I Hate Math!!

I was always a student that was not very fond of math and I think the main reason why is because I had some really bad teachers. These teachers were not supportive of me and were not patient at all! They would get very frustrated with me when I didn't get a concept right away and I could see it on their face and in turn I would get frustrated with myself. I remember in third grade during math class I was staring at my book trying to look really confused so the teacher wouldn't call on me and I wouldn't have to say "I don't know," in front of class. She called on me regardless and embarrassed me thoroughly, so my self confidence in math has always been smushed by some pretty mean teachers. Not all my teachers have been bad though, but I have always had in my head that I am bad at math and always will be. This is an attitude I need to change before stepping into the classroom because I know I really want my kids to do well in math and be excited about it!

Pendulum Motion

I really enjoyed reading this article because I had no idea how important the pendulum is to our history! Of course I have used the pendulum in numerous science experiments, but have always taken it for granted. I knew that the pendulum could keep time, but never knew how significant it was to the effect of force on objects over time, the distance of fall over time, the change of speed over time, the radial movement of planets over time, and the progress of chemical reactions over time. Galileo was huge in the utilization of the pendulum and without him many would be set back in their findings on pendulums. He made four novel claims about pendulum motion the first being the Law of Length, the Law of Amplitude Independence, the Law of Weight Independence, and the Law of Isochrony. Pendulums were also very important for navigation of ships in regards to the lines of latitude and longitude. "Gemma Frisius, the Flemish astronomer, professor at Louvain University, and teacher of Mercator the map maker. In 1530, he proposed time-keeping as the solution to the problem of longitude. The Earth makes one revolution of 360 degrees in 24 hours. Thus, in one hour it rotates through 15 degrees, or 1 degree every four minutes." The pendulum is a marvelous device that is so simply yet to important to our natural history. Where would we be without the pendulum?

Flashlight Experiment!

I had a flashlight of medium strength about the same intensity of the one we use in the classroom. I went into a big dark room and shined the flashlight on the wall in front of me. I observed that there was no defined beam like one would see with a spotlight. While there was no defined beam I did see a beam when dust particles would fly through where I was shining the flashlight. I also observed that there was a circle on the wall where I was shining the light. There was a smaller more concentrated circle in the middle of a bigger dimmer circle of light. The light did not fill the entire room and only illuminated the spot where I was pointing the flashlight.
I then went into a dark hallway and shined the light down it like we had discussed in class. I observed that the lights filled the room and showed on the walls next to me. The corners of the hallway behind the flashlight were not illuminated. There still was no defined beam of light from the flashlight. I also observed dust particles making the beam of light noticeable. There was no smaller concentrated circle or larger dimmer circle because the farther the light moved away from the source it became weaker.  

The Virtues of Not Knowing

I found this article very interesting. The article made some very strong points like putting to much emphasis on test taking and developing students critical thinking skills. One quote from the text really stuck out to me though, "Knowing the right answer requires no decisions, carries no risk, and makes no demands, It is automatic. It is thoughtless." I found this statement to be so true. So many times students regurgitate answers mindlessly just because they have been repeated and coached to them. Students are becoming more of a score than a child who needs to learn for their own personal gain. Students rarely have inquiry anymore as to why that is the answer or how they got there. This article truly went in depth about inquiry and test taking and how "imaginative" and "intellectually daring" students are overlooked because tests will never be able to measure those qualities. The article also made another interesting point "the more you actually think to get the right answers on an intelligence test, the less intelligent the results will look." The article also gave two examples of students finding the answers themselves through personal inquiry. The first example I was not very interested in. The experiment sounded neat for a classroom, but unrealistic for a Kindergarten class (assuming that is the grade the 6 yr. old is in). Also, the child sounded fake by using the word "Gee" and what not. No 6 yr. old I know says "Gee" anymore. The second experiment with the pendulum and Alec was a good example and I enjoyed reading about it. I really liked how at the end the students didn't give into the first explanation given and really thought about the experiment and came to a decisive conclusion. I also liked how Alec grew from the experience too and learned to become humble with his thoughts and ideas. This article was really great and made a lot of interesting points. The teacher does need to become more a facilitator in the classroom instead of just feeding his/her students the answers. I know that I learn the most be correcting my mistakes and learning from others.