blogger provided a link to an article that described a research project that looked at teachers' attitudes toward creative students. In short, teachers tended to not favor those creative, disruptive types but rather the ones that towed the line - did what was asked with few questions. I was one of the students. Above all I wanted the teacher's approval and to be seen as "the good kid". I remember those wise a.. kids in the back who were always in trouble. Maybe they were the creative ones? Now I do like to think of myself as a bit creative - or at least open to trying creative things in the classroom. So, as with most research, there are exceptions. Right. You may have also been one of those "good students" but still have a creative flame. Perhaps the take away message is to develop a lens (whether you are a teacher to be or not) that can modify our perspectives to be open to all types of learners. Of course there are some norms that have to be rock solid - anarchy does not work in a 3rd grade class. But we can develop skills and strategies that facilitate a more broad based educational and intellectual atmosphere. A real challenge.
Gotta run
See you soon
Matt
I hope you are all well...
Our progress through physics has (hopefully) followed these steps:
Describing motion - Quantifying motion - Explaining motion
The explaining motion is embodied in Newton's Laws of Motion. As indicated by the Khan videos - Newton's proposals were revolutionary and fundamentally changed how humans viewed and understood the natural world. They seem so common sense but, when view in depth, are quite profound. I hope you have gathered this as well. I will be expanding on this during our class.
We will be exploring the next subject day - energy! The connection to motion is what? Well, in order to move you need energy, right. So prior to motion there must be stored energy. Therefore we can separate energy into two categories: what is stored (has potential) and that is used during motion (kinetic). We will be exploring these in more detail today! And may use more Khan videos...
I have been exploring the connection between learning and creativity some more. Another blogger from Scientific American provided some details on how our society, although "supports" creativity is some ways, actually dissuades people from being too creative. The argument is that creativity breeds a bit of dissonance in our society; breaking norms and challenging the status quo. And perhaps, those creative types just don't really fit into our labeled and categorized society? Is this true? Sure, the Steve Jobs of the world are lionized because they find a way to maximize their creativity into something coveted by society (think iPads and iPhones) but not ever creative person is so "lucky". Sir Isaac Newton was, to be blunt, a very strange, reclusive person who in the end was enshrined in Western civilization but certainly did not "fit" in to many cultural norms. The blogger provided a link to an article that described a research project that looked at teachers' attitudes toward creative students. In short, teachers tended to not favor those creative, disruptive types but rather the ones that towed the line - did what was asked with few questions. I was one of the students. Above all I wanted the teacher's approval and to be seen as "the good kid". I remember those wise a.. kids in the back who were always in trouble. Maybe they were the creative ones? Now I do like to think of myself as a bit creative - or at least open to trying creative things in the classroom. So, as with most research, there are exceptions. Right. You may have also been one of those "good students" but still have a creative flame. Perhaps the take away message is to develop a lens (whether you are a teacher to be or not) that can modify our perspectives to be open to all types of learners. Of course there are some norms that have to be rock solid - anarchy does not work in a 3rd grade class. But we can develop skills and strategies that facilitate a more broad based educational and intellectual atmosphere. A real challenge.
Gotta run
See you soon
Matt
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Blog Update 2/22/12
Good morning NTSC'ers
I hope everyone is well!
I would wager that the success of yesterday's class was bimodal: those who did the experiment with the golf balls and got excellent results probably felt like Isaac Newton! The tennis ball group, where the results were not quite as good, probably did not feel the same synergy. What this really illustrates is that measurement for objects in freefall is VERY difficult, especially with hand held stopwatches. For example, the difference between 1.3 seconds and 1.5 seconds is 15%, and that is about the difference between success (a ~ 10 m/s2) and being not so successful. This is why Galileo and other physicists used ramps; measurement was much easier. We could probably use some better technology to run this experiment as well - something like light gates that automatically stop when passed. What we REALLY should be doing is going back out and re-running the experiment to get better values or at least check our results. Perhaps that vortex does exist! But we should move no. THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of this exercise is using the equations:
a = 1/2at(squared)
average v = d/t
instantaneous v = 2 x average velocity
and interpreting the graphs. From these graphs you should be able to develop a motion and vector map! Can you do this.
Tomorrow we will watch another cool TED video about education and then do some small group investigation and documentation of Newton's Laws of Motion. It will be fun.
See you then.
Be well
Matt
I hope everyone is well!
I would wager that the success of yesterday's class was bimodal: those who did the experiment with the golf balls and got excellent results probably felt like Isaac Newton! The tennis ball group, where the results were not quite as good, probably did not feel the same synergy. What this really illustrates is that measurement for objects in freefall is VERY difficult, especially with hand held stopwatches. For example, the difference between 1.3 seconds and 1.5 seconds is 15%, and that is about the difference between success (a ~ 10 m/s2) and being not so successful. This is why Galileo and other physicists used ramps; measurement was much easier. We could probably use some better technology to run this experiment as well - something like light gates that automatically stop when passed. What we REALLY should be doing is going back out and re-running the experiment to get better values or at least check our results. Perhaps that vortex does exist! But we should move no. THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of this exercise is using the equations:
a = 1/2at(squared)
average v = d/t
instantaneous v = 2 x average velocity
and interpreting the graphs. From these graphs you should be able to develop a motion and vector map! Can you do this.
Tomorrow we will watch another cool TED video about education and then do some small group investigation and documentation of Newton's Laws of Motion. It will be fun.
See you then.
Be well
Matt
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