Strategies
Students in public schools from around the country face many of the same problems. Deficiencies in reading and math skills have impacted the scholastic achievement in many subjects, but in particular math and science. As a means of addressing these problems, this unit will utilize both content specific classroom strategies and pedagogical strategies. In the first case, graphical analysis, mathematical problem solving, and technology will be used. With regard to pedagogical strategies, a series of cooperative learning skills will be addressed in addition to teaching note-taking skills.
The ability to create, read, and understand graphical relationships are essential, not only to math and science, but it is equally applicable to any content area. Many students have difficulties distinguishing a dependent variable from an independent variable. Setting up a graph and establishing an appropriate scale can be very challenging to students. Identifying relationships within a graph and understanding their significance is problematic for many students. In view of the aforementioned problems, time will be allocated for reviewing and applying graphical analysis to a variety of problems associated with the physics of bridges. In particular, there is the option of graphing the following three different ratios: external force per unit area, the change in length of an object verses its original length, and the correlation between stress and strain. Calculating the slope of each graph would give the following values: stress, strain, and degree of elasticity or Young's Modulus.
Difficulty in reading comprehension makes solving word problems that much more complex. The ability to simplify these problems is crucial to solving any physics problem. There are four basic steps that students can follow in simplifying word problems. Initially, students simply need to read the problem. The second step is to write down all of the information that is given. This may involve drawing a diagram, such as a free body diagram. The next step involves finding an equation to solve the problem. The last step requires the student to perform the mathematical operations exactly as indicated in the equation. All units must be included in this last step. Using dimensional analysis and knowing the expected units in the answer, one can determine whether or not the equation is set up properly. Students will be given a series of word problems dealing with truss bridges. They will be expected to solve them using the method of sections, as outlined earlier.
The ability to create power point presentations is an effective skill that high school students should possess in preparing for post-secondary education or careers. The technology piece of this curriculum unit will concentrate efforts on teaching students how to prepare a successful power point presentation. Several points to consider take into account the use of special effects, the size of the font, the background color of the slide, and the number of words on a slide. Students need to remember that each slide signifies a specific point. As a direct result, each slide should summarize a particular point. The formation of a high-quality presentation will enable the student to acquire a variety of important skills, not the least of which is the ability to paraphrase and summarize.
Cooperative learning takes into account a number of different pedagogical techniques which are aimed at improving both scholastic and social skills. Working in small groups provides students the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas that conventional classroom seating arrangements do not. Positive group dynamics can lead to improving student confidence. The objective of reciprocal teaching is to enhance reading comprehension. It consists of small groups and four basic steps that include: questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and predicting. A related activity aimed at improving the ability of students to summarize material is a technique referred to as the Cornell Method of note-taking. Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University, developed this highly successful method over fifty years ago. The essential points involve writing down key words or questions in one section on a sheet of paper, notes and/or phrases in another section, and then putting them all together by writing a short summary at the bottom of the page (14).
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