All eyes on task
We did it…we got 70 students through the speed of sound lab in 80 minutes. We used two computers with Lab Pro and microphone sensor. They did it in groups of around 8 in shifts. It worked because:
– All students were interested in what they were doing.
Pretty fine data!
– Everyone was engaged and on task…no bystanders
– They asked for assistance when required.
Reading a thermometer...new for several
Some obervations I made during this activity were that they were able to sketch the graph onto a blank page very easily. I believe this is because they are used to copying diagrams and information from the blackboard daily. They get no handouts and don’t use computers. Their penmanship is all excellent.
No spectator physicists on this team
While all this was going on, we sent a group of 4 out to a space between houses to conduct a low tech version by making echoes off the houses. This was difficult as the echoes were quite close together so timing and counting was an issue but with a little assistance they got good results. The residents of the houses found it all quite unusual.
As the first in school experiment for DST, I am pleased to report it was a success.
dosciencetanzania 
2 Comments
Amazing! I am on fire because this is so motivational!!!
Wow, 70 students in 80 minutes! That is pretty impressive.
I’m pretty sure our class took at least that long with a quarter the students and five times the computers. I bet being able to copy complicated graphs easily is a really useful skill. I remember spending way too much time tracing the graph over the computer monitor.
Congratulations on such successful science! I look forward to reading more of your experiments and interactions with the students!