Chaos Towers Revisited

The Conceptual Physics class worked on chaos towers to demonstrate concepts of Physics, Mechanics, Falling Objects, Newton's Law, Potential and Kinetic Energy.

CHAOS WORLD OF MOTION

Teaching Physics Toy - Construction Toy Equipment - Child Construction Toy - Educational Learning Toy

http://www.chaostoy.com/  

Students work in three groups to construct the chaos towers. They then draw vector diagrams representing velocity of the marble through the track.  Students then identify five concepts from first semester physics and explain how they are represented on the chaos tower.  Lastly, they evaluate each member of their group against the Three C's: collaboration, communication and critical thinking. 

This year one of my students put together a quick video of the chaos towers in action. 

 

The Fence

"The Fence" is a very short video clip that offers a great starting point for discussion topics of man vs. nature. 

In choosing an agriculturist (taker) and eventually an industrialist lifestyle, man has positioned himself first as an enemy of nature and then the defender of nature.

How soon though, will either nature completely disappear or decide to strike back?

Discussion Themes:

Hunter Gatherer to Agriculturalist

Man vs. Nature

Takers vs. Leaver

Man as enemy of Nature

Man's control of the Earth

Endangered Earth

Progress vs. The Environment

etc...etc...etc...



Rubrics Can Kill Creativity

Teaching to the Multiple Intelligences is difficult enough.
Today's educational system is so guided by rubrics for every assignment that we are taking away the opportunitiy for students to explore their talents, use their imaginations and utilize their strengths. Students are no longer asked to think, they are simply told to follow the directions, complete what is in the rubric and you will get your 'A'.

One of my favorite projects for Biology is a cells processes project where students are asked to create anything that proves their knowledge of cells, cells structure and function or cell processes.  I provide as little guidance as possible except for the outlawing of a term paper as the product. I want students use their talents and think outside the box.

Of course I deal with the questions of How much? How long? How many? What do I want? What is the answer? What do I need to do for an A? etc...etc...

This type of assignment tends to make students nervous due to the lack of guidelines and parameters, but once they allow themselves to process the possibilities, some amazing things happen. 

I have recieved songs about the organelles of cells, beautiful painting of cell mitosis, games about protein synthesis, I have heard poems about meiosis and puppet shows about osmosis, diffusion and filtration.

Overcoming the fear of meeting expectations and possibly being wrong, allows students to let their talents really shine.

I provide the students with the following basic description of the assignment and allow them to figure it out.

Cell Processes Project

Use your talents to demonstrate your understanding of one of the following topics:

    1.  Cell Structures and Functions

   2.   Comparison of Plant and Animal Cells

   3.    Photosynthesis

   4.    DNA and RNA

   4.    Protein Synthesis

   5.    Mitosis

   6.     Cellular Respiration

           

You may create anything that clearly demonstrates your knowledge of the subject matter.  You may accomplish this by:

creating a work of art,

composing a song,

writing a skit or play,

creating a model,

making visual aid posters,

developing a game,

or anything that you can do to creatively demonstrate your comprehension of the topic material, vocabulary and processes. 

You must have clear instructions, as you will not be presenting these projects.  You may work independently or you may work with a partner.  This partner must be from the same period biology class. 

Be creative.

Do not just copy work from your text or notes.  Repeating the information given or making some applications (e.g. cell models, reports) usually ensures an average grade. 

One of my favorite outcomes of this project  was
The Mitosis Blues, written and performed by a pair of students more than 10 years ago. In their honor, I still use my best Elvis Presley when I sing it to my Biology classes. 

 Mitosis Blues

Interphase, o oh yeah

Prophase, o oh yeah

Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase and all of those daughter cells, o oh yeah

That’s the way mitosis reproduces all our new cells, o oh yeah

In interphase the cell grows and organelles duplicate.

The cell continues functioning, holding metabolic rate.

The chromosomes replicate and centrioles migrate, o oh yeah.

In prophase the nuclear membrane disappears.

The centrioles reach the poles of the biosphere.

The spindle fibers shoot out and grab those centromeres, o oh yeah.

Interphase, o oh yeah

Prophase, o oh yeah

Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase and all of those daughter cells, o oh yeah

That’s the way mitosis reproduces all our new cells, o oh yeah

[Spoken]

You see the cells of the human body have forty-six chromosomes.

Made up of coils of Dan called chromatin and held together by centromeres.

Mitosis guarantees that when the cells divide that each new cell

will have the exact same genetic information as the parent cells.

Interphase, o oh yeah

Prophase, o oh yeah

Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase and all of those daughter cells, o oh yeah

That’s the way mitosis reproduces all our new cells, o oh yeah

I metaphase the fibers push and pull those chromosomes.

Trying to create an equator of autosomes.

Cause, when the centromeres snap we’ll get double chromosomes, o oh yeah.

In  anaphase the membrane begins to make two spheres.

The centrioles duplicate and start to reappear.

The chromosomes are pulled in to separate hemispheres, o oh yeah.

Interphase, o oh yeah

Prophase, o oh yeah

Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase and all of those daughter cells, o oh yeah

That’s the way mitosis reproduces all our new cells, o oh yeah

[Spoken]

Daughter cells are the outcome of these steps of mitosis.

These daughter cells must return to interphase to regain the size and organelle number that will guarantee the continuance of those specific cells.

These specialized somatic cells will continue to reproduce within your body.

Interphase, o oh yeah

Prophase, o oh yeah

Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase and all of those daughter cells, o oh yeah

That’s the way mitosis reproduces all our new cells, o oh yeah

Sing this a couple of times to a class and you'd be surprised how many of them remember the phases of the cell cycle, without a hitch.

The point is to utilize rubrics that are clear enough to provide direction, without eliminating the opportunity for students explore the learning process by utilizing their imaginations and creativity.  Anyone can follow a recipie, but the food seems to always taste better when love is one of the ingredients. Don't allow rubrics to take the passio out of the learning process.

Four Reasons Students Forget Information

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. 

                                               ~Clay P. Bedford

 

They Did Not Use The Information

"I told them this, fifty times this year!"

Unfortunately, sheer repetition of a verbal-auditory stimulus does not allow the majority of students to transfer knowledge into long term memory.  In order to synthesize information completely, students must be able to associate the information to some purpose.  Purpose typically means a specific use.  Students must determine that the information has some meaningful purpose.  When the student can apply it to something useful to some real life situation, they are more apt to retain the information and transition it into long term memory. 

They Confuse It With Other Information 

Let's face it there is way too much information out there.  The glut of information that students deal with everyday is overwhelming.  There are bits of information that I have garnered over my fifty years that I will never forget and never confuse.  There are also concepts and ideas that no matter how many years I teach them I still need to look them up and review them each year before I share them wiht my students.  If, I confuse things after twenty-five years of teaching, I think that high school students after nine months of a subject could very easily confuse material.  Teaching students to distinguish differences, to understand patterns and sometimes using logic and common sense can help them avoid confusion. In the long run we all get confused once in a while.

They Decide That Information Conflicts With Their Previous Knowledge

We all do this.  We get comfortable with an idea and that is that.  Sometimes, this is the most difficult part of being a teachier or coach.  Overcoming, ideas, skills and patterns that have been taught either incorrectly or in a matter that will not allow students to progress. Let's face it.  Habits are hard to break, and bad habits are the worst.  Unfortunately for most of us, our students are not clean slates when they arrive and we must find ways to allow the students entrusted to our care to see value in all knowledge and to learn to evaluate information and see it's purpose. 

Never Really Learned The Information In The First Place 

Just because a student completed the assignment, or passed a quiz does not necessarily mean that they learned the material. In today's, fill me up, take a test, empty me out, method of learning, what are the markers that we can use to truly measure what a student has learned?  Versus, what a student simply has processed in order to complete the assignment, quiz or test for the purpose of the grade?  How often do we ask our students to demonstrate what they have learned in a way that is meaningful for them as learners and for us as educators? 

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

                                           ~ Confucius ~

Goldfish Tails and Circulation

To witness blood flow in arterioles, venules and capillaries, my students view the transparent tails of living goldfish under the microscope.

We use medium size feeder fish for this lab.  Students create a bed of wet gause on half of a petri dish.  Situating the goldfish with the tail off of the gause, students weigh down the goldfish with a wet blanket of gause. The goldfish tail is then flattened using a half piece of a microscope slide. The students will then view the tail of the goldfish under the microscope to view the blood flow through the circulatory system of the goldfish.

Students can distinguish between blood flow in arteries and veins.  With a little patience and effective microscopy skills they can determine the heart rate of the fish by counting the pauses in the blood flow through the venules.  Most importantly students can witness cell movement through the capillaries as single cells line up and flow through the capillaries for diffusion between the tissues.

 Students took this video utilizing a Flip cam through the ocular of the microscope.

CHAOS is an Opportunity to LEARN

"Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth."

 - Tom Barrett -

Do you remember Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Erector Sets, Blocks and the Original Legos?

How much did we learn about the basic components of logic, building and physics from the trial and error of playing with these toys both correctly and in some cases incorrectly.  I know I learned about catapults by launching the single notch lincoln logs using the green roof plank as a lever.  I learned about control over the center of gravity by building towers of blocks and unbalanced lego creations. I learned gear and wheel ratios from tinker toys and erector sets.  While I didn't realize I was learning physics, I came to understand physical phenomena through tinkering and experimentation.

In my Physics class I use Chaos Towers ( http://www.chaostoy.com/ ) to allow students to experience the hands on nature of discovering the physics of Newton's Laws, Poential (gravitational) and Kinetic Energy and the basic ideas behind vetors as a means of mapping motion, displacement, velocity and acceleration. 

  I have three chaos towers in my classroom.  I divide students into three teams and give them two class periods to build the towers.  The towers can be built horizontally and vertically.  I make sure at least one of the towers is built horizontally.  The students prefer the vertical version.

The lessons students learn, even before the concepts of physics are the importance of reading and following directions and the job of delegating the work.  I have students grade each other on their contribution to the building of the tower and collaboration and communication within the group. 

 

Once the towers are built, students analyze directional changes and displacement values of the path of the marbles.  Students determine the gravitational potential energy at various points along the path and compare velocities based upon the PE = KE formula and measured velocities. The trampoline offers students the understanding of action and reaction forces as well as the parabolic arc of a projectile. 

On the Chaos Toy website there a several lessons utilizing smaller component portions of the towers. http://www.chaostoy.com/cd/html/defau_e.htm

The hands on nature of the tower and the collaborative aspects of the group work, provide a tremendous learning environment for my students.

 

"I have great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift."

Septima Clark

   

Elephant's Toothpaste

One of the most exciting classes I conduct in my chemistry classroom is the Elephant's Toothpaste demonstration.  While, this is an old standard and some students have seen it on You Tube or in other science classes, it never fails to capture the student's attention and create opportunities for discussion.

I conduct the demo in a 5 L graduate cylinder. I place the cylinder in an equipment tray placed on a tarp to protect the floor from overflow.

Pour 250 mL of 30% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) to the cylinder and add 1-2 tablespoons of dish soap to the peroxide.  Dawn is preferable, but any dish soap will work.  I drip food coloring down the sides of the cylinder to provide the toothpaste striping. I then add 4-6 grams of Potassium Iodide (KI)  to the solution. Step back and enjoy the reaction, both from the cylinder and the students. 

I do not ask students to complete a lab write-up for this demonstration.  I instead use the opportunity to  discuss rates of reaction. I will have students touch the surface of the cylinder with the back of their hand to feel the heat produced by the reaction and discuss endothermic and exothermic reactions.   There are a multitude of topics that can be discussed from this reaction.

However most important is the discussions that start with the students questioning, why does that happen? Will other types of salt do that? What if we used ....?  Why did we add the soap?  That is when the thinking begins and the learning takes over.
  

Characteristics for a Thinking Attitude

As a teacher do you instill in your students the characteristics necessary to have a Thinking Attitude.

Patience                     

In a microwave world, learning does not take place in a manner of  seconds. Learning is a process and does not happen in a 22 minute time frame, like an 80's sit-com.  Understanding takes time and therefore both students and teachers must demonstrate the patience necessary for the learning to take place.

Curiosity                    

Students must be able to ask the questions that develop a path to understanding. Too often, students become satisfied with the, Who? What? and When? Students must feel secure enough look deeper and be willing to search for the How? Why? and What if? of each situation.

Concentration            

Students need to have the ability to remain focused through the completion of the learning process.  Maintaining concentration through observation, questioning, data collection, argument, testing and conclusion.  Students need the stamina of mind to stay the course.

Respect for the Evidence        

Details, details, details.  Do students value every piece of evidence every bit of the data, each portion of the argument. Can students gather research with an eye for the validity and effectiveness of the information.

Skepticism                 

Students must embrace the idea that all that seems true, may not be true. The ability to question the evidence to validate the validity of the information.

Acceptance of Others Perspectives           

Respect for each person and an inclusive community help to create a classroom where students can safely share their opinions without fear of being judged.  It is through the sharing of different points of view that students gain insight into the ideas of their classmates and perspectives on the lesson at hand.

Aluminum Boats, Pennies and Archimedes

 Fact or Fiction?: Archimedes Coined the Term "Eureka!" in the Bath

  

A 10cm x 10cm piece of aluminum foil, 30cm x 1.9cm length of scotch tape and a handful of pennies, now figure out what makes a battleship float.

For five years now, I have utilized aluminum boat building as a means of having students discover he principles of buoyancy.  Students work collaboratively to create an aluminum foil boat that will float while supporting the greatest number of pennies without sinking.  Each students is given three 10cm x 10cm pieces of aluminum foil and three 30cm pieces of tape to design three boats.  Each boat will be placed in a tub of water.  Students will test the buoyancy of their design by adding pennies to the boat until the boat sinks.

Students collaborate to evaluate and critique each boat for the effectiveness as a penny cargo ship.  Typically students will work in lab groups of four or five members and will evaluate the buoyancy principles of as many as 15 different designs.  Students collect data on the mass of the boats, mass of the pennies, surface area of the boat and water displacement.  Utilizing this information they can work through what makes an object float and associate these concepts using Archimedes Principles.

Students experience research and design concepts in a very simple lab while applying the physics concepts for buoyancy that allow an air craft carrier or cruise ship to float.

Creativity is a Process

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:

Look Closely

Don't just look at something. Truly study it. Eliminate all preconceived ideas about it. Keep on studying it until it gives you more than you want to know about it.  This is the beginning of the creative way to process the world.

Be Open to the Flow

The flow of creativity is worthless to you, unless you are ready to ride the current.  Allow yourself to be caught up in the energy of the flow and ride it to it's end.

Explore Without Bias, but Fully Energized

Gather all, uncritically.  Do not try to try to create form. Save that for much later.  This is a time to experience, grow, change, adapt, error, make mistakes and gain understanding.

  

Demonstrate Patience

Take your time to allow ideas to blossom.  Incubation is part of the process of development. Allow for down time in the process.  Separate yourself from the work and return with a fresh eye.

Let the Creativity Commence

The inspiration is not the destination.  The inspiration is only the initiation of the process.

The fun, the work, the experience, the real creativity begins with inspiration.  That is the time to cinch it up and take off, fully energized to take on all possibilities.

Remain Open to New Ideas

As you work through the creative process, keep the creative spirit alive. Expect and accept new ideas as the process may unveil them.

The Path is Not Always Straight

Be prepared for detours ahead. Realize some detours are simply a necessary part of the process and provide opportunities for continued development of your ideas.

Fine Tuning is Important

The ultimate outcome of the creative process is most often found in the smallest details.  Make every aspect of the creative process sparkle as you bring all of the connections together.

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

                        - Norman Vincent Peale

The BRAIN

What better way to get students and teachers to think critically about thinking, than to expose them to a few quality quotes about The  BRAIN.