Re: cbl ideas, release time grant

[Derek Chirnside <d.chirnside@PHYS.CANTERBURY.AC.NZ>]

Leon Leonardo wrote:
> A few years ago our department aquired a set of 20 cbl/TI 83's with
> numerous probes.  They've been hidden away in a seldom opened room
> ever since.  No one seems to have had the necessary enthusiasm for cbl
> based labs to have found the time to implement them into our program.
>
> Well I now have the enthusiam, but time is still a problem.  It has
> been suggested that I write a grant proposal for release time to
> integrate the cbl's into our program.  Has anyone attempted something
> similar?  Any thoughts?
>
> I teach at El Camino Community College, and have in mind developing 2
> cbl based experiments for each of our three levels of physics:
> non-majors, trig. based, and calculus based.  Any suggestions on
> favorite cbl labs, either "home-grown" or purchased?
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks, Leon
Have you seen the RealTime physics and the Tools for Scientific Thinking
in the vernier catalogue?
This is a good place to start.

To fully appreciate these materials, I think some background
understanding is needed of recent findings to do with the effect of some
specific sequences of teaching with real time data logging.
Some work much much better than others.
One finding has been that kinematics understandings greatly enhance
dynamics learning.
And that some relatively simple real time motion activities (I wouldn't
call them experiments in the usual sense) greatly improve learning.
Especially when matched with a cycle involving Prediction, Discussin,
Observing and Explaining.

Where are you?  If you are near a Thornton-Laws-Sokoloff workshop then
this would be time well spent and well worthy of a grant.  The allow
several days afterwards to get it set up.

If you respond to me in two weeks I will have the first demos customised
for our classes.  (Year 12)  Will be using the gear in an interactive
lecture situation.

Derek

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--
Derek Chirnside         d.chirnside@phys.canterbury.ac.nz
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Growing Minds: Physics Education/Information Technology Support
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