OBryant AP Physics Chemistry, Marine Biology

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OBryantAP PhysicsChemistry, Marine Biology

• Teachers Steve Fernandez, Myriam Hibbard
• Fellow Seth Baum

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OBryant Mission Statement

• The John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and
  Science is a diverse, supportive community of
  learners that engages in a rigorous and
  comprehensive Science, Technology, Engineering,
  and Mathematics program integrated with
  Humanities. Our college-preparatory exam school
  enables our students to reach their full
  potential and become leaders who will shape the
  direction of society.

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Fellows Work To Date (Aug 2006)

• Bridge to AP Physics
• 1 week in May
• 1 week in right now
• Bridge to AP Calculus
• 6 week summer program at NU
• Overlap with AP Physics students

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Fellows Anticipated Role (Aug 2006)

• General support for AP Physics
• Large class size (30 students)
• Curriculum development for Marine Biology
• Ocean imaging
• Possible field trips to Nahant, WHOI
• Connecting NU students to education outreach
  opportunities at OBryant
• CenSSIS Scholars
• Field trips to Northeastern

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Did I Play This Role?

• General support for AP Physics Yes
• Regular assistance in problem solving
• Curriculum development for Marine Biology Some
• Ocean imaging Some
• Possible field trips to Nahant, WHOI Unlikely
  (discipline)
• Other miscellaneous support
• Connecting NU students to education outreach
  opportunities at OBryant
• CenSSIS Scholars Not yet
• Field trips to Northeastern Not yet

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Other Roles, Pre-Nov 6

• Killing on the Canal
• Inspired by Marine Bio student interest in
  forensic science
• Used by Marine Bio AP Physics
• Unit conversion sheet
• Included every-day units such as MPH, L/100km
• Used by Marine Bio 10th Grade Chemistry
• Marine Bio discipline
• The college perspective
• Greentimes connections
• College guidance

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And Then Steve Left (Nov 6)

• Class leadership divided equally between Larry
  McGrail and myself
• My role included
• Planning class periods
• Giving lectures
• Writing worksheets
• Designing homework assignments
• Contributing to tests

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And Then Larry Left (Nov 27)

• Surprise!
• Full class leadership for 7 periods over two
  weeks
• Wrote ( graded) one test yikes!
• Gave many lectures
• Wrote worksheets
• Designed homework assignments

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My Style

• More sophisticated, multi-faceted problems
• Requiring multiple concepts, including concepts
  from multiple course sections
• Goals
• Master all content at once
• Problem solve creatively
• Have some fun with the content

A 2-Liter water bottle is dropped off a 5 meter
ledge. What is its wavelength just before it
hits the ground?
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My Style, Ctd.

• Conceptual problems
• Goals
• Understand underlying physics instead of just
  equation plug chug
• Prepare students for AP multiple choice

If a waves period increases, then the speed of
ejected electrons _________
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My Style, Ctd.

• Longer exams, stricter proctoring
• No pre-exam review
• No hints during test
• Goals
• Higher achievement on AP and beyond
• Prepare students for college exams

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Where To Go From Here?

• AP Physics
• Back to normal or can we not go back?
• Were my strategies effective?
• Lasting impact on Steves style?
• Marine Bio
• Has discipline appeared?
• If so, then we can have some fun
• Field trips, special activities, etc.

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NSTA Article

• Published in Dec 2006 The Science Teacher
• Response to editorial by Linda Froschauer, NSTA
  President
• Main points
• Science in other countries is a good thing
• Discussion of science education should include
  the students interests
• Not all economic progress improves quality of
  life some makes it worse (e.g., over-work)

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Meanwhile, A Career Change

• Applying to PhD programs in geography
• Intended area of study
• Impact of climate change on quality of life
• Bringing science/engineering perspective to
  social science work
• Environment-economy relationship
• Quality of life as physiological phenomena
• Problem solving, analysis, modeling