Doing and Learning Science with Average Speed Activity

Everyday life experiences such as walking, jogging, and skipping can make students comfortable in doing science. They can take advantage of these to understand why the average speed that has a higher numerator (with a denominator of 1 second) such as 8.5 meters per second has a higher average speed or is faster than one that has a lower numerator (also with a denominator of 1 second) such as 3.5 meters per second.

In this activity, students do not use toy cars or carts as devices on laboratory tables. They use themselves as the body in motion to cover the same distance but in different ways (e.g., normal walking, skipping, duckwalking, or any way they wish). Such an activity helps students strengthen their doing science such as using the same teammate (same length of legs throughout) for the three activities, running three times to not leave to chance or luck the data gathered, verifying data by doing the calculations at least thrice by not only one member of the team, using number sense to detect that the timer in the cellphone did not show the lap time but rather the difference of one lap from the preceding lap, using graphs to use a different representation of data, and surfacing creativity by using shoes (instead of settling with chalk marks) as lap indicators on the floor. And yes, students are willing to stay put without shoes for the sake of science 😊

 

Three Dimensional Models in Electricity and Magnetism: Electronic Ink

Science concepts that are represented by one dimensional and static pictures are a lot better than making students IMAGINE them. It is even better if three dimensional models are used because our daily life experiences involve objects that are three dimensional. For instance, the mechanism of electronic ink (an application of the principle that like charges repel and unlike charges attract) as explained by Cutnell & Johnson (2012) may come alive by affording students the opportunity to collaborate with each other in making a three dimensional model. How does one facilitate this? First, you need to discuss the model as a class. Then students are grouped to plan their model using readily available materials. Third, they give their presentation. Fourth, a debriefing is given by the professor to discuss with the class the limitations of the models. The following pictures show my students and their models.