RS_Naifeh @RS_Naifeh@qoto.org
@kellylepo magnificent!
As a teacher, you cheer for all students. But there's a special thrill when a student who, through sickness or confusion or laziness, digs themselves into a hole ... And then actually starts succeeding again. Everyone loves a redemption plot.
Which is to say, CONGRATULATIONS TO NASA AND THE ULA FOR LAUNCHING ARTEMIS 1! Spaceflight is a very hard subject, and we're all cheering for you to continue to improve as the program goes on!
@retronav if you want ambient plus 8-bit plus cinematic, I really love Ben Prunty. Discovered him via the FTL soundtrack; he really makes me feel like I'm in space, boldly pressing forward. Great work music.
@sturgman I could run my mouth a bit, but the best place I'd like to point you is to the American Modeling Teaching Association. The podcast Science Modeling Talks it's put out by them. They have a lot of good tricks--and they're moving a lot towards a really cool, coding-based Computational Physics framework that seems really cool. Not sure I could get that implemented for Freshmen at my particular school, but still very cool.
@fcjz I'm assuming this is about the Physics thing? One early mystery is that you have two acceleration equations: vf=vi+at, and xf=1/2at^2 + vit +xi.
I don't give students these equations; I give them lessons in how to use lab equipment, and have them discover them experimentally, especially when they compare their results to each others'. But even then, I get groups to interrogate each other until they are able to explain these equations multiple ways. And it makes sense to them that, for instance, your change in velocity is your acceleration times time. But what really doesn't make sense is why there is an 1/2 in the 1/2 at^2, unless the students have really internalized calculus.
So I actually hype up the mystery. Role-play the frustration: where the heck is this 1/2 coming from?!? Then eventually we learn about average velocity, and everything makes sense.
@RL_Dane I'm always dancing gleefully on the edge of despair and exuberance! St. Ephram, iirc, said you should "look into the abyss until you can stand it no longer, then draw back and have a cup of tea." Change that to triple Mocha Monster, and you have my life in a nutshell!
The more I think about it, the more I think "we hold these truths to be self-evident," and not the following sentiment about equality, is the true American creed.
Never in its history has America acted as though "all men are created equal." But we are very, very good at mass movements centered around often-novel, "self-evident" truths.
religion, social media
Saw this and suddenly...it's suddenly hard to have unsubtle critiques of social media, as a Christian.
I mean, when the founder of my faith said things like "if you're this type of person, you might as well drown with a millstone around your neck," and the first major missionary/coordinator said things like, "I wish these folks would just castrate themselves," it's hard to see anything as off-limits!
Rhetoric is complicated, folks!
It's funny. If someone had asked me, seven years ago, "what is the key principle of teaching Physics," I would never have said "mystery." Now it would be at least a top-3 idea.
The only way I know how to teach is this:
1) Students summarize their understanding.
2) We poke the universe with some experiment or activity.
3) Students admit that this makes no sense.
4) We name the mystery.
5) We use logic, more experiments, graphs, etc. to solve the mystery.
6) Students summarize their (new) understanding four ways, naming this their "current model."
7) We poke the universe again, and the cycle of confusion-->named mystery-->model begins again.
Okay, that's hilarious!
Gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.
Full-time Physics teacher, part time board game designer, once and future novelist, parent, Anglican. Interested in life, the universe, and everything, of course. Trying to figure out how to live wisely, justly, and with a sense of wonder. Have a PhD in medieval literature, which is surprisingly helpful in the AP Physics classroom.
Not terse.
