Teaching!Portfolio!!

May!the!Force!be!With!You:!Week!1,!Lesson!1.!
! Annotated!Diagram!
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Provided%by%Roxy%
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The%Force%and%Motion%Learning%Progression%(Alonso%and%Steedle%2009),%
describes%the%sequence%of%progression%for%students%conceptual%
understanding.%
At%Level%1:%Students%understand%force%as%a%push%or%pull,%but%may%think%
that:%%
A%force%is%caused%by%other%things%or%is%a%property%of%an%object%in%
motion.%%
Forces%cause%motion%in%the%direction%of%the%force.%
Motion%is%proportional%to%the%force%acting%on%it.%
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At%Level%2:%Students%understand%the%relationship%between%force%and%
motion%but%may%think%that%
An%object%in%motion;%is%carried%by%an%initial%force%that%dissipates%as%
the%object%loses%its%momentum.%%
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At%Level%3:%Students%understand%that%an%object%will%be%at%rest%if%there%is%no%
force%acting%on%it,%but%may%think%that:%
An%object%will%slow%down%naturally%even%without%force.%
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Roxys%diagram%shows%an%emerging%understanding%of%Forces%and%Motion,%
consistent%with%students%at%Level%1.%She%associates%force%with%an%action%
(Rolling).%%She%shows%a%developing%understanding%of%the%relationship%of%the%
size%(magnitude)%of%the%force%and%how%it%affects%the%motion%of%the%objects.%%
I%believe%that%this%initial%lesson%has%provided%some%foundation%for%future%
lessons.%
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 Teaching!Portfolio!!
May!the!Force!be!With!You:!Week,!Lesson!1.!
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Game!On!!
Lesson%by%Luke%Shultz%%
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During%the%activity%phase%of%the%lesson%groups%were%divided%up%to%explore%
what%forces%were%applied%to%objects%during%the%following%games:%Balloons,%
marbles,%dominos.%%
Students%were%each%given%a%marble%and%the%task%given%of%dispersing%the%
pile%of%marbles%on%the%floor%where%they%sat.%%
Roxy%gingerly%took%to%the%activity%(along%with%the%other%girls%in%the%group),%
content%to%just%roll%her%marble%down%a%paper%roll%ramp,%rather%then%
experiment%with%more%effective%ways%of%hitting%the%centre%marbles.%I%asked%
Roxy%and%her%group%to%think%about%what%forces%were%being%applied?%%
Rolling%was%the%overwhelming%response%provided%by%Roxys%group.%
I%prompted%Roxy%with%more%specific%questions:%
What%affect%had%rolling%the%marble%through%the%tube%had%on%the%
marbles%in%the%centre?%%
Did%they%move%in%the%same%direction?%
Did%they%move%a%lot%or%a%little?%
How%could%you%make%them%move%a%lot?%%
After%considering%these%questions%Roxy%then%decided%to%flick%the%marble%
hard%with%her%fingers,%scattering%them%in%all%directions.%%%
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After%that%it%was%on!%Roxy%and%her%teammates%collaborated%to%come%up%
with%new%ways%to%maximise%the%force%of%their%marbles%hit,%employing%a%
diverse%range%of%strategies%and%discussing%their%effectiveness.%
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 Teaching!Portfolio!!
May!the!Force!be!With!You:!Week!1,!Lesson!2.!
Blimp!Rockets%%
Lesson%by%Stephanie%Chang%
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Blimp%Rockets%was%a%fast%paced,%handsGon%activity;%that%Roxy%(along%with%
her%team%mates)%responded%to%with%maximum%enthusiasm.%The%tentative%
side%that%Roxy%had%presented%at%the%start%of%the%previous%lesson%had%fallen%
away%completely%in%the%wake%of%her%first,%Balloon%Blast%Off.%%Roxy%was%
engaged%100%%in%her%own%inquiries%into%rocket%science%and%balloon%
aerodynamics.%%Throughout%the%entire%duration%of%the%activity,%Roxy%was%
engaged%in%active%exploration;%engaging%in%discussion%with%her%teammates%
over%ways%to%enhance%their%rockets%performance%and%experimenting%with%
different%variables,%e.g.%balloons%size%and%increased%tautness%of%her%line.%To%
ensure%the%activity%maintained%its%scientific%focus,%I%encouraged%Roxy%to%
make%predictions%over%how%modifications%would%affect%her%rockets%speed%
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and%performance.%At%the%end%of%the%activity,%I%initiated%a%group%discussion,%
in%which%Roxy%bombastically%volunteered%her%observations%and%described%
the%various%outcomes%of%her%numerous%rocket%launches.%%I%challenged%Roxy%
to%think%about%the%forces%she%had%come%in%contact%with.%After%some%
consideration,%Roxy%was%able%to%identify%the%source%of%the%force%and%
describe%the%paradox%between%the%direction%of%force%in%relation%to%the%
trajectory%of%her%rocket%(Described%left%in%group%poster).%
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 Teaching!Portfolio!!
May!the!Force!be!With!You:!Week!2.!Lesson!3.!
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Facts!&!Friction!
Lesson%by%Luke%Schultz%%
There%were%some%minor%issues%in%regards%to%the%effectiveness%of%the%
methods%used%in%this%experiment.%For%example%students%didnt%factor%how%
the%angle%of%the%ramp%affected%the%distance%of%the%toy%car%leading%to%
inconsistencies%in%results.%Many%tests%had%to%be%repeated%to%produce%more%
rational%findings.%
During%the%theory%stage%of%the%lesson%Roxy%had%some%difficulty%
conceptualising%friction%as%a%common%force%that:%%
Occurs%when%two%objects%come%into%contact%with%each%other%
Stops%things%moving%or%slows%things%down.%
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Roxy%once%again%became%tentative%when%asked%to%come%up%with%a%
definition%and%explanation%of%friction.%I%provided%further%modelling%of%the%
principles%of%friction%in%the%classroom,%informally%testing%the%toy%car%on%the%
surface%of%the%table%and%then%on%the%carpet%and%encouraging%Roxy%to%
describe%the%differences.%Unlike%with%the%balloon%experiment,%Roxy%was%
confused%by%the%notion%of%two%forces%working%in%opposite%directions,%
which%indicated%to%me%that%Roxys%perception%of%force;%is%that%of%belonging%
to%an%object.%It%was%interesting%however%to%observe%that%in%the%process%of%
directing%her%focus%onto%the%texture%of%surfaces%she%noticed%that%car%
coming%in%contact%with%the%table%had%the%affect%of%producing%heat.%%This%is%
what%informed%her%rationale%for%defining%friction%(Question%1,%pictured%
left).%%Due%to%time%constraints,%in%the%end%I%had%to%provide%a%demonstration%
with%an%explicit%explanation%for%friction%for%Roxy.%
The%combination%of%teacher%directed%explanation%and%lack%of%a%real%
conceptual%understanding%of%friction,%is%evident%in%the%confused%
explanations%she%provides%for%Question%2%(Pictured%left).%%
I%think%if%I%were%to%reGdesign%the%experiment,%I%would%use%fixedGposition%
% ramps%with%interchangeable%surfaces%(e.g.,%textured%paper,%cloth%strips,%
sandpaper%etc.)%
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