Jared Schmidt

I&L 2749

Due:  February 20, 2006

Project #1

            The idea of momentum is a very important topic that combines past knowledge in mechanics and applies it to collisions and other interactions of objects with one another.  The lesson that I chose to use for this assignment is that of momentum.  For this lesson it was imperative to first introduce some pertinent background information on the topic and necessary equations and definitions prior to a planned inquiry-guided lab experiment.  The experiment would test the students’ understanding of not only the content, but also their use of technology.  The experiment would also strengthen and tie to ideas mentioned during the lecture portion of the chapter.

            The learning goals of this lesson would be that the students learn about the Law of Conservation of Momentum and how it applies to elastic and inelastic collisions.  Another learning goal would involve the use of technology in the lab effectively by the students in the form of timing, graphing data and extrapolating from a graph.  The students would be able to use the technology available to support their efforts in the lab, enabling them to draw conclusions about their experiments.

            To start the lesson, the teacher would put together a PowerPoint presentation that would encompass all of the necessary information about the big ideas of the lesson and would present the material in an organized manner.  In the presentation the teacher would include images, short video clips and/or applets to visually represent the ideas and concepts of momentum.  For instance, an image of a box truck and car colliding head on with masses and velocities labeled would stand as a representation for not only one of two types of collisions, but also as a simple example to introduce momentum and how it is conserved.  To go along with the PowerPoint, handouts of the slides would be handed out to the students of simply the definitions and longer worded sentences to cut down on the time that it takes for the students write notes during the lecture.  By doing so, the teacher can include more example problems or demonstrations due to the decrease in the time required for students to write.  The problems would be posed in the handouts, however, the solutions would instead be worked out on the board.  The teacher would work out the first one or two with help from the students and subsequent examples would be given to the students to solidify ideas.

            For the second part of the lesson, the students would be given the task of creating one elastic and one inelastic collision by using air tracks and carts.  The teacher would perform a demonstration of this part of the class by connecting an air track to the outlet and running through an example qualitatively. The teacher would express that when the students perform the experiment, they will be required to collect the necessary data, including masses and velocities of each individual cart.  The learning goal of the lab portion of the lesson would be to enable the students to explore the Law of Conservation of Momentum through observing two collisions and testing that the law holds true.  They will be required to have not only data for the lab, but calculations and diagrams for any and all of the apparatus.

            The instructional materials available for use are computers, air tracks and other materials necessary for demonstrations, and the students’ textbooks and notes.  These materials would be available for both the lecture and lab portions of the class.

            The modes of instruction used during the lesson would involve a teacher-fronted instruction, cooperative learning in pairs, in-class concept practice, and an inquiry-based approach.  The initial instruction was a teacher-fronted classroom mixed with practice problems for the students.  Once the class transitioned to the lab part of the lesson, the class shifted to the students and the use of an inquiry-based environment mixed with cooperative learning.

            Technology was used in both parts of the lesson.  First, in the teacher-fronted section, the teacher implemented PowerPoint and other uses of the computer through demonstrations and applets.  This use of technology gave the teacher more freedom, intrigued the students because it touches their lives more and makes for an easier teaching environment because students can relate more effectively to the examples or demonstrations.

            Secondly, technology is used in the lab in order to collect data and information pertinent to the lab.  In order to obtain velocities, the students have access to timing devices, which are self-standing.  Like Gabe mentioned in his suggestions, his classes use Logger Pro and Vernier software.  In high school and college, I too had access to this equipment, which makes it easier to accurately collect data.  This use of technology to produce and collect data is an important part of its implementation.  The students get a better idea of how exactly scientists utilize technology resources to more accurately obtain data for calculations.  In previous labs that required the use of a timing device, the students were presented with stopwatches, which were not as accurate.  By having the students use them first, they become aware of how technological devices, such as photogates, help to eliminate some error in recording times.

            The students are assessed through the work they perform in the lab.  It not only shows the work that they have performed in the lab, but also describes their understanding of knowledge learned during the lecture portion of the lesson.  Depending on what sort of data the students obtained, their calculations based on the Law of Conservation of Momentum will show how well they can explain what is going on in the lab and if present, what the cause of error may be that refutes the law.

            In this lesson the use of technology is spilt amongst both the teacher and the students.  The teacher uses PowerPoint, applets and other computer programs to present a coherent lecture to the students.  In this teacher-fronted part of the lesson, the teacher effectively uses technology to present the material.  Without the use of PowerPoint, the teacher may use transparencies or write on the board to present the notes to the students.  In these cases the students are required to write more, which causes the teacher to either wait for the students to finish or plow through the information, regardless of if the students have finished writing.  While the students are writing, they most likely are not able to listen as effectively either, which causes a problem.  Throughout the lecture, the students are asked questions to which they respond with answers based on the content of the lecture, which shows how they can apply what they are learning to answer questions.  While the teacher is presenting, the students fill in calculations, terms or definitions that are not included in their handouts.  When the students have a question, they ask the teacher and he or she is able to respond by tying it to the lecture itself.

            Once the students enter the lab, they are the ones who are using the technology.  The photogates are used effectively to measure the time that it takes for a cart on the air track to travel through the laser on the gate.  Based on prior knowledge, the students use this time and distance to calculate a velocity of the cart.  The technology is then acting as a supplemental instructional support for the students.  The students are also presented with the use of a computer for any calculations necessary and for the lab write-up itself.  Through the lab portion of the lesson, the students use the technology available to them in order to make difficult tasks easier.  Without the photogates, the students’ labs were more difficult to obtain accurate data due to the use of less appropriate devices, such as stopwatches or mechanical measuring devices.

            These particular modes of instruction were chosen because the simplest way to present new material to students is through a teacher-fronted classroom.  However, the whole class did not involve a teacher-fronted class because it does not allow students to learn as much as they could through cooperative learning or lab activities.  In the second part of the lesson, cooperative learning and inquiry-based activities were used to strengthen the students’ understanding of concepts and parallel the information from the lecture.  The lab is more of a real world application, which for some students is a better and easier way to learn and understand difficult concepts such as the Law of Conservation of Momentum.

            These modes supported the goals of the lesson by responding to them in two different ways.  First, the teacher-fronted part introduces the students to momentum and the law behind it.  The key terms and equations are represented through words, pictures and even short video clips or applets.  This means of teaching the students supports both the teacher and the students in the class.

            The second mode of teaching involved both cooperative learning and an inquiry-based activity.  This mode not only supports the learning goals by implementing technology in data collection and conclusions, but it also ties directly to the first part of the lesson and the important information, equations and definitions presented in their handouts.

            Other instructional technologies that I would like to explore would be to teach using Vernier and Logger Pro software, rather than learning from it.  I know that it was an effective means of collecting data in the lab and the graphing styles of the software are very pictorial and simplify concepts for students.  By adding these technologies to a classroom setting, the students would be able to more accurately complete the lab and because of the accuracy, may see the relationship of the Law of Conservation of Momentum easier.

            This lesson effectively used technology through each mode of instruction, whether that being teacher-fronted, cooperative learning or inquiry-based teaching.  The use of technological devices helped to simplify difficult concepts through less erroneous data and organized notes handouts.  The roles of both the teacher and students was complemented well by technology.