| Before I get started on my personal reflection of this show, let me apologise for the technical difficulties we had in this recording. There are many moments in the recording where you are able to hear us, but the picture is frozen. Gremlins, sigh. Tara has been teaching for roughly 14 years. She joined me to talk about the teaching of magnetism and electrostatics. | |
She suggested almost exactly the same teaching method to teach both. I decided to challenge her. Why shouldn't these sections be taught at the same time? It took a while before I was satisfied with the answer. From what I understand, these two sections are very similar in their teaching methods and this the content even, but they go in two different directions in Grade 11. Magnetism is applied in motors, and electrostatics turns into calculations.
Do you think this explanation was enough? Please let me know your thoughts by commenting below.
Do you think this explanation was enough? Please let me know your thoughts by commenting below.
Tara's 3 Pressure Points:
- Field lines are not understood properly in magnetism and electrostatics
- Forces and their effects not always understood
- Link between structure of atom and behaviour of atom / particle not in a chemistry context
Tara's 5 Point Teaching Strategy:
- Do practicals on the section
- Revise the concepts of the atom
- introduce the new content - electrostatics / magetism in terms of what the learners know from atoms
- Return to the practicals - (to redo them is the best) and now ask learners to explain their observations in terms of their acquired knowledge
- Do some form of baseline test in which the learner has to explain his / her answer to you or the class or another person
Tara's good ideas:
- Start with concrete ideas - do practical experiments for the learners to see / feel / experience as much as they can because this section can be abstract.
- Start the theoretical part of the section with a revision of atoms and their makeup - this applies to both electrostatics and magnetism.
- Be careful with terminology especially if you as an educator are unsure of the true meaning. For example, domains in magnetic materials are difficult to explain if there is little or no understanding or orbitals in atoms (the Aufbau diagram helps with this).
Well, that's all for now. Remember to post your comments about the difference in teaching magnetism and electrostatics. Also, join the conversation using the hastag #vtscience.
Until next time, happy teaching!
Until next time, happy teaching!