What does affect the speed of a Hot Wheels car?

Today, we are reviewing and compiling our results to our first lab. The question was what are 3 things that affect the speed of a Hot Wheels car. We are also going to do our first Journal/Reflection/Self Assessment today. I am curious to see if they see as much growth as I have.

Am I Really on my Own?

I am starting to learn who and what all the students are about. I am sensing some scorn about designing, performing, and analyzing on their own. I think of it as a getting to know you lab. I need to know who works at what pace, who can use technology, who can use Excel, etc. 
We are still in points mode. Some people were freaking out today because I said it's the last day to work on their experiment from the first week. Some are hesitant to ask me what I think about their data. Some are scared to ask me how to do something. Some are starting to figure out it's okay to talk with me. I know what I have to do on Friday. 

To answer my own question no they are not really on their own. 

Do you Google?

Today we visited Mr. Brooks in the library. We learned how to make a Google site for our e-Portfolios. Mr. Brooks is our district's Mr. Google so I put my favorite Google Doodles on the page. 

What does the data tell us?

Today is all about the data. Most people are done gathering data. They are starting to graph it and make sense of what they saw. 

What am I doing right?

As you can tell the class is engaged almost everyone is working on gathering data and improving their setups. The sophistication has grown in a day. It makes me wonder what did I do to get it right? By no means am I complaining. I think it's cool. We have had some creativity to day. Some groups are testing different amounts of water on the track. Another group is doing drag by using sails on the cars. I am still in awe on how well it's going. 

What affects the speed of our Hot Wheels?

Today, we really start playing. We are finding factors that affect the velocity of our hot wheels cars. Here are some setups from my 4th hour class. 

What does this data tell you?

Don't mind the electron configuration above the data boards. We open the year by determining the velocity of a hot wheels car. I basically show them the materials and then make them write their data on these boards. What do you see as the day goes on? I see some group think on period 5 & 6. Interestingly, not one class asked me how to calculate speed. Some classes did ask about units. I told them to use whatever they thought was appropriate. I had many classes try miles per hour. Many decided against it. Today, we will talk about the data and how the 10 minute activity from yesterday is the theme for the year. 

Why is it we are always forced into a box?

Why is it that when we want to do something new that we have to fit all of that into the pre-made box or constraints. I really want to do standards based grades this year. I have my standards. The big issue is communicating that to a student and parents while boiling learning down in to a number or letter grade. I don't mind being creative to fit into the box but it would be nice not to be crammed into the box in the first place. 

What do a kindergartner, physics teacher and third year college studentall have in common?

So my title question is what do a kindergartner, physics teacher & returning college student have in common? 

I apologize about putting some personal stuff in the class blog but I will try to explain why it's relevant. If you have been following along I have been struggling with how I am going to grade class. This weekend, my wife had a student who is going back for her third year of college. This morning is my five year old daughter's first day of kindergarten. It's also my first day with students at school. What do we have in common? It's the trepidation of the unknown. I could see the anxiety in my wife's student and in our daughter. This morning while I was running I realized I have the same anxiety over grading physics. The big question when school starts is: Will we be successful? 

How does this relate to class? I have had the fear of not knowing exactly how I am going to grade class for a month now. It's also the same fear that students have when they go to school.  I think that we are so ingrained to know the answer that we have lost site what is to not know. Teachers are supposed to know everything. They should have all the answers. It's understandable for students to have anxiety and it's okay for them not to know. But teachers? 

 I am the first to tell you I don't know. I have been thinking about how to grade class in terms of what I don't want rather than what I do want. I realized this morning that it's okay to not know. It's okay if I don't have all the answers. The most important thing for me and my physics students, sometimes it's more valuable to know what it isn't before you know what it is. I told my wife's student that she needs to find out what she doesn't want to do before she will figure out she wants to do. My first boss, Clyde Smoll, told me that and it has always stuck with me. So here is what I don't want in my class this year: 

I do not want points. Points are for games not grades. 
I do not want to lecture. I think that if I am talking how can they learn. 
I do not want one size fits all. I think everyone learns differently and at different pace. Why force one thing on students? 
I do not want a textbook. There are so many more resources out there and texts follow the author's thoughts on how it should be presented. In reality, ideas in physics are intertwined not by chapter. 
I do not want to give a test or exam. That is not to say I do not want to assess my students, I just think that a multiple choice exam is not an accurate measure and students put too much emphasis on the test. 
I do not want to give assigned homework. I think that assigned problems or worksheets can be done in class
I do not want to be thought of as a teacher. Teachers are thought to have a magic wand and if I am teaching then students are learning. I disagree. If I am teaching how can they be learning? I cannot reach everyone just by spitting out physics facts or by doing problems. Learning comes from within when many factors are just right. Sometimes, students are not in that place when I am. I could go on but that is for another post. 
I do not give the answers. This goes back to my point in the beginning. I don't have all the answers but I am willing to learn. 
I do not want to answer a question. I want to answer a question with a quesition so students think of it themselves. 

In education, learning has become almost linear. The format has been presentation of content, then practice or reinforcement of content (labs or worksheets), then a summative assessment. I think learning should be more cyclic. 

I stole this from Mitchell Resnick and his Lifelong Kindergarten presentation. I saw him speak this summer from the SEPT at MIT. This slide really resonated with me and I want my class to follow this model instead of the usual path. I think that the assessment piece comes in the share and reflection part of the cycle. You could also assess skills in the play part. That would be more a formative assessment. If I could do this quantitatively and easily I think I would be rich. 

To summarize, I don't know and that's okay. I will figure it out and make it right. I will also work hard to do what is best for my students. That is what I do know. I needed to get this out of my head. I hope it doesn't turn into something like Jerry McGuire's manifesto.  

Does your head ever spin from thinking about a problem too much?

My computer is just staring at me blankly this morning. I have about 12 thoughts going through my mind this morning. Most of them are problems requiring a solution by next Tuesday. The most pressing is: how am I going to grade my class this year. I want to do standards based grading but my last forray into it was an epic failure. I know what I want to do but I cannot communicate it through Infinite Campus easily. 
You will also notice the 12 tabs open on the browser, I am also looking for a way for students to create an e-portfolio on an iPad. Again this is fruitless. I know what I want but I don't think it exists. I have a feeling like I am getting no where fast and my head hurts from our PA system emminating high frequency sounds for long periods of time. 

What to Expect?

So I am sitting here trying to come up with a class expectations sheet for my class. With getting iPads in the next few weeks(hopefully), I think that my class will be in a constant state of trial and error. Is it bad to put: expect the unexpected? 

What am I doing?

Another start of the school year another adventure waiting for me. I am truly going out on a limb this year to make my class hands on and focus on STEM or STEAM concepts. This is a hint as to what is to come.