Session: Eugenia Etkina - Pedagogical Content Knowledge
A lot of students will say that if you put a bowling ball on the table, there’s no “normal force” – the table is just “in the way.” So try this first, says Eugenia Etkina.
Have them hold a bowling ball and a tennis ball.
Now draw a picture, using arrows, showing what their hand has to do to hold the tennis ball and the bowling ball.
They’ll automatically draw something that looks like a force diagram, with a larger F for the bowling ball.
Now place the balls on a table and ask them to draw the forces the table has to exert to hold up the balls. They should draw the same thing.
Thus, this physical experience can help them understand that the table does have to exert a force. Plus, the contrasting cases of the bowling ball and tennis ball helps them to discern what is important in these force diagrams. (Note the importance of contrasting cases in Invention Activities, which I’ve written about before – which this activity is similar to).
Related posts:
- New ways to assess your students’ learning Why is it that we make tests multiple choice, when...
- Explanations are important So try this. Instead of trying to come up with...
- What do you believe about how people learn? [Session: Eugenia Etkina - Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)] What you...
- More crazy ideas Look at this picture. What will happen to the balloon...
- Ideas for teaching the phases of the moon A while back, a teacher on a listserv asked for...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 1 trackback }