Launching Potatoes for Physics Lessons
Here’s the video Steve Spangler made about teaching facts vs. learning experiences in the classroom. It inspired teacher Paul Bogush to write his post about the learning experiences we all deserve to have.
It’s quick and worth the watch for the entertainment value alone. Excellent educational bit: Using a potato-launching tube and about two sentences, Spangler illustrates beautifully how to teach a physics lesson the lame way or the awesome way. The language chosen, the props utilized, and the teacher’s enthusiasm can change something important but boring into a stellar moment for the students, leading instantly to their grokking of the lesson.
Posted by Alexa Harrington
I think there are some instructors who see any attempt to be engaging as pandering, but my most valuable class in college — the one that taught me the most about the discipline of sociology and about myself — was the most engaging. It was called “Simulated Games.” Every week we played a simulation that illustrated theories of sociology and this fed discussions and reflection papers.