Today, in Mr. Ambrose's physics class, we introduced the bridges project. I went through the handout, and then showed them how you could work through a bridge truss, with the knowledge they already have, to find the forces present in each link. The point I wanted them to take away, and I think most of them got it, is that it's really just an application of what they already know. Then, they were instructed to form groups of up to three, and on Monday we'll start building. When the project is done, we'll test them to make sure they hold the required 2 pounds of weight, and then the lightest one that meets specifications gets extra credit points. Some of the students seem very enthusiastic, but there are a few who aren't. One young woman was not only not paying attention as the project was described, she was actively ignoring me and working on something else. That's a little bit discouraging - not only does it show a lack of interest, but I feel it shows a lack of respect. On the other hand, some of them were jumping in enthusiastically. They were a bit unruly - jumping in and interrupting at times - but at least it was obvious they were paying attention to what was going on, and they cared. I just wish I had a good way to handle people who are very obvious about their disinterest - a sarcastic remark isn't very adult or very professional, and a request to pay attention gets ignored.
In Ms. Colwell's advanced algebra class, they learned about radical equations, and how to solve them. She also pointed out that in these equations it's possible to find false solutions - things that fall out of totally valid math when you solve them, but are not themselves correct solutions when you plug them back in to check. She also gave a quiz, and while the students took the quiz, we talked about logs. They're going to be getting into logarithms, and she'd like me to give them some perspective on what logs are used for. I can certainly do that - starting with the log scale, which is used so often to plot things, and then logs fall naturally out of so many other things. On Monday, I'll have to talk to her about when would be the best time for that.
Next week, I'll be in on Monday, but not on Friday - it's Good Friday, and like University of Michigan, the Ypsilanti Public Schools are closed.
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Diane,
I am glad to hear that most of the students were enthusiastic about building bridges. It is good that you pointed out that the students would be using physics concepts that they had already learned. My suggestion for dealing with the reluctant student would be to quietly ask her why she is not interested in the project. It could be she had a deadline in another class; while it is not appropriate for her to work on the work, her inattentiveness may have more to do with her than your presentation. Depending on the response you could explain to her that you had spent extra time preparing this project and would appreciate her attention. Also check with Mr. Ambrose.
Thanks for being there to add this hands on dimension to our students' learning.
Carol Cramer
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