January 25

Continue Swingers … Q’s during activity relate to effects of varying factors on pendulum’s period.

Ultimate aim is for students to be investigating particular question: How does ____ effect the time it takes for pendulum to swing back/forth once? . . . Discuss possible procedures with classmates. Students try to answer question, working again in pairs. (If you like, you can have students think about how they’d answer a question, then solicit possible procedures as a whole group activity.)

[Also, I like to eventually point out to students that everyone found my directions clear–“make an object that will swing back and forth 60X per minute”–but there’s still much opportunity for confusion. …]

Also today: Need to read safety sheets to students, take time at end of class to check that students have met prerequisites, take photos, show students where my office and Science Ed Dept office located.

Autobiography is due one week from today. Take a little time to be sure students understand what the assignment is about & how it will be graded. The rubric is simple:

Paper was two to four pages, typed, double spaced=>yes,no
You discussed your personal experiences with science=>yes,no
You discuss how you distinguish science from other ways of understanding the world=>yes,no,somewhat
Paper was handed in on time=>yes,no

FOR NEXT TIME: Hazen (Why My Kids Hate Science), Graika (Minds On, Hands On Science), Keys (Inquiring Minds Want to Know). … autobiography is due next Wednesday.

January 23

Intro self, course…tell students they must present unofficial evidence of having met course prerequisites if they were permitted in (have list ready).

Ask students about what usually happens on first day, tell them this class will be different, more active student participation … RoundTable to generate questions, make list. . . . Intro attention-signal . . . Tell studs course-pack available through e-reserves at library (From library home page, www.csulb.edu/library, click on e-reserves, select Science Ed Dept’s SCED 401 or my name from drop-down box, click on link for this course. Password given in class. . . Syllabus online (my home page is www.csulb.edu/~acolburn, click on link for course SCED 401, or go directly to www.csulb.edu/~acolburn/SCED401).

Play the Name Game

Show students how to set up notebook:

• leave first couple pages for table of contents
• number pages, date each page
• Title for first unit: Swingers
• First question, written below title: “How can I make a pendulum that will swing back and forth 60X in a minute?”
• Record in three columns: What I Did, What Happened, My Thoughts

Swingers (start unit)  … “Make an object that will swing back & forth 60x in a minute.”  Demo. how to time.

FOR NEXT TIME: Print evidence of prereqs, if necessary. Also: Go online, see syllabus—make sure to take a look at attendance policy.

Welcome!

Welcome to SCED 401. I hope you have a wonderful semester in my class. I’m going to try my best to make sure you do! To help you stay up to date, review anything you might have missed, and make my expectations as clear as possible I will be posting my notes here after each day’s class. I usually try to post them soon after the actual class, but sometimes it takes me a day or two. I’ll only be posting info about what happened in class; I won’t post anything that wasn’t discussed in class.