tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27557427279626737912024-02-01T22:14:05.743-05:00Teaching Is . . .A Framework for Understanding, Studying, and Assessing TeachingBill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-64460526690190902642023-07-24T14:25:00.007-04:002023-07-24T16:25:46.201-04:00David Labaree - Targeting Teachers<div><p><i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i> <br /></p><p>David Labaree is a historian and retired Professor of Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. This essay is taken from his website (<a href="https://davidlabaree.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">https://davidlabaree.wordpress.com/</a>). He introduces the essay thus:</p><p>In this piece, I explore a major problem I have with recent
educational policy discourse — the way we have turned teachers from the
heroes of the public school story to its villains. If students are
failing, we now hear, it is the fault of teachers. This targeting of
teachers employs a new form of educational firepower, value-added
measures. I show how this measure misses the mark by profoundly
misunderstanding the nature of teaching as a professional practice,
which has the following core characteristics:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Teaching is hard
<ul><li>Teachers depend on their students for their professional success</li><li>Students are conscripts in the classroom</li><li>Teachers need to develop a complex teacher persona in order to manage their relationship with students</li><li>Teachers need to carry out their practice under conditions of high uncertainty</li></ul>
</li><li>Teaching looks easy
<ul><li>It looks like an extension of child raising</li><li>It is widely familiar to anyone who has been a student</li><li>The knowledge and skills that teachers teach are ones that most competent adults have</li><li>Unlike any other professionals, teachers give away their
expertise instead of renting it to the client, so success means your
students no longer need you</li></ul>
</li><li>Teachers are an easy target
<ul><li>Teachers are too visible to be inscrutable and too numerous to be elite</li><li>They don’t have the distance, obscurity, and selectivity of
the high professions — so no one is willing to bow to their authority or
yield to their expertise</li></ul></li></ul>Here's the link to the essay on his website: <a href="https://davidlabaree.wordpress.com/2023/07/20/targeting-teachers-3/" target="_blank">https://davidlabaree.wordpress.com/2023/07/20/targeting-teachers-3/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the link to the original publication in <i>Dissent</i>, 2011: <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RvOPUrxd9UKMJGDPLB7UY5ZFlzrUmsHf" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RvOPUrxd9UKMJGDPLB7UY5ZFlzrUmsHf</a><br /></div><div><div> <div>
</div></div></div>Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-66069556902653028552019-12-01T21:30:00.000-05:002019-12-02T12:13:57.455-05:00The Collision that Formed the Moon<i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
<br />
I was poking around YouTube looking at videos about where the Earth's Moon came from. The currently accepted theory is called the Giant Impact Hypothesis. Though details differ, the main idea is that a smaller planet collided with the early Earth, and the Moon arose from the resulting debris. This hypothesis continues to be tweaked to this day, and other hypotheses continue to be proposed, all because details remain in the existing evidence that are unaccounted for. It's both delightful and a little surprising that the research is still quite active.<br />
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I was looking for an up-to-date simulation of the Giant Impact as opposed to an artist's interpretation. I was hoping that, given the current state of computer simulations, there might be something amazing available. There are older videos on YouTube about the Giant Impact which use pretty impressive artist's interpretations. But artists will sometimes take liberties with the physics if it makes the animation more engaging. What I wanted my students to see was a computer simulation that is based on a mathematical model that is allowed to run unedited and unimpeded. Like this:<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wfImQOZp3hE?modestbranding=1&fs=0&showinfo=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="border: none; height: 225px; margin-left: 75px; overflow: hidden; width: 400px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
This is clearly a simulation, probably run on a supercomputer. There is no question that the imagery is based on a model. You can even see the individual elements, almost like little blobs, for which calculations are being run to determine the next state of each blob.<br />
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Eventually I came across this video:<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PnhflL7-I3I?modestbranding=1&fs=0&showinfo=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="border: none; height: 225px; margin-left: 75px; overflow: hidden; width: 400px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
I loved this simulation. You can see the resemblance to the one above. The video is obviously a clip from a longer video, but no credit was given. So I hunted and hunted until I found the source:<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o2lRpiediP8?modestbranding=1&fs=0&showinfo=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="border: none; height: 331px; margin-left: -20px; overflow: hidden; width: 591px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
This is a longer video featuring the work of Dr Robin M Canup, who is also narrating. Dr Canup is associated with the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder CO, where she has used supercomputer simulations to create and build her Moon-formation models. She has also participated in the production of "data-driven cinematic animations," like the one in the video above.<br />
<br />
This video is a preview of a portion of a Fulldome Planetarium show called "The Birth of Planet Earth," produced by Spitz Creative Media, the Advanced Visualization Lab of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, and Thomas Lucas Productions, Inc., set for release in 2019. (More details in <a href="https://bluewaters.ncsa.illinois.edu/liferay-content/document-library/BW-Annual-Report-2018/bwar18_cox.pdf" target="_blank">this report</a> and in <a href="http://www.ncsa.illinois.edu/enabling/vis/cadens/documentary/birth_of_planet_earth" target="_blank">this website</a>).<br />
<br />
As nice as this 2018 mini-documentary is, I still wanted just the simulation, so I edited it out of the video as its own clip and stripped the audio. I thought about adding some kind of background music, or using music from the original video. Dr Canup's narration was pretty good, but just not lined up with the simulation clip. I really liked the idea of the female narrator also being the physicist whose work this was - something I'd be proud to point out to my students. So I copied the audio of her narration (with the music), added it to my clip, tweaked the timing a bit, faded the ends, and then had to stall the beginning of the clip to fit the whole audio. I built an elaborate fade-in with the visuals so the stall would feel more natural. It also allows the viewer a chance to focus on Dr Canup before the visual effects of the collision take over. Here is the final result:<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Lr2dXqkYOg?modestbranding=1&fs=0&showinfo=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="border: none; height: 331px; margin-left: -20px; overflow: hidden; width: 591px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
A final note: Dr Canup appears in an earlier, similar production created for the History channel in 2007. There's a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibV4MdN5wo0" target="_blank">low resolution version</a> of it on YouTube.<br />
Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-36520124607393169672019-12-01T15:35:00.001-05:002019-12-01T15:39:32.837-05:00New Demonstrations<i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
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A couple of new quick labs for my students this fall. Thanks physics Twitter!<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I finally bought zcars and had students do this lab - worked great! Thanks for the idea. We graphed a-t using Desmos and later graphed v-t by hand. We used half-second intervals, a little fast for some students who were caught off guard by the acceleration. <a href="https://t.co/3xXjdBN8eE">https://t.co/3xXjdBN8eE</a></p>— William H Calhoun (@wmhcalhoun) <a href="https://twitter.com/wmhcalhoun/status/1199495815036837888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It took an hour or more of digging through a lot of old equipment and odds-and-ends, but I finally did it. Assigned different tasks to different tables: measuring different weights, computing, diagramming, set-up, etc. Thanks for the inspiration! <a href="https://t.co/AcvesVcUGF">https://t.co/AcvesVcUGF</a> <a href="https://t.co/t1yE0b2s4y">pic.twitter.com/t1yE0b2s4y</a></p>— William H Calhoun (@wmhcalhoun) <a href="https://twitter.com/wmhcalhoun/status/1199793663783718913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-47707587329862685252019-11-29T13:01:00.005-05:002019-11-29T13:01:56.274-05:00Stacking all the Planets<i>Cross-posted to <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
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You've probably come across this idea that all the planets could fit between Earth and the Moon. The usual representation looks like this image I found on Google:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCHpsG6XJiNhekNWJYmSf_Z-XBr6bCqi_xl7u00GcYCDRWw-x-5Cuu26Ud0ZGXPuMU2V5N8JyFkdgF-IUJc2mysY-ZPnOxWCeIuQBE8ZRk30Q3VYIFhvtIBJDtPtnviuEGw5Hx6Lalec/s1600/earth-to-moon-with-planets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCHpsG6XJiNhekNWJYmSf_Z-XBr6bCqi_xl7u00GcYCDRWw-x-5Cuu26Ud0ZGXPuMU2V5N8JyFkdgF-IUJc2mysY-ZPnOxWCeIuQBE8ZRk30Q3VYIFhvtIBJDtPtnviuEGw5Hx6Lalec/s800/earth-to-moon-with-planets.jpg" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="1024" data-original-height="576" /></a></div><br />
It turns out, it's not entirely true. Here's a good article about this, published in <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2015/02/scale-of-space-can-you-fit-all-the-planets-between-the-earth-and-moon.html" target="_blank">Slate</a> a few years ago. The planets can fit, but you have to make a lot of adjustments.<br />
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What got me thinking about this recently was an amazing video I found on YouTube by yeti dynamics (here's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfzLXKMZqf8-nR920SbQJLA" target="_blank">YD's channel</a>). He has made a number of what-if? astronomy videos. The video that astonished me was a simulation of the Earth-Moon system with all the planets fitted inside the Moon's orbit. The view is from the Earth's surface, and the speed is greatly increased. It makes your head swim. But there's something spell-binding about these gigantic orbs circling so close to the Earth (that is, if it doesn't give you motion sickness, like it does for my wife).<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KEoqv0PAAT8?modestbranding=1&fs=0&showinfo=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="border: none; height: 331px; margin-left: -20px; overflow: hidden; width: 591px;"></iframe><br />
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What really astonished me is how much work it must have taken YD to construct this. He created his assets (images of planets, background landscape, 3-D modeling), programmed the animation, and created the video using <a href="https://www.blender.org/" target=_"blank">Blender</a>, <a href="https://www.autodesk.com/products/3ds-max/overview" target="_blank">3dsMax</a>, and <a href="https://natrongithub.github.io/" target="_blank">Natron</a>.<br />
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I was contemplating this Herculean task when I realized that I already had an application designed for astronomical simulation. It's called <a href="https://celestia.space/index.html" target="_blank">Celestia</a>, and I've worked with it for years. It comes pre-loaded with visual assets (and you can simply add more), and the animation programming is done with script files, also included, which are easily modified. Celestia's basic job is to model the known universe, but you can also create alternative worlds, alien star systems, and break the laws of physics.<br />
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So I made a copy of Celestia's basic solar system script, and started modifying. I didn't want to disturb our solar system, so I chose a new Sun - 18 Scorpio, a star about the same size and composition as our own Sun. Then I started modifying the planetary data. First, I created a spreadsheet to help me work out the distances and orbital times (also called periods) for the planets. This is where I had to work out the adjustments I mentioned above to fit (or stack) the planets. Here's the list of adjustments:<br />
<ul style="margin-left:40 px;"><li>The Moon is permanently at apogee (greatest distance from Earth)</li>
<li>All planetary orbits are circular (zero eccentricity)</li>
<li>All planets are perfectly spherical (mean radius)</li>
<li>Pluto is included even though it's not a planet anymore (it fit!)</li>
<li>All bodies are evenly spaced (1666 km gap between bodies)</li>
<li>Saturn is tilted 45 degrees so the rings won't slice through other planets</li>
<li>Planets are not in their traditional order, but in order by size.</li>
</ul><br />
I took that last point from YD's video. I did try putting the planets in their traditional order, but the visual result was not impressive. This was an inspired move by YD.<br />
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Data was obtained from NASA's <a href="https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planetfact.html" target="_blank">Planetary Fact Sheets</a>.<br />
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Here's a screenshot of my spreadsheet:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Us1XVTvUiSUXWomAt2bPVumqS2mmiYPAbqDnpSaN8Xdu94I0E5g9Driuk7C2PrPV8IfkGUXixLNiZRSF2c4-_x8HYMm_YhbapwDZR9c3Jx4Ztnhyv_wxgvcPMHdezKipbRTRC4icLzs/s1600/stacked-planets-spreadsheet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -2.5em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Us1XVTvUiSUXWomAt2bPVumqS2mmiYPAbqDnpSaN8Xdu94I0E5g9Driuk7C2PrPV8IfkGUXixLNiZRSF2c4-_x8HYMm_YhbapwDZR9c3Jx4Ztnhyv_wxgvcPMHdezKipbRTRC4icLzs/s1600/stacked-planets-spreadsheet.png" width="600" data-original-width="853" data-original-height="732" /></a></div><br />
This is a 7½-minute video of the final simulation recorded from Celestia. I've positioned the viewpoint in geosynchronous orbit about 8 miles above the Earth's surface, facing northeast, a 50-degree field of view, with the rate of time speeded up a thousandfold.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oDKQCoRJ05g?modestbranding=1&fs=0&showinfo=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="border: none; height: 331px; margin-left: -20px; overflow: hidden; width: 591px;"></iframe><br />
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In case you download and install Celestia, here is a <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/stacked_planets/stackedsplanets_by_size.ssc" target=_blank">link</a> for downloading a version of the script file I created. You can put it in Celestia's Extras folder, and modify as you wish.<br />
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I have shown this simulation to several people. It's quite mesmerizing. As another physics teacher told me, if this is what the sky looked like, we'd never get anything done. My students like it when I project it onto the big whiteboard in my classroom. I'm not sure there is much educational value to it, though. Students seem to recognize that it's "not real," but do understand that the planets would look like that up close. They don't get right away that it's speeded up, and the idea that the planets have been fitted into the Moon's orbit is pretty abstract. Not many people even spot the Moon. Hardly anyone realizes that there's no gravity in the simulation. With gravity, the whole system would collapse pretty quickly. There's no way this could have formed naturally.<br />
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But interesting questions do come up, and students like to guess which planet is which, and they sometimes just watch, like you would watch fish in a fish tank. Lankshear & Knobel, in their book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Literacies-Everyday-Practices-Learning/dp/0335242162" target="_blank"><i>New Literacies</i></a>, describe the role of the teacher as <i>elicitive</i>. In this case, I suggest that, as a teacher, I am being <i>evocative</i>. And maybe that's OK.<br />
Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-44809678594094028172019-11-29T12:58:00.002-05:002019-11-29T12:58:14.974-05:00New Physics Curriculum<i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
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I was tasked this year with redesigning the physics curriculum at my school. Our state (MA) just upgraded their framework, so we needed to re-align. For the last decade, the state's framework was nothing more than a shopping cart of physics topics. There wasn't even an attempt to distinguish topics from concepts. The state assessment required students to have key vocabulary memorized, and to know how to pick out the right equation and apply it correctly to word problems. And that was about it.<br />
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My physics team has only three members. For good or for ill, we are all well-versed in the old state framework and assessment. The new framework is mostly based on the Next Generation Science Standards, so it’s quite different. I was excited about the change, because I think the NGSS is a worthy approach. But it’s very different from the old approach, and I wanted the team to have the time and opportunity to adapt. The new curriculum I wrote is organized in a way that looks similar to the old curriculum, but introduces and adapts the new framework language. The team already has a strong bias toward hands-on, project-based, team-oriented classwork. I wanted the physics team to continue moving in that direction, but to shift their conception of this project-based classwork from demonstration-of-topic to phenomenon-model-interaction.<br />
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To help our team, perhaps other science teams, and even our supervisors, to better understand the NGSS framework, I created a concept diagram. The diagram is not based directly on the NGSS framework, but is instead a representation of the new curriculum I wrote. I think of the new curriculum as a particular instance of the NGSS framework.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNizlrHpiAkNHdbfmRjQwLEWrcuQd0thfpZJtr_bFjkFAyWXMcit1IlsEFY8vEGBwzVJqOzFDsFRa4WQY6UBAY1wvT5NtmmsM1GgK-fEk_klUI55K12tYxIh3pTJkHZSjBroH-6dPt-w4/s1600/Curriculum+Diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -45px; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNizlrHpiAkNHdbfmRjQwLEWrcuQd0thfpZJtr_bFjkFAyWXMcit1IlsEFY8vEGBwzVJqOzFDsFRa4WQY6UBAY1wvT5NtmmsM1GgK-fEk_klUI55K12tYxIh3pTJkHZSjBroH-6dPt-w4/s640/Curriculum+Diagram.png" height="640" data-original-width="1322" data-original-height="1348" /></a></div><br />
The old curriculum thinking was topic first, application second. The new curriculum flips that around to phenomenon first, model second. The basic interaction is that the phenomenon informs the model, and the model makes predictions about the phenomenon. We choose an anchor phenomenon that is sufficiently complex, has relevance to the lives of the students, and is interesting or engaging. As an aid in exploring this phenomenon, simpler and perhaps more accessible related phenomena are introduced.<br />
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The model is related to other models, largely through shared concepts such as force and energy. Through these core concepts, students can develop a picture of physics as a consistent viewpoint and approach to understanding the world, rather than merely a collection of topics. The model is represented and expressed in many ways. These multiple representations give students multiple pathways for exploring the relationship between model and phenomenon.<br />
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Finally, in keeping with the idea that learning comes from doing, I include a summary of what students could do as they explore the phenomenon-model relationship. This list is broadly in line with the goals stated in the standards of the new state framework.Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-70152205644897685252018-08-14T15:14:00.002-04:002018-09-07T10:39:21.519-04:00Space Junk Joyride<i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
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I don't get nearly enough chances to use <a href="https://celestia.space/" target="_blank">Celestia</a> in my classroom. I've loved messing around with Celestia for years, but it's the rare student who shares my enthusiasm for astronomy. In class I will use Celestia to demonstrate gravitational orbits - moons around planets, planets and comets around suns, stars orbiting stars orbiting more stars.<br />
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During one such class this past year, one of my brightest students asked me if I had heard about the time an asteroid had circled Earth three or four times and then disappeared. I encouraged her to explain further, though I was skeptical. So she whipped out her smartphone, found an animation of the event, and showed it to me. Sure enough, there it was.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4HU1KXt2o0jQotFu7Q3c29ar3Skcvj_95ku09m8mcdODWOxsfSFU59RVOr8PodNIwmy4UFIarume6PvP2_G4PlAPtgddKN-3gpLMDGmv76uFj8xUdxZvbdVK2l9GBVRC7zLOXmphVTI/s1600/J002e3f_orbit.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4HU1KXt2o0jQotFu7Q3c29ar3Skcvj_95ku09m8mcdODWOxsfSFU59RVOr8PodNIwmy4UFIarume6PvP2_G4PlAPtgddKN-3gpLMDGmv76uFj8xUdxZvbdVK2l9GBVRC7zLOXmphVTI/s320/J002e3f_orbit.gif" width="320" height="240" data-original-width="640" data-original-height="480" /></a></div><br />
The animation had specific dates, and the asteroid had a designation that I recognized as legit; J002E3. I promised the class that I would gather more information for the next class.<br />
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Wikipedia has an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J002E3" target="_blank">entry about J002E3</a>, and in that page I found the NASA/JPL animation my student had shown me. I also found an amazing story. J002E3 was indeed first thought to be an asteroid, but later determined to be space junk, namely the third stage of the Apollo 12 Saturn V rocket launched in 1969. The rocket stage was intended to wind up in orbit around the Sun, but it didn't quite make it, and is now technically still in orbit around Earth. It's in a semi-stable orbit, though - J002E3 spends decades circling the Sun before it re-enters the Earth-Moon system, circles the Earth a half-dozen times, and gets shot back out around the Sun. Eventually it will crash into either the Earth or the Moon.<br />
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J002E3 orbited the Earth six times from the spring of 2002 until late spring of 2003, and this is what the animation shows. I presented the animation to my students on the SmartBoard, and I knew right away that I would have to change it. The file is an animated GIF, which cannot be paused, have its speed changed, or be run in reverse. The deep blue orbital path, which shows up nicely on a computer screen, did not project brightly enough on the SmartBoard to be seen easily. The GIF's dimensions were too small. I would have to do a little editing and then turn it into a video.<br />
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Photoshop is the perfect tool for this. It will read all the frames of an animated GIF and turn them into individual layers. You can edit the layers, and then turn them back into a GIF or a video. I first changed the dimensions, doubling both the width and height. Then I changed the color of the orbit in each of the frames. This took some painstaking effort - about 80% of the work could be done very quickly, but each of the 516 frames had to be carefully checked. I exported it as an MP4 video which I posted on YouTube.<br />
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<iframe scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H260zycm-hY?modestbranding=1&fs=0&showinfo=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="border: none; height: 331px; margin-left: -20px; overflow: hidden; width: 591px;"></iframe><br />
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NASA link: <a href="https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news134.html" target="_blank">https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news134.html</a><br />
Animation versions & credit: <a href="https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/doc/j002e3/" target="_blank">https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/doc/j002e3/</a><br />
Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-54128899888380943912018-07-13T19:19:00.001-04:002018-07-14T10:13:36.742-04:00High (Voltage) Wire Act<i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/87KHzIRIaAI?rel=0&list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="border: none; height: 331px; margin-left: -30px; overflow: hidden; width: 591px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
My brother-in-law Peter visited last year and showed me and my wife some of his favorite short videos on YouTube. When I saw this one featuring a man inspecting high voltage lines, I knew that I would show it to my students. It's a lovely little video narrated by the electrical inspector who talks about his work, and his life, and even tells a story about how his suit is a special kind of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage" target="_blank">Faraday cage</a>.<br />
<br />
I knew my students would find this video interesting. There are a lot of intriguing electrical details and small events that could almost go unnoticed, and which could form the basis of some interesting physics questions and demonstrations. Our technical school has an Electrical Technology shop, and students in the shop would already know about this kind of work, and would be excited to watch this and share their knowledge. This video is a perfect example of what I like to add to my instruction toolkit.<br />
<br />
The version I first watched on YouTube was of poor quality, and there was no indication of who actually made the video. It was obviously clipped from a longer video about dangerous or exciting work. There are many copies scattered throughout YouTube, and I spent a lot of time hunting for the best and most complete version. I finally found a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXv1mXZYvcs" target="_blank">high-definition version</a> of the clip. I used <a href="https://filmora.wondershare.com/video-editor/" target="_blank">Filmora</a> to clean up the beginning and the end of the audio track. I did watch other videos about high-voltage line inspectors, but this one best suited my purposes. It's calming, actually, rather than all hyped up, and you get a sense of the man rather than just a focus on the details of the job. The music sets the mood perfectly. There's a joke at the end that mostly goes over my students' heads.<br />
<br />
I eventually discovered that the the clip is from an IMAX movie called "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNd5cF2DIgI" target="_blank">Straight Up: Helicopters In Action</a>." It was produced in 2002 by SK Films for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and apparently aired as a cable TV broadcast by INHD, which later came to be called MOJO HD. I also came across a comment that it had appeared on Discovery HD.Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-63364480552153211812018-07-05T17:58:00.005-04:002018-07-05T18:05:55.395-04:00The Electromagnetic Spectrum<i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
<br />
A couple of years ago, when my team of physics teachers started building instruction around the topic of electromagnetic radiation, I began assembling a list of different common uses of EM radiation. This list would provide a basis of information to use in our written instruction, as well as suggest hands-on activities, demonstrations, and labs. <br />
<br />
I focused on uses that high-school students would be familiar with; cellphones, wi-fi and bluetooth, radar guns used to clock car speeds, microwave ovens, various remote control devices, tanning lights. My school is a technical school, so students have familiarity with other uses and devices; arc-welding, dental x-rays, high-voltage power lines, baby monitors, visible light and color. By focusing on what students might be familiar with, I hoped to reveal both prior knowledge and prior misunderstandings and misconceptions. A teacher could build on the prior knowledge, but more importantly would be obliged to address the misconceptions.<br />
<br />
The list became a full table of data, with over 30 entries. It has become an object of study in itself, an exercise in the literacy of reading data tables and extracting useful information to answer questions and solve problems. This is a form of literacy familiar to our technical students, who in their shops must learn to read technical manuals full of similar tables.<br />
<br />
The full table is shown below:<br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" src="https://docs.google.com/gview?url=https://storage.googleapis.com/worksheets/EM%20frequencies.pdf&embedded=true" type="application/pdf" frameborder="0" style="border: none; height: 900px; margin-left: -72px; overflow: hidden; width: 680px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
As usual for me, the table was constructed as an Excel file, making it easy to add or change data. If you have access to Adobe Acrobat Pro, you could also edit the PDF version. Here are the links for both versions:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/worksheets/EM%20frequencies.xlsx" target="_blank">Excel file, with instructions</a><br />
<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/worksheets/EM%20frequencies.pdf" target="_blank">PDF file</a><br />
<br />
A very helpful online calculator and table: <a href="https://rechneronline.de/spectrum/" target="_blank">https://rechneronline.de/spectrum/</a><br />
Another online converter and source of information: <a href="https://www.translatorscafe.com/unit-converter/en/frequency-wavelength/" target="_blank">https://www.translatorscafe.com/unit-converter/en/frequency-wavelength/</a><br />
<br />
Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-67244344365043157062018-06-28T18:13:00.000-04:002018-07-06T14:41:20.716-04:00The Sun in Various Wavelengths<i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
<br />
My physics curriculum has shifted in response to our new state frameworks, and one shift has been a greater emphasis on electromagnetic radiation. I've been having fun concocting new examples and demonstrations (including an "in-house" field trip to our metal fabrication shop to experience welding).<br />
<br />
This spring my class was having a discussion about the Sun's radiation, and how so much of what it radiates is invisible to us. They wondered what it would look like if we could see the different kinds of radiation. I explained that we can create devices or sensors that detect different wavelengths of radiation, and then construct false-color images from the information gathered. Immediately I went online and hunted for something to show them. A great resource, which I have used before, is the wonderful and painstakingly-built website called <a href="https://www.windows2universe.org/" target="_blank">Windows to the Universe</a>. This site is a project of the <a href="https://serc.carleton.edu/nesta/index.html" target="_blank">National Earth Science Teachers Association</a>.<br />
<br />
In particular, I went to the page entitled <a href="https://www.windows2universe.org/sun/spectrum/multispectral_sun_overview.html" target="_blank">The Multispectral Sun</a>, and found this animated GIF:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.windows2universe.org/sun/spectrum/sun_multispectral_08feb2001_anim.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://www.windows2universe.org/sun/spectrum/sun_multispectral_08feb2001_anim.gif" width="180" height="200" data-original-width="360" data-original-height="400" /></a></div><br />
I liked this concept a lot, and looked around for other examples. I found <a href="http://solar.physics.montana.edu/YPOP/Spotlight/Today/" target="_blank">What's the Sun doing lately?</a> and <a href="https://scied.ucar.edu/sun-compare-multispectral-interactive" target="_blank">Compare Multispectral Sun Images</a>, and lots of imagery, including this <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/how-sdo-sees-the-sun" target="_blank">NASA composite image</a> from the Solar Dynamics Observatory:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/717632main_Sun-Wavelength-Chart_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/717632main_Sun-Wavelength-Chart_full.jpg" width="200" height="150" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="600" /></a></div><br />
I decided to try making something of my own. My project would be a video replication of the animated GIF above, but using many more images. And I would start with the images in the NASA image above.<br />
<br />
Here is what I wanted: a video file so playback can be controlled, a broad and representative spectrum of images, and captions with either a specific or representative wavelength indicated. I shamelessly borrowed some aspects of the animated GIF (images scaled to the same size, captions colored to match the image, images taken on the same day). Because I started with the NASA SDO chart, I needed to know what date those images were taken. A little hunting revealed July 11, 2012.<br />
<br />
So I was off and running. I decided to stick with spectroheliograms, rather than dopplergrams or magnetograms. I searched for quite a while for solar images in various wavelengths that were taken on 7/11/12. Depending on what time and from where the image was taken, 7/10/12 images sometimes worked as well or better.<br />
<br />
As I accumulated my images, I had to decide on wavelength units. My students didn't know about Angstroms, so I used nanometers instead. I came to realize that I could use just three units; nanometers, millimeters, and meters. Then came the laborious Photoshop work, including <a href="https://photographingspace.com/colorize-solar-images/" target="_blank">colorizing</a> a couple of the images. The video was constructed and edited with <a href="https://filmora.wondershare.com/video-editor/" target="_blank">Filmora</a>. I posted the final video on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYDitzZ3SVg&list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.<br />
<br />
An interesting issue is the color of the Sun as we see it. Ask anyone, what color is the Sun? Almost everyone will say "yellow," but of course it isn't, it's white, at least to our eyes. (Please don't go out now and look at the Sun - it's bad for your eyes. But if you have a chance to look at it when it's obscured by fog or clouds, you'll see.) I found many images of yellow suns with the caption "visible light." These images were either taken through a yellow filter or they were colorized yellow because of a belief people will think it should be yellow (white light, of course, does not have a specific wavelength).<br />
<br />
When I showed the final video to my students, they loved it. But many suggested it should have music. I was telling this to one of my fellow science teachers, and she said, "I have exactly what you need!" She owns a small, portable planetarium called <a href="http://unclemilton.com/in_my_room/star_theater_pro/" target="_blank">Star Theater Pro</a>, and it comes with a music CD having 15 minutes of suitably cosmic-sounding music composed by <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/5615919-Donovan-Reimer" target="_blank">Donovan Reimer</a>. She was right, it was perfect.<br />
<br />
Here's the final video product:<br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NYDitzZ3SVg?rel=0&list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="border: none; height: 450px; margin-left: -35px; overflow: hidden; width: 600px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
And here's a shorter animated GIF:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/sun-wavelengths/sun%20in%20various%20wavelengths%202s.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/sun-wavelengths/sun%20in%20various%20wavelengths%202s.gif" width="267" height="200" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="600" /></a></div><br />
Here are links for downloading the most recent versions:<br />
<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/sun-wavelengths/sun%20in%20various%20wavelengths%204s%20audio.mp4" target="_blank">MP4 Video: 4 seconds per image, with audio</a><br />
<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/sun-wavelengths/sun%20in%20various%20wavelengths%204s.mp4" target="_blank">MP4 Video: 4 seconds per image, no audio</a><br />
<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/sun-wavelengths/sun%20in%20various%20wavelengths%203s.mp4" target="_blank">MP4 Video: 3 seconds per image, no audio</a><br />
<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/sun-wavelengths/sun%20in%20various%20wavelengths%202s.gif" target="_blank">Animated GIF: 2 seconds per image, continuous loop</a><br />
<br />
Credits:<br />
<br />
Radio: 0.9 m, 2.0 m - BASS2000/Nançay Radioheliograph<br />
Microwave: 17.6 mm - Siberian Solar Radio Telescope<br />
Microwave: 52.6 mm - Nobeyama Radioheliograph<br />
Infrared: 1083 nm - HAO/Mauna Loa Observatory CHIP<br />
Visible: 656 nm (Hα) - Big Bear Solar Observatory<br />
Visible: white - NASA/SDO AIA<br />
Visible: 393 nm (CaIIK) - Langkawi National Observatory<br />
Ultraviolet: 170 nm through X-Ray: 9.4 nm - NASA/SDO AIA<br />
X-Ray: 5 nm, 1.9 nm - NOAA/GOES Solar X-Ray Imager<br />
<br />
Music - Star Theater Pro/Donovan ReimerBill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-20177010069542659162018-06-27T16:45:00.001-04:002018-06-27T16:45:09.628-04:00A Story About Weather and Teaching<i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
<br />
<h3>Physics as Story</h3>I think of physics as a kind of story. It's actually a huge collection of stories, the result of working to understand every physical phenomenon under the sun (and beyond). In the physics classroom I am therefore a storyteller, and I endeavor to help my students become better physics storytellers.<br />
<br />
Certainly in physics there's a specialized vocabulary that can be assembled into stories, but I also think of graphs, diagrams, and even equations as kinds of story. As with any good story, there is an art and a craft to both the understanding and telling of physics stories. Physics stories just happen to be demanding in particular ways.<br />
<br />
High school students already know how to tell many kinds of stories. I teach juniors and seniors, and they tend to tell certain kinds of stories about the events in their lives. For instance, many of them have begun driving cars, or are about to, and there is a lot of interest in and concern about driving. Some have already had scary experiences and close-calls; few have an accurate understanding of the physics of what they are doing. A natural entry point, then, is to ask them about their driving experiences. Various instructional activities give them the opportunity to refine and change their stories. If a student can tell a solid physics story, by whatever means, to whatever extent, then that student is demonstrating learned knowledge of physics.<br />
<br />
<h3>A Worksheet as Storytelling</h3>An instructional tool I have used for a long time is the vocabulary worksheet. You know the kind - there's a word bank, and you fill in the blanks to complete the sentences. But my worksheets have a different twist. Most of the words in the word bank are used several times. Each blank is numbered, and if a word fits the blank, it fits all the blanks with that number. This allows me to avoid writing disconnected sentences with only one or two blanks. I can write a coherent paragraph, a whole short story. Sometimes toward the end of the worksheet the sentences are mostly just blanks waiting to be filled in. The repetition of words and phrases becomes an important part of adjusting to the new vocabulary. <br />
<br />
After everyone finishes, we read the worksheet out loud, one student per sentence. Sometimes we'll go around the room twice. If there are diagrams or equations at the bottom of the sheet, interpreting them is part of the reading. The students really enjoy the challenge, even by the end of the year after we've done two dozen or so of these. Here's one:<br />
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<iframe scrolling="no" src="https://docs.google.com/gview?url=https://storage.googleapis.com/worksheets/Worksheet%20Juniors%20Day31.pdf&embedded=true" type="application/pdf" frameborder="0" style="border: none; height: 900px; margin-left: -77px; overflow: hidden; width: 700px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
These worksheets can be difficult to construct. I have written an Excel spreadsheet that helps me construct them. It allows me to just write the sentences as naturally as possible, while it keeps track of the blanks and the numbering and the word bank. You can download one <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/worksheets/Vocab%20Worksheet%20double%20line.xlsm" target="_blank">here</a>. You'll need to Enable Editing, and then Enable Content. Then click on the button labeled "Help."<br />
<br />
<h3>The Story of Weather</h3>So what about the weather? I have a few favorite physics topics, and weather is one of them. The problem with broad topics like this in the physics classroom is that students are struggling to learn the basic concepts and tools, and weather is a really complex topic. Still, whenever there is a good opportunity, I'll try to link some aspect of weather to whatever we're working on.<br />
<br />
The topic of heat and heat exchange is central, for instance, to weather. Before students can begin to comprehend this story, they need to master some basic ideas and vocabulary about heat. In my classes, this work tends to happen toward the end of the school year. If I have a class that seems ready, and there's a bit of time in the busy end-of-year schedule, I have a special worksheet for them.<br />
<br />
Or rather I've been planning a special worksheet for which there keeps being not enough time to finish and use. Not enough time for the last two years. This year, because I knew I had the students who could benefit from it, I really hustled to finish this special worksheet.<br />
<br />
I started with a simple but long vocabulary worksheet which tells the story of how the interaction between the atmosphere and the sun's radiation results in a rainstorm. The worksheet is simple because there are only six words in the word bank! But there are 20 sentences. After I finished the basic worksheet, I got the idea to use diagrams of the entire heat process that would parallel the sentences. I used diagrams from the National Weather Service's lovely tutorials on weather called <a href="https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/" target="_blank">JetStream</a>. I edited the diagrams with Photoshop, and then used Adobe Acrobat Pro to assemble my worksheet.<br />
<br />
I decided to split the page vertically and have the running vocabulary/story part on the left half and the images on the right half. I then put fill-in blanks on the diagrams which corresponded to the vocabulary. Normally my worksheets are black-and-white, but I decided to keep the images in color and to print the worksheets using a color printer. This emphasized the "special" aspect of this worksheet (and the students who got a worksheet all said "Ooooh, color!")<br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" src="https://docs.google.com/gview?url=https://storage.googleapis.com/worksheets/weather%20%26%20heat.pdf&embedded=true" type="application/pdf" frameborder="0" style="border: none; height: 900px; margin-left: -77px; overflow: hidden; width: 700px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
While the students were working on it, I looped a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEohuspVqyU" target="_blank">time-lapse video</a> on the SmartBoard that showed a collection of rain-clouds billowing way up into the atmosphere. It was the last vocab worksheet of the year. As usual, we read it aloud once everyone finished.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-top: 25px;"><video id="video" width="550" height="309" controls poster="https://storage.googleapis.com/worksheets/cloud%20convection.png" preload="auto"><source src="https://storage.googleapis.com/worksheets/time%20lapse%20convecting%20cloud.mp4" type="video/mp4"></video></div>Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-21939715983100967162018-06-25T17:20:00.001-04:002018-06-25T17:23:03.405-04:00Quick Electromagnetism Demo Videos<i>Cross-posted from <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i><br />
<br />
One of my students this past year had a medical condition that required him to be out of school for an extended time. In situations like this, I usually aggregate all the instructional material for a unit into a single file called a <a href="https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/overview-pdf-portfolios.html" target="_blank">Portfolio PDF</a>. Notes, homework, worksheets, quizzes, links to simulations, photos and videos of demonstrations and activities are all in one file. The student can either print everything out, or make changes digitally within the file and send it back.<br />
<br />
Portfolio PDF's can only be read by Adobe Acrobat, so the student must download the free <a href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">Acrobat Reader</a> if it isn't already on his or her machine (as far as I know, the Portfolio PDF cannot be opened in Android and iOS devices yet). You need Adobe Acrobat Pro to create a Portfolio PDF - if you have access to it through your workplace, check it out. Acrobat Pro is worth the investment - get a student or teacher edition with a permanent license for a one-time fee (in other words, just purchase <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Acrobat-Student-Teacher-Windows/dp/B072M1ZH28" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Pro</a> like in the good old days when you actually bought rather than rented software).<br />
<br />
One of the units I packaged into a Portfolio PDF is about electricity and magnetism, and in particular about the various devices that take advantage of the E-M interaction. This is a difficult unit for my students, so hands-on equipment is the instructional tool of choice. What was I to do for my distance learner with no access to these devices?<br />
<br />
I decided to make quick little videos for him, somehow. I had already been demonstrating the devices for my students, so the devices were out and ready, and I had my explanations practiced and warmed-up. I decided to use a simple <a href="https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/hd-webcam-c270" target="_blank">Logitech USB webcam</a> that normally attaches to my monitor. I experimented with rigging it up in various ways and hit upon having it point straight down at a black lab tabletop. That way just my hands and the devices would be visible while my voice narrated. The webcam software kept trying to adjust for the black tabletop, over-exposing anything not black. I finally decided to leave something bright in the frame which I knew I could crop out later. This turned out to be a pretty easy way to control the exposure.<br />
<br />
After a couple of takes, I opened the video files in my editor of choice, <a href="https://filmora.wondershare.com/video-editor/" target="_blank">Filmora</a> (again, worth the expense), and edited the video. I created a fade from black at the beginning and a fade to black at the end. I separated the audio track, and faded the audio as well. I went through the audio to get rid of unnecessary um's and ah's and other sounds. Sometimes I inserted a bit of video or audio from another take. It was pretty quick work. I exported the videos as MP4 files and uploaded them to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" target="_blank">YouTube</a>. The videos are below.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8OSVP0I-xeY?list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" style="border: none; height: 199px; margin-left: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 400px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yn_aRV-04oU?list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" style="border: none; height: 199px; margin-left: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 400px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MQR7f3iGXlk?list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" style="border: none; height: 199px; margin-left: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 400px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wzMoVAukWzA?list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" style="border: none; height: 199px; margin-left: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 400px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWMOveXirek?list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" style="border: none; height: 199px; margin-left: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 400px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q2HEE5v-4cE?list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" style="border: none; height: 199px; margin-left: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 400px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eGgmd4EPPxI?list=PLbZvfYzWBdhkyEOObrIK1BWMHZMCPZzwH" style="border: none; height: 199px; margin-left: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 400px;"></iframe>Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-86527539700274287432017-10-01T12:26:00.000-04:002017-10-01T12:32:55.763-04:00Aaron BakerFrom <a href="https://spoonvision.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/those-who-cant/" target="_blank">Spoon Vision</a>, the blog of Aaron Baker, an 8th grade U.S. History teacher in Oklahoma.
<br /><br />
<blockquote>
<h3>Those Who Can't</h3><br />
Those who can’t,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
For example,<br />
<br />
Those who can’t sit alone at a desk all day,<br />
Whose energy demands movement and interaction,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t abide platitudes like, “kids these days,”<br />
Who take the time to know every young person,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t be satisfied with a job or even a career,<br />
Whose everyday work must be filled with passion,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t look the other way while our schools resegregate,<br />
Who believe the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t stand by while our public institutions are privatized,<br />
Whose collective conscience sees through the rhetoric of “choice,”<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t ignore the history of organized labor in the U.S.,<br />
Who know that “the union makes us strong,”<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t punch a clock,<br />
Whose passion can’t be confined to 8-4 or to August through May,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t care only about some children,<br />
Who are committed to the success of every student,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t avoid conflict,<br />
Whose acumen can diffuse the most hostile situations,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t be happy climbing the corporate ladder,<br />
Who will master their craft, and stay in the classroom for decades,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t settle for anything less than constant improvement,<br />
Whose minds are always searching for innovative new methods,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t quit,<br />
Who will continue to educate more students with less money,<br />
Teach.<br />
<br />
But please know.<br />
<br />
Those who can’t be fooled by political schemes,<br />
Whose organizing can create a political revolution,<br />
Teach.</blockquote>Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-6029162413842343122017-10-01T10:46:00.002-04:002017-11-02T16:40:32.109-04:00Notes on Radioactivity & Particle Physics<h3>
BP Tech Applied & Advanced Physics</h3>
Some notes on how we could approach teaching radioactivity/nuclear structure
<br /><br />
<h3>
Background</h3>
The State of Massachusetts has revised its high-school science curriculum finally. But there is an orphan unit: radioactivity. I think this must be a new unit in the science curriculum, and the State first tried to add it to the Chemistry curriculum. Then to Earth Science. And finally to Physics. Where it truly is simply added, like a wart, to the front of the Physics curriculum. No attempt is made to connect it to anything else in the curriculum.
<br /><br />
Now of course radioactivity is a proper physics topic, and the study of radioactivity led to important developments in modern physics. At BP Tech, where I teach, I always took a bit of the school year to look at basic atomic structure, knowing that students would see it again in chemistry. The problem with just tacking on radioactivity is that explaining radioactivity (as opposed to just describing it) draws you into quantum and particle physics, which could easily eat up an entire semester, or more. I spent a whole year thinking about how to present the topic without getting completely derailed from the rest of the physics curriculum. These notes explain what I came up with, on behalf of the entire physics teaching team at my school.
<br /><br />
<h3>
Part I</h3>
Here is how I’ve tried to approach atomic structure in the past. After exploring the gravitational field and early into electrostatics (after introducing electric fields and electrons), I take a moment to look at a simple atomic model:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VzrQDfDcVmT6fBmKZUkFqkQnHac4qkG5delghNkpEVmQ5oyFu1XM7cwe8Ea-kBuvtdanDkhHRVgAJ0zaRpkL5s6vPRh0jiw7Dwq13K1jjOfTWPdvJf94jZkiQCplnLPG2Syx2iqS7o8/s1600/basic+model.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VzrQDfDcVmT6fBmKZUkFqkQnHac4qkG5delghNkpEVmQ5oyFu1XM7cwe8Ea-kBuvtdanDkhHRVgAJ0zaRpkL5s6vPRh0jiw7Dwq13K1jjOfTWPdvJf94jZkiQCplnLPG2Syx2iqS7o8/s320/basic+model.jpg" width="318" height="320" data-original-width="283" data-original-height="285" /></a></div>
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This model explains several things: the electric neutrality of atoms, the mobility of electrons, where our mass comes from. Later, when talking about electric current, I begin the discussion of how materials are constructed of atoms (or more usually molecules), and how electrons can basically hop from atom to atom. There is a net flow of electrons throughout a circuit but no single electron moves through the entire circuit (hence my distaste for the water model of electric circuits). I also take this moment to show various simulations that try to represent electrons moving through a circuit, and how they are incorrect and misleading.
<br /><br />
Now it might be useful to discuss the residual charge (or residual electric field) of the electrons. Residual charge explains stickiness and friction and why chemical reactions happen and the unusual properties of water. Then when we get to the strong force, the idea of residual force will come into play, and the students will have already experienced the concept.
<br /><br />
So this is as far as I have carried this in the past. We need to dig deeper in order to explain radioactivity.
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<h3>
Part 2</h3>
The nucleus, made up of protons and neutrons. What holds it together?
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FEir_6C2mPP9UwjzuJWxeHSfy88GUIbxKWfiECONAEP1e5_4M1jSp4Xa-9CPirFlmA5csfkyDOMSfdK_AFg9JOkIBA7MwoAv3LsX6NFXQi9vT7Kw39ivt_qzXWX5VoQDc6IV-7VEDms/s1600/nucleus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FEir_6C2mPP9UwjzuJWxeHSfy88GUIbxKWfiECONAEP1e5_4M1jSp4Xa-9CPirFlmA5csfkyDOMSfdK_AFg9JOkIBA7MwoAv3LsX6NFXQi9vT7Kw39ivt_qzXWX5VoQDc6IV-7VEDms/s100/nucleus.jpg" height="100" data-original-width="75" data-original-height="80" /></a></div>
Wouldn’t the protons repel? Yes, of course, and it does happen in nature. Some atoms spit out a proton or neutron now and again. There’s your first taste of radioactivity. So there must be another force that’s really strong but has a tiny range. Call it a nuclear force, because it only operates in the nucleus, and more specifically call it the strong force.
<br /><br />
Two issues: why the tiny range? And why does it apply to neutrons as well as protons? Let’s assume that protons and neutrons are made of something similar, and let’s call these constituent particles quarks. It turns out that protons and neutrons are made of 3 quarks each. And protons and neutrons differ by only one quark. The strong force is what holds the quarks together. Here’s a model of a proton:
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctPVenPQCXiGRHRG0xLi8kUFJM73smCx9k_J_aOA65rY5CYcnZS6PLm-r86xhrcD1PTM7LSd9qGC_ITxDOqqKTqsvFjMXkG9t1ZDkwoM5mDthoG9ehSE_B_LNSq74vojo1V8vl5nTw9k/s1600/quark+model.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 2.5em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctPVenPQCXiGRHRG0xLi8kUFJM73smCx9k_J_aOA65rY5CYcnZS6PLm-r86xhrcD1PTM7LSd9qGC_ITxDOqqKTqsvFjMXkG9t1ZDkwoM5mDthoG9ehSE_B_LNSq74vojo1V8vl5nTw9k/s480/quark+model.jpg" width="480" data-original-width="442" data-original-height="250" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
The strong force that exists outside the “boundary” of the proton is the residual strong force. This is what holds protons and neutrons together.
<br /><br />
At this point, I think there is no sense in complicating this picture. You could point out that there are different kinds of quarks, but I wouldn’t even take it that far. And I definitely wouldn’t mention specific force field particles, like gluons. This will just draw you into quantum physics, and really the point here is just to explain radioactivity.
<br /><br />
Exploring the atomic nucleus is tricky (and abstract) enough – too much information will muddy the waters. We’re just building on the concept of force fields (gravity, electricity, magnetism, and now strong nuclear). If you have students who wish to pursue this on their own, here is an excellent website called The Particle Adventure:
<a href="http://www.particleadventure.org/" target="_blank">http://www.particleadventure.org/</a>
<br /><br />
<h3>
Part 3</h3>
So now we’re ready to talk about radioactivity as the result of the instability of large atomic nuclei, like those of uranium, or nuclei with too many neutrons. Basically there isn’t enough residual strong force out on the margins to hold these nuclei together.
<br /><br />
An unstable nucleus will:<ul>
<li>spit out single neutrons (neutron emission)</li>
<li>spit out single protons (rare)</li>
<li>spit out a chunk of nucleus made of 2 protons and 2 neutrons (alpha emission)</li>
<li>during these processes, the nucleus might also emit very high energy EM radiation (gamma emission)</li>
</ul>
<br /><br />
All these emission products (particles, if you will) have a LOT of energy. If absorbed by other atoms, this energy can damage molecules and make atoms radioactive.
<br /><br />
At this point, we are welcome to explore further anything we wish about radioactivity, including health effects or nuclear fission/fusion, or mass/energy conversion, or commercial nuclear energy, or what fuels the Sun. We have to keep it short and simple, though, because we’re not quite done.
<br /><br />
<h3>
Part 4</h3>
An unstable nucleus will also spit out – an electron! This is beta emission, and it's really weird. Why is this weird and unexpected? Well, where did the electron come from? Protons and neutrons aren’t made out of electrons!
<br /><br />
So there must be another force, another nuclear force. This one is called the weak force. The weak force is odd, though, in that it does not cause anything to happen, it allows something to happen. Here’s the something:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhherG5dvSGt0OMMBUPCHDjmED5-ALvATXTn2lpYxDn76RUhT1USbLZUDIuiwB7EXnXHDNxUUS-pksG8Mxx6Zt-eV1M0AbOesjva46s2l9lcJzsSNcnXSyNTNZulCGXOn7LWYcq-H_To3M/s1600/strong+force.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -0.5em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhherG5dvSGt0OMMBUPCHDjmED5-ALvATXTn2lpYxDn76RUhT1USbLZUDIuiwB7EXnXHDNxUUS-pksG8Mxx6Zt-eV1M0AbOesjva46s2l9lcJzsSNcnXSyNTNZulCGXOn7LWYcq-H_To3M/s560/strong+force.jpg" width="560" data-original-width="667" data-original-height="271" /></a></div>
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But there’s leftover negative charge and energy and mass. Where does it go? The weak force temporarily holds the charge, mass, and energy, and then releases it as an electron. So that’s where the beta emission comes from.
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A neutrino is also emitted, but I don’t know how much you want to get into neutrinos, other than to say that they are especially tiny sub-atomic particles with no charge. They are often the result of energy converting into mass.
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So here is what the full interaction looks like:
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZx1EAjTLG56qOxCQY3r5JCz_BTCzpUXPEv0xBSzKf-vQZycddyiPbbpUkGQjNH22-5y4rc0f04kYMzwlztomkEyOhODZTENYnC2eycj8fEPHnMs9V1xEJZU6xqdlrO0bwh__myQTqF0/s1600/weak+force.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: -2.5em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZx1EAjTLG56qOxCQY3r5JCz_BTCzpUXPEv0xBSzKf-vQZycddyiPbbpUkGQjNH22-5y4rc0f04kYMzwlztomkEyOhODZTENYnC2eycj8fEPHnMs9V1xEJZU6xqdlrO0bwh__myQTqF0/s620/weak+force.jpg" width="620" data-original-width="732" data-original-height="487" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
Ultimately all this is to say that there are only four fundamental forces in nature: gravity, electro-magnetism, and the two nuclear forces, strong and weak. And we might not ever have known about the nuclear forces if it hadn’t been for radioactivity.
<br /><br />
<i>Cross-posted to <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/2017/09/notes-on-radioactivity-particle-physics.html" target="_blank">Teaching and Instructional Design</a></i>
Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-33206477544582813422016-08-28T15:58:00.001-04:002016-08-28T15:58:19.504-04:00New Physics CurriculumNew school year, new State science framework, so new physics curriculum. Here's the first iteration, a model unit in 3 steps: 1) identify the forces in an interaction, 2) identify what is transferred/transformed due to the interaction, 3) construct/manipulate a model of the interaction. That's it! Now apply this three-step model to the handful of physics topics/applications as dictated by the State. Don't forget to take advantage of the flow of certain concepts and processes through similar/related topics.Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-6524332630899477672016-06-17T18:03:00.001-04:002016-06-17T18:03:55.871-04:00Thich Nhat Hanh<blockquote>When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.
― Thich Nhat Hanh, <i>Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life</i></blockquote>Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-83448011588154608382015-01-19T09:05:00.000-05:002016-06-17T17:38:59.932-04:00InterveningWhile writing my last post, on <a href="http://teachingframework.blogspot.com/2015/01/legibility-and-pseudoteaching.html" target="_blank">pseudoteaching</a>, I was compelled to change my <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a3AmjQt4f7lA7jEHkSzQNExeXSuhfvzVgGXxG8-v-7wM94cw271vQb3zh762wp2nI8rxg6llvxvH_Ik62ZaxfnNUYkDXzr9TXKsp8mN0adPtZtUvgOa6wQxV1NnM1shJ4kwz4HiXXHQt/s1600/SAIL+Teaching+Framework.png" target="_blank">Teaching Framework</a> a little in response. I was thinking about when and how the learning actually happens in my classroom. According to <a href="https://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/pt-pseudoteaching-mit-physics/" target="_blank">Frank Noschese's concept</a>, teaching happens when a student's pre-existing conceptions are challenged, and this happens when the student tries to actually do something (see <a href="https://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/what-puts-the-pseudo-in-pseudoteaching/" target="_blank">Derek Muller</a> on this point). At the crucial moment of potential failure, the teacher <i>intervenes</i>, and the student learns. I've actually <a href="http://teachingframework.blogspot.com/2012/08/down-to-one-sentence.html" target="_blank">written about this before</a>:<blockquote>So what is teaching? Well, the teacher does something, and then the student does something and thereby learns. What kind of something? Let's say that the teacher performs a certain action and the student mimics the action. The teacher watches the student, intervenes when necessary, and repeats the action. The student tries again. The process is repeated until the student is capable on his or her own. Teaching by example is probably the most fundamental and natural form of teaching.<br /><br />But more is going on than meets the eye. A relationship of trust has been built between the teacher and student so that the interaction can work effectively. The teacher's intervention is extraordinarily important, and will depend exactly on what the student has grasped and what he has missed. The teacher directs the student's attention to the work: like this, not like that, here's why, can you see? Mere mimicry is not enough, the student must develop some understanding. The teacher will not always be there, the student must learn to correct himself, must learn how to learn.</blockquote>
<br />
What does it mean to intervene? In a classroom, intervention is often the word used to describe what a teacher does to alter a student's behavior. It is the I in PBIS, <a href="https://www.pbis.org/school/swpbis-for-beginners/pbis-faqs" target="_blank">Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports</a>, an approach to classroom management that I endorse. Notice that I also used it in the quotation above - "intervenes when necessary" - to describe an act of teaching. I hadn't really thought about intervention meaning the same thing in both cases, but it does. Education is changing a student's behavior as much as it is changing what a student knows, and intervention by the teacher is how it is done.
<br /><br />
What does this look like in my classroom? People tend to like my classes - students, parents, other teachers, administrators - because I am energetic and engaging. And let's face it, physics can be a lot of fun. But when does the learning actually take place? Not, it turns out, when I'm doing the fun stuff. Students don't learn from my lectures or explanations, demonstrations, diagrams, simulations, videos, etc. etc. They are happy to take notes, often with great care, draw diagrams, watch demonstrations, and they really think they are learning something. But they are not. Their preconceptions block them, without their even knowing it.
<br /><br />
What preconceptions? Have you ever thrown a ball to someone, or dropped a dish and watched it fall and break, or twirled a key on a lanyard, or skidded while driving a car, or burned yourself with a hot skillet? All that is physics, and these experiences taught you something that then became a concept in your mind, and quite possibly an incorrect concept from the point of view of physics. How is it possible to learn physics correctly? It requires the intervention of a teacher, a teacher you trust.
<br /><br />
In my classroom the intervention happens when students are asked to do something, or produce something, or perform an action. This work is done in the classroom, what is called seatwork. Students must answer a question, use a vocabulary word correctly, perform a calculation, solve a word problem, write a coherent sentence, take an accurate measurement, build a model. These activities will reveal the flaws in their thinking, the gaps in their understanding, and these failures are the teachable moments that will only result in learning if I am there to intervene when the failure happens. All the other activities, the notes and explanations, diagrams, demonstrations, videos, group questions and discussions, are shared experiences that I and the student can refer to so I can prompt and goad and question until the student finally sees the failure and makes a correction.
<br /><br />
I have altered my <a href="http://teachingframework.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-sail-teaching-framework-interactive.html" target="_blank">Teaching Framework</a> so that, under Instruction, a collection of activities is now labeled Intervention. Under Attention & Focus I have gathered some of the activities and added more to a category also called Intervention. This strengthens the intervention parallel between behavioral learning and academic knowledge, and fills out the Attention & Focus section so it encompasses classroom management more obviously.
Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-15215601008311445272015-01-01T14:08:00.000-05:002018-07-05T18:16:31.054-04:00Legibility and PseudoteachingOne of my favorite parts of the 1989 movie "Look Who's Talking" is when the infant tries to figure out how to drive a car. You just put the little stick into the hole, move your foot back and forth, and move the big circle around. We've all seen it done, how hard can it be? <br />
<br />
We've all seen what teachers do, too, thanks to years of schooling. As with the car-driving baby, our picture of what teachers do was formed when we were children, but that doesn't stop us from thinking that we know what teaching is. How hard can it be? We know what it looks like, or, more to the point of this blog post, we know it when we see it. We know what it should look like. <br />
<br />
<b>Legibility</b><br />
I first encountered the concept of <i>legibility</i> in a <a href="http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2010/07/26/a-big-little-idea-called-legibility/" target="_blank">blog post</a> by Venkatesh Rao in his blog <a href="http://ribbonfarm.com/" target="_blank"><i>Ribbonfarm</i></a>. The concept was originally expressed in a book by James C. Scott called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300078153?ie=UTF8&tag=ribbonfarmcom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0300078153" target="_blank"><i> Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed</i></a>. I'll quote Rao's excellent summary of how the failure comes about:<blockquote>Here is the recipe: <ul><li>Look at a complex and confusing reality, such as the social dynamics of an old city</li>
<li>Fail to understand all the subtleties of how the complex reality works</li>
<li>Attribute that failure to the irrationality of what you are looking at, rather than your own limitations</li>
<li>Come up with an idealized blank-slate vision of what that reality ought to look like</li>
<li>Argue that the relative simplicity and platonic orderliness of the vision represents rationality</li>
<li>Use authoritarian power to impose that vision, by demolishing the old reality if necessary</li>
<li>Watch your rational Utopia fail horribly</li>
</ul>The big mistake in this pattern of failure is projecting your subjective lack of comprehension onto the object you are looking at, as "irrationality." We make this mistake because we are tempted by a desire for <i>legibility</i>.</blockquote><br />
<b>The Illegibility of Teaching</b><br />
I read this article just as I had started teaching again after a 25-year hiatus. I was being reminded of what I love about teaching and what annoys me about teaching. I realized that I had found the perfect concept for describing what annoys me: though everyone thinks they know what teaching is, teaching is largely illegible, even to other education professionals. <br />
<br />
This illegibility is never attributed to the observer's ignorance. It is always seen as a sign of chaos in need of order. The preferred order is for the classroom and the teachers and the students to have a certain "look." This might mean signs of "discipline," an atmosphere of "quiet, steady diligence," or the appearance of "motivated" students led by an "engaging" teacher. Whatever signifies legible order for the observer is the ideal, even if that order results in no actual learning. One of my school principals insisted that he could poke his head into a classroom and tell at a glance if a teacher was "getting it done." Legibility is more important than education. More to the point, education is to be found in the legibility of the enterprise rather than the results. <br />
<br />
I don't mean to complain, I'm just trying to understand. Certainly there are bureaucratic, political, and commercial forces pushing education in directions that suit their various non-educational agendas. This happens in all spheres of life, and it is easy to spot and understand. What bothers me is when intelligent and well-intentioned people confuse complexity with irrationality. It is very difficult to correct this misperception. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align:center;">* * *</div><br />
<b>Pseudoteaching</b><br />
This brings me to a related concept called <i>pseudoteaching</i>. This concept is <a href="https://fnoschese.wordpress.com/pseudoteaching/" target="_blank">defined</a> by Frank Noschese in his blog <a href="https://fnoschese.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><i>Action-Reaction</i></a>: <blockquote>The key idea of pseudoteaching is that it looks like good teaching. In class, students feel like they are learning, and any observer who saw a teacher in the middle of pseudoteaching would feel like he’s watching a great lesson. The only problem is, very little learning is taking place.</blockquote><br />
What is so seductive about pseudoteaching is its legibility, not its effectiveness. Everybody is happy; the teacher feels great, the students know exactly what is expected of them, any visitor to the classroom is suitably impressed. What makes everyone happy is that no-one's misconceptions or misperceptions are being seriously challenged. And that's also why so little learning is taking place. <br />
<br />
Here we have a mutually-agreed-upon legibility, what Timothy Slater has called the <a href="https://app.box.com/shared/mf6koczmm9" target="_blank">Hidden Contract</a>. Inasmuch as we all agree that a classroom should look like <i>this</i>, and as long as the classroom in fact does look like <i>this</i>, then everyone is comforted by the apparent order (or apparent lack of chaos). <br />
<br />
One of the guest pseudoteaching entries in Action-Reaction is <a href="https://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/khan-academy-and-the-effectiveness-of-science-videos/" target="_blank"><i>Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos</i></a> by Derek Muller. He describes the phenomenon of student satisfaction with pseudoteaching this way: <blockquote>Research has shown that these types of videos may be positively received by students. They feel like they are learning and become more confident in their answers, but tests reveal they haven’t learned anything.</blockquote>And what is meant by "not learning anything?" <blockquote>Students have existing ideas about scientific phenomena before viewing a video. If the video presents scientific concepts in a clear, well illustrated way, students believe they are learning but they do not engage with the media on a deep enough level to realize that what is presented differs from their prior knowledge.</blockquote>(Read more about Muller's research here: <a href="https://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/what-puts-the-pseudo-in-pseudoteaching/" target="_blank"><i>What Puts the Pseudo in Pseudoteaching?</i></a>) <br />
<br />
<b>Rationalizing Teaching</b><br />
One way to "rationalize" teaching so it is more legible is to simplify the end result. As Rao points out, <blockquote>. . . a reality that serves many purposes presents itself as illegible to a vision informed by a singular purpose. Any elements that are non-functional with respect to the singular purpose tend to confuse, and are therefore eliminated during the attempt to "rationalize."</blockquote>If the end result of teaching is reduced to, say, students passing a certain test, then teaching itself can be rationalized and made quite efficient and effective. The IQ test, for instance, was originally developed as an expedient military management tool. It has become the very definition of intelligence in the minds of many, reducing a complex human trait to a single legible number. <br />
<br />
There is a kind of learning called <i>procedural learning</i>. Procedural learning is the first step toward acquiring a skill, and it usually involves practicing a procedure, recipe, or algorithm until it can be performed correctly and automatically. It is a favorite goal for teaching because the path to successful learning is quite straightforward. Procedures, even complex ones, are ultimately rational, and thus legible. A classroom that is focused on procedural learning is also legible. <br />
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There are those who would like to define education as being simply this; learning how to successfully execute a procedure. I, for one, would prefer a definition that encompasses a great deal more. As a physics teacher I value rational thinking, the interplay of perception and concept, creative problem-solving, and the exercise of judgement when executing procedures. I also value observing, dreaming, and play. Can any of these preferences of mine be successfully taught? Should I even try? When does the goal become so complex that it becomes illegible to me, and I fall into the traps of rationalizing or pseudoteaching? <br />
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Maybe I could define education as simply this; learning how to convert an illegibly complex experience into a legible one without falsely rationalizing it. <br />
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<i>Cross-posted to <a href="https://billcalhounteacher.blogspot.com/2014/12/legibility-and-pseudoteaching_30.html" target="_blank">William H Calhoun</a></i>Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908076522127296018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-17596153270578550102014-08-10T15:59:00.000-04:002016-06-17T17:46:42.109-04:00Defining TeachingHere's an outline I've been constructing around the task of defining teaching:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:110%;font-weight:bold;">The Task: To describe (and possibly define) what teaching is.</span><br /><br /><span>What teachers talk to each other about is the craft or practice of teaching, the employment of techniques and the solution to problems, but not what teaching itself actually is. Asking a teacher what teaching is is akin to asking a fish what swimming is - "I don't know, I just do it." It's actually more like asking a doctor what "doctoring" is. There's a lot to it, but it can be easier to describe the collection of daily tasks, the little tricks and moves, the tools and techniques, than it can be to articulate a definition of what "doctoring" is.</span><br /><br /><span>How would a teacher describe teaching to a lay person? How do teachers describe (and justify) what they are doing to each other, to administrators, supervisors, and bureaucrats? Should teachers try, among themselves, to define teaching, even as an exercise? Or should "experts" do the defining while the teachers get on with their work?</span><br /><br /><span>Why define teaching? Because if teachers don't define it, others will, and possibly to the detriment of teachers. Which brings us to The Problem.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:110%;font-weight:bold;">The Problem: The "wrong" definition of teaching will harm and interfere with a teacher's ability to teach.</span><br /><br /><span>Here are some "wrong" descriptions of teaching:</span><br /><br /><span><ul style="list-style-type:none;"><li>babysitting<li>coaching<li>guiding<li>facilitating<li>managing<li>delivering curriculum<li>the inverse of learning</ul></span><br /><span>Why are these descriptions wrong? Because they are an oversimplification of what is actually happening. Because the focus is entirely on a single dimension of teaching which can be described as effectiveness, and not at all on an equally important but often unseen dimension which can be described as engagement.</span><br /><br /><span>There are two current difficulties that tend to hide the engagement dimension:</span><br /><br /><span><ul style="list-style-type:none;"><li>1. Effective teaching includes designing instructional materials and designing tests. Both of these activities can be done on a corporate, academic, or bureaucratic level by experts, with an eye toward monopolizing and/or automating such activity. It benefits corporate, academic, and bureaucratic agents to define teaching as simply delivering or implementing their products.<li><li>2. For teachers, much of what should be thought of as engagement is instead thought of as classroom management, and often results in moralistic approaches to control and discipline. Psychological approaches to behavior modification are an improvement, but best would be pedagogical approaches to teaching behavior, directly and indirectly, in the classroom. Engagement needs to be clarified as being part of the actual teaching of the curriculum rather than as a separate side project of classroom control and discipline.</ul></span><br /><span style="font-size:110%;font-weight:bold;">The Solution: Understand the engagement part of teaching.</span><br /><br /><span>A key to this is understanding the role of behavioral techniques, especially stagecraft, in engaging students with the instructional materials. In other words, the behavioral techniques, the stagecraft, are an integral part of teaching. Without engagement, you are not teaching - you really are just delivering instructional materials to students who have been "managed" into doing work.</span><br /><br /><span>Remember - teaching happens when a teacher engages the student. Instructional materials do not teach themselves. Without a teacher, a student is simply self-taught.</span>
Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288502823938969188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-70586354712685865902013-11-09T15:10:00.001-05:002016-06-17T17:49:20.432-04:00Geneen Roth<blockquote>For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe we will end up being kind. If we shame ourselves, we believe we end up loving ourselves. It has never been true, not for a moment, that shame leads to love. Only love leads to love. <br />
- Geneen Roth</blockquote>This is true with teaching, too - we think criticism is the same as teaching, that shaming is an excellent and effective motivator. You can't force an end using an unsuitable means. Only love leads to love.Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288502823938969188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-27426069146961701382013-07-06T13:00:00.001-04:002013-07-06T13:00:58.170-04:00Thomas Merton<blockquote>The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them.</blockquote>-Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288502823938969188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-7564881595122992012013-05-25T20:51:00.001-04:002016-06-17T17:50:14.037-04:00Ass in Chair<blockquote>Here's the correct way to advise somebody: Love them. Respect them. Know them. Read their stuff, understand where they're coming from. If they're your students, talk to them in class and during your office hours. Ask them how it feels when they can't finish something. Ask them how it feels when they can. Help them get at their obsessions. It's possible that they aren't really trying very hard, and in an undergraduate workshop, this is sometimes the case. Writing really isn't for everybody, and we have a reputation for giving out easy A's. But usually they are trying, sometimes far harder than you have ever had to try to do anything. Sometimes they are crying at their desks at night. Sometimes they would rather die than have to finish their poem or short story. If you are not like that, it isn't because you are better. It's because you are different. Your own experience isn't worthless, but if you think something that works for you might work for a student or friend, put it in terms that acknowledge that you are different. “Here's something that works for me, why don't you try it.” What would you do if you were like them? Suggest that. Offer your student or friend some exercises that might allow them to find the thread themselves. You're not going to find it for them, especially not by implying that they don't work hard enough.<br />
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<a href="http://jrobertlennon.com/blog/2013/4/22/the-ass-in-the-chair-canard" target="_blank">The Ass-In-the-Chair Canard</a>, from J Robert Lennon's blog</blockquote>Read the whole thing - it's good! He has a lot of cool things to say about teaching.Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288502823938969188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-45930701921758404242013-04-28T11:19:00.004-04:002013-04-28T11:19:26.811-04:00David Mamet<blockquote>Society functions in a way much more interesting than the multiple-choice pattern we have been rewarded for succeeding at in school. Success in life comes not from the ability to choose between the four presented answers, but from the rather more difficult and painfully acquired ability to formulate the questions.<br />
― David Mamet, The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture</blockquote>Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288502823938969188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-13628809557586175802013-03-03T13:53:00.000-05:002016-06-17T17:50:44.338-04:00Watching Death of a Salesman<blockquote>The worksheet’s main purpose was to verify that the kids actually read it, to show that they could identify the correct make and model of the car that made its appearance in Act II. I’m sure a worksheet might capture valuable individual notes, ephemeral details, and vocabulary.<br />
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No worksheet could capture whether that play conveyed actual human meaning to these young people. “I told you that I hate that class,” my daughter told me. Who can blame her? I’ll bet similar mediocre experiences are being replicated across thousands of classrooms across America.<br />
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We’re living through tough economic times here in the southland of Chicago. Foreclosures and layoffs have brought financial disappointment, thwarted upward mobility, and everyday struggles for economic dignity that bear unmistakable resemblances to Willy Loman’s plight. Death of a Salesman might have provided an opportunity to communicate through literature what all too many of the families represented in that classroom are now going through.<br />
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This was an opportunity squandered. Attention should have been paid.<br />
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-Harold Pollock, <a href="http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress" target="_blank"><i>The Incidental Economist</i></a></blockquote>This is a heartfelt essay posted by Harold Pollock on his blog, The Incidental Economist. Read it, not to agree or disagree, but just to contemplate. The comments following are pretty thoughtful, too.<br />
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Read <a href="http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/watching-death-of-a-salesman-with-my-daughter/" target="_blank">here.</a>Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288502823938969188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-9098678857842528902013-02-21T15:46:00.000-05:002016-06-17T17:53:08.387-04:00The Socratic Method<blockquote>It should be one of the functions of a teacher to open vistas before his pupils, showing them the possibility of activities that will be as delightful as they are useful.<br />
-Bertrand Russell<br />
</blockquote>I love using the Socratic method when I teach. So much happens simultaneously, with no more investment than a certain respect and trust between teacher and student. It's the ultimate improvisation - you have a goal in mind, an idea or concept, say, and you start with a question. If you use the method correctly, you'll have no idea what will happen next. This makes the method exhilarating, but also nerve-wracking, for both the teacher and student. The interaction is risky, because it doesn't always work out the way you or the student hopes. Maybe that's why it can build such a nice collegiate atmosphere between you and your students - you're all going through the experience together.<br />
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When it does work, you learn a lot about how your students are thinking, and they get a better grasp on what you want them to understand. I often couple the interaction with some sort of worksheet that we all work on together. I move from small group to small group, having quick, concise Socratic moments centered on particular questions or exercises. If I see that everyone is struggling with a particular point, I'll pull the class together and we'll work on that as a class. And I'll make a mental note to review what I did or didn't do that resulted in the confusion.<br />
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I have been wondering lately how one would teach a teacher how to use the technique. I've never tried to analyze how I do it, though I imagine that I could. I do prepare by playing out in my mind how students might respond to certain questions. For now I will close this post by quoting from the article where I found my opening quotation. I found this article recently at the University of Chicago Law School website, based on an essay by Elizabeth Garrett, a former professor there.<br />
<blockquote>We are teaching reasoning skills, and the process of discovering a right answer is often more important than the answer itself. Mistakes - or perhaps, more accurately, tentative steps toward a solution that lead us down unavailing but illuminating paths - are part of learning.<br />
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. . . students can sometimes be frustrated by the uncertainty . . . when the Socratic Method is the dominant teaching style, because they are confronting a new vocabulary, unfamiliar logical analysis, and the unusual form of narrative found in [any new discipline] . . . But to provide certainty where there is none or to give a neat framework where the [discipline] is messy is to teach dishonestly.</blockquote>Read the whole article <a href="http://www.law.uchicago.edu/socrates/soc_article.html" target="_blank">here</a>.Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288502823938969188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2755742727962673791.post-28841968083576987052013-02-17T23:08:00.000-05:002013-02-17T23:08:23.840-05:00Krishnamurti<blockquote>Governments want efficient technicians, not human beings, because human beings become dangerous to governments – and to organized religions as well. That is why governments and religious organizations seek to control education.<br />
- Jiddu Krishnamurti, <i>Education and the Significance of Life</i></blockquote>Bill Calhounhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288502823938969188noreply@blogger.com0