Optical instruments made by students

In the topic, Basic of light, I give the task of analyzing and creating one simple optical instrument for themselves. Students have two weeks to prepare projects, returning to these issues.

Assignment given to students: 
Select one device that uses light straight-line travel or light reflections and studies it!

• What, when, and for what purposes did create the first model of this device?
• What is the physical principle of the operation of the device?
• What are the options for using the device these days?
• What other technical solutions use the principles of this device?
• Create a technical plan to make a model for such a device!
• Create a device and evaluate the outcome of your work

Here are some of bests for this year!

Look closer to physics educational standart

When writing a bachelor's job three years ago, I analyze the National General Secondary Education Standard in physics. I found that a more significant part of the necessary skills to be learned based on practice and awareness-raising, less on theoretical skills. I created the most typical relationship between words and the level of knowledge. It was possible to obtain a comprehensive insight into the necessary skills required from the pupil after learning the physic.

As can be seen in the table, 68% of verbs in the physics standard encourage pupils to engage in different types of activities related to practices and the use of information. Theoretical knowledge is only about 12% of the standard. You can see that already the education standard places great emphasis on the development of practical skills.

In my opinion, the educational standard shows a relatively good focus on consciousness-building, not just knowing the theory. So I am convince that the right choice of practical work, which will encourage a pupil to analyze and evaluate the problem situation of physics, can be a powerful method to be introduced in the lessons of physics.

Five steps to understand the basic concepts

When I preparing exercises, I try to find the way that students lead to discovering the laws of physics through their studies. The first topic where I tried these kinds of tasks was the theme of Class 8, “Motion”  I split all themes into critical skills and concepts. The selected skills are divided into 3 levels:

Primary level - needs to be known and skilled by everyone

User Level - using ideas in standard tasks

Expert level - use of concepts and skills in non-standard situations

Five consecutive tasks were prepared for each level, and all pupils started at Level 1. For example, in the first exercise, all pupils should read the descriptive tasks of the movement and draw up the path they have taken to collect the drawings and be able to figure out both the concepts of the path, trajectory, and displacement. Each next step is partly related to the previous one. It slowly builds understanding from bases to active use. The working pages prepared for the topic are available on my Teacher Pay Teacher profile here.

Depending on the pace of work, pupils perform at least user-level tasks during four sessions. In the third lesson, we gather the knowledge and prepare for the test work with the pupils.

In their tasks, students acquire knowledge through practical activity and research. What does the teacher do? The primary responsibility of the teacher is to control that all pupils deal with these tasks correctly. Only then does the pupil get a new excercise.

In my school, classes are divided by levels of success, so I could quickly assess how this method works for different children. On the reactions of pupils after the first hour when I introduced this method can be read in the article "Can't you please do the same as the other teachers?" 

Can't you please do the same as the other teachers?

The lesson begins, greeting, and presenting the aim of the lesson. It's all quiet. I introduce with activity: pupils will work independently on tasks and forms an understanding of concepts of the new topic. The classroom is starting to stir. And it turns out this bustle can be so much different!

Scenario 1 - Class with excellent self-learning skills

The class receives the first task. Hear reading and discussions about what is required to perform on the exercise. A question appears in the classroom, which I explained individually. The activity will continue throughout the hour, occasionally asking the teacher whether the task has been performed correctly and receiving a new challenging task. I'm elated - the class works as a watch mechanism, and my co-operation is only supportive.

When I asked how they liked the lesson, hear the comments:

This one was interesting - I really understand everything!

I had never thought so much for the whole hour!

I like to think about relationships of physics myself.

Scenario 2 - Class with low learning motivation

The class receives the first task. For a short moment, there is complete silence - until the first brave pupil roars - We haven't learned it! Once again, I tell what self-learning and research means. Silence in the classroom. Hear reading and discussions about what is required to perform on the task. There's another dropper in the class - Teachers get a salary to teach us! I explained that this is a learning process organized by me, and I will be pleased to help learn when the pupils start reading and asking questions. Suddenly a hundred questions appear in the classroom at the same time, and I try to give time to each and explain. Pupils slowly begin to go into the requested position, occasionally asking the teacher whether the task had been performed correctly and when they received a new exercise.  After hour, there's a comment: Can't you please do the same as the other teachers and just dictate everything next time! And I need to remind myself - just peace! Just patience! Everything will come with time!

Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it /Henry Ford/ 

How does the position of working desks change the organization in classroom?

       In the first few years of work, I do a lot of experiments with work-desk layouts. As a first-year teacher, I initially used the general line principle. However, I was slightly uncomfortable in the classroom, mainly because as soon as I wanted the students to work in groups, the classroom reshuffle began. The process takes at least 5 minutes from a lesson only to organize in working groups. I know it's possible to introduce some good routine, and it would certainly work out more quickly in time, but I was a little too lazy for it.

        And that's how I found my solution, which led to other revelations. One day I decided to lay out all the classroom tables at five working stations where 4 to 6 pupils would sit at each. After that day, I have liked the station's idea, and the tables in my classroom have never stood anymore differently. Why?

         Here are my benefits: 

1. as needed, I can organize both individual and group work without changing the rhythm; 
2. when preparing laboratory work, I always know how many stations I will have to make materials; 
3. although pupils are allowed to sit freely, there will often be different levels of knowledge at the table, and pupils start efficiently helping the group members; 
4. within an hour, I can approach each group at least 2 or 3 times. If the pupils were sitting at 15 tables, it would take me a lot more effort; 
5. and most importantly! Working on deep-thinking tasks in such groups succeeded in achieving the best results! 

       Every time I go to my colleagues, who call sharing experience, my first question is what the position of the class will be. When I go into a class with a row layout, there is a little panic in me - can I do what I intended? But I understand - the goals of the lesson can be achieved in any circumstance - but working stations is a model where I feel the best. 

Ask the question differently – think deeper

Every year when the young pupils come to my class, the first thing they understand is that there is a lot to be worked and thought independently in an hour because there are no correct answers in front of the teacher. I like the principle of task-making, which is commonly called deep thinking. These are tasks that do not require standard solutions but need students to link their prior knowledge to the new ones to solve the task.

There are many ideas, and I finally decided to share them. Sharing ideas is my way of growing. In addition to the challenge – my working language is not English. Therefore, every record and material worked twice.

My grand goal is an e-book, which will summarize the deep-thinking tasks to use during the learning process in physic. But I begin with little steps, starting this blog, to describe my ideas, examples, and experiences in how they have managed realized in the classroom. I'll be glad if you find ideas to try in your class too!