110818-1250125http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/6090103403/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X
Three possible types of planisphere ("starwheel") questions:
Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instructor Dr. Patrick M. Len.
20110831
Found astronomy: planisphere ("starwheel") question types
110818-1250125http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/6090103403/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X
Three possible types of planisphere ("starwheel") questions:
Photo by Cuesta College Physical Sciences Division instructor Dr. Patrick M. Len.
20110823
Overheard: stolen book on reserve
Physics 205A, fall semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
(Overheard at the start of the second day of class in college physics, going over student comments and questions submitted online.)
Instructor: (Reading student question.) "'Is there a copy of the required text in the SLO Campus library?'"
(Beat.)
Instructor: "I did visit the library earlier today, and a librarian told me that there used to be two books on reserve..."
Student: "So what happened?"
Instructor: "Now there's only one book on reserve. Somebody stole the other book! So you know that kind of person who would steal a book on reserve from the library? Don't...be...that...person..."
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
(Overheard at the start of the second day of class in college physics, going over student comments and questions submitted online.)
Instructor: (Reading student question.) "'Is there a copy of the required text in the SLO Campus library?'"
(Beat.)
Instructor: "I did visit the library earlier today, and a librarian told me that there used to be two books on reserve..."
Student: "So what happened?"
Instructor: "Now there's only one book on reserve. Somebody stole the other book! So you know that kind of person who would steal a book on reserve from the library? Don't...be...that...person..."
20110822
Overheard: first-day choral response
Astronomy 210, fall semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
(Overheard at the very start of the first day of class in introductory astronomy, just before administering the Science Motivation Questionnaire.)
Instructor: "Let's see how sharp you guys are! Let's have you guys fill in the..."
Students: (Beat.) "...blanks?"
Instructor: "Hi there! Welcome to..."
Students: "...astronomy?"
Instructor: "And you're going to love this class, because astronomy is..."
Students: "...Awesome? Interesting?"
Instructor: "Yes! In fact, astronomy is so..."
Students: "...awesome..."
Instructor: (Holding up a stack of surveys.) "...the first thing you're going to do for this class is take a..."
Students: "...test."
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
(Overheard at the very start of the first day of class in introductory astronomy, just before administering the Science Motivation Questionnaire.)
Instructor: "Let's see how sharp you guys are! Let's have you guys fill in the..."
Students: (Beat.) "...blanks?"
Instructor: "Hi there! Welcome to..."
Students: "...astronomy?"
Instructor: "And you're going to love this class, because astronomy is..."
Students: "...Awesome? Interesting?"
Instructor: "Yes! In fact, astronomy is so..."
Students: "...awesome..."
Instructor: (Holding up a stack of surveys.) "...the first thing you're going to do for this class is take a..."
Students: "...test."
20110820
Astronomy in-class activity: astronomy in the marketplace tags
Astronomy 210 In-class activity 1, fall semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
110820-carwordle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/6061545802/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X
Wordle.net tag cloud for astronomy-related car brand names, generated by responses from Astronomy 210 students at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA (http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3934778/Untitled).
110820-foodwordle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/6061545844/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X
Wordle.net tag cloud for astronomy-related food brand names available in a supermarket, generated by responses from Astronomy 210 students at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA (http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3934787/Untitled).
110820-nonfoodwordle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/6060994165/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X
Wordle.net tag cloud for astronomy-related non-food brand names available in a supermarket, generated by responses from Astronomy 210 students at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA (http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3934790/Untitled).
Students find their assigned groups of three to four students, and work cooperatively on an in-class activity worksheet to discuss car brand names, and food and non-food brand names found in supermarkets (adapted from D. Schatz, "Why Should We Care About Exploding Stars?" Universe in the Classroom, no. 8, Spring 1987 (http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/08/stars2.html).
There are many astronomy-related brand names. Consider car brand names (old and new); and brand names for food and non-food items that are typically found in the supermarket. Do not consider titles of TV shows, movies, or books.
List at least three astronomy-related car brand names.
Student responses
Sections 70158, 70160
List at least three astronomy-related food brand names typically found in the supermarket.
Student responses
Sections 70158, 70160
List at least three astronomy-related non-food brand names typically found in the supermarket.
Student responses
Sections 70158, 70160
Previous posts:
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
110820-carwordlehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/6061545802/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X
Wordle.net tag cloud for astronomy-related car brand names, generated by responses from Astronomy 210 students at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA (http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3934778/Untitled).
110820-foodwordlehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/6061545844/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X
Wordle.net tag cloud for astronomy-related food brand names available in a supermarket, generated by responses from Astronomy 210 students at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA (http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3934787/Untitled).
110820-nonfoodwordle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/6060994165/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X
Wordle.net tag cloud for astronomy-related non-food brand names available in a supermarket, generated by responses from Astronomy 210 students at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA (http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3934790/Untitled).
Students find their assigned groups of three to four students, and work cooperatively on an in-class activity worksheet to discuss car brand names, and food and non-food brand names found in supermarkets (adapted from D. Schatz, "Why Should We Care About Exploding Stars?" Universe in the Classroom, no. 8, Spring 1987 (http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/08/stars2.html).
There are many astronomy-related brand names. Consider car brand names (old and new); and brand names for food and non-food items that are typically found in the supermarket. Do not consider titles of TV shows, movies, or books.
List at least three astronomy-related car brand names.
Student responses
Sections 70158, 70160
Saturn, Aura, Mercury, Eclipse, Infiniti
Saturn, Mercury, Nova
Saturn, Mercury, Eclipse
Saturn, Taurus, Mercury
Saturn, Mercury, Eclipse
Saturn, Mercury, Nova, Sunfire
Mercury, Saturn, Eclipse
Saturn, Mercury, Moonrover
Nova, Saturn, Taurus
Saturn, Mercury, Taurus
Saturn, Equinox, AstroVan, Nova, Solaris
Mercury, Saturn, Galaxy
Saturn, Mercury, Aurora
Polaris, Saturn, Mercury
Galaxy, Saturn, Mercury
Mercury, Olympia, Jetta
Mercury, Saturn, CivicdelSol
Mercury, Nova, Saturn
Infiniti, Nova, Saturn
Nova, Mercury, Saturn, Eclipse, AstroVan, Taurus
Mercury, Saturn, Taurus, Infiniti
Saturn, Mercury, Voyager
Nova, Vespa, Saturn
Saturn, Mercury
List at least three astronomy-related food brand names typically found in the supermarket.
Student responses
Sections 70158, 70160
MoonPie, SunChips, MarsBars, LunaBar, LuckyCharms, SunnyD, MilkyWay, Sunkist, Starburst
MilkyWay, Starburst, SunnyD
MarsBars, MilkyWay, SunChips
SunnyD, Sundropsoda, Starburst, MilkyWay, MarsBars
Starburst, MarsBars, MilkyWay
MilkyWay, MoonPies, MarsBars, SunnyD, Starburst
LunaBars, MarsBars, MilkyWay
Sunkist, BlueMoon, starshapedfruitsnacks, MilkyWay, MarsBars, LunaBar, Sunshinecrackers, Starburst
MilkyWay, MarsBars, LuckyCharms
MoonPies, MilkyWay, Starburst
MarsBars, Orbit, LuckyCharms, MilkyWay
MarsBars, Sunkist, LunaBar, Starburst, MilkyWay, CrystalGeyser
MilkyWay, MarsBars
MilkyWay, MarsBars, Starburst
MilkyWay, MarsBars, OvertheMoonchocolatemilk
MilkyWay, Starburst, LuckyCharms
Starkist, starfruit, MilkyWay
MarsBars, MilkyWay, Starburst
MilkyWay, MarsBars, BigStickRockets
MarsBars, MilkyWay, SunnyD, SunDrop, Sunkist, Starburst
MilkyWay, MarsBars, Starburst
MarsBars, MilkyWay
Starburst, MilkyWay, MarsBars
MilkyWay, MarsBars
List at least three astronomy-related non-food brand names typically found in the supermarket.
Student responses
Sections 70158, 70160
SkyyVodka, Orbit, Starmagazine, BlueMoon, SpaceBag
Comet, Tide, Dawn
PhoenixSuns, sunflowers, Comet
Comet, Starshinewindowcleaner, Sunsoap
BlueMoon, Cosmomagazine
Moonshine, BlueMoon
Comet, BlueMoon, Sunbeamcoffeemaker, Sunsoap
BlueMoon, Comet, Eclipse
Comet, Venusrazors, QuarkExpress
Venusrazors, Comet
Comet, Venusrazors
Rockstar, Venusrazors, Comet
Sunkist, Venusrazors, Comet, AirWalks
Comet, Tide, Diamonddogfood
Comet, Tide, Venusshavinggel
Comet, Apollowinery
Comet, Venusrazors
Comet
Venusrazors, SamsungGalaxy, Comet
Previous posts:
20110819
FCI pre-test comparison: Cuesta College versus UC-Davis (fall semester 2011)
Students at both Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo, CA) and the University of California at Davis were administered the 30-question Force Concept Inventory (Doug Hestenes, et al.) during the first week of instruction.
*Excludes students with negative informed consent forms (*.pdf)
Student's t-test of the null hypothesis results in p = 0.67 (t = 0.427, sdev = 4.57, degrees of freedom = 131), thus there is no significant difference between Cuesta College and UC-Davis FCI pre-test scores.
Later this semester (fall 2011), a comparison will be made between Cuesta College and UC-Davis FCI post-tests, along with their pre- to post-test gains.
D. Hestenes, M. Wells, and G. Swackhamer, Arizona State University, "Force Concept Inventory," Phys. Teach. 30, 141-158 (1992).
Development of the FCI, a 30-question survey of basic Newtonian mechanics concepts.
Previous FCI results:
| Cuesta College Physics 205A Fall semester 2011 | UC-Davis Physics 7B Summer session II 2002 | |
| N | 57 students* | 76 students* |
| low | 2 | 2 |
| mean | 9.0 +/- 5.4 | 9.1 +/- 4.3 |
| high | 29 | 27 |
*Excludes students with negative informed consent forms (*.pdf)
Student's t-test of the null hypothesis results in p = 0.67 (t = 0.427, sdev = 4.57, degrees of freedom = 131), thus there is no significant difference between Cuesta College and UC-Davis FCI pre-test scores.
Later this semester (fall 2011), a comparison will be made between Cuesta College and UC-Davis FCI post-tests, along with their pre- to post-test gains.
D. Hestenes, M. Wells, and G. Swackhamer, Arizona State University, "Force Concept Inventory," Phys. Teach. 30, 141-158 (1992).
Development of the FCI, a 30-question survey of basic Newtonian mechanics concepts.
Previous FCI results:
- Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2009 pre-tests and post-tests.
- Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, spring semester 2009 pre-tests and post-tests.
- Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2008 pre-tests and post-tests.
- Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, spring semester 2008 pre-tests and post-tests.
- Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, fall semester 2007 pre-tests and post-tests.
20110808
Astronomy in-class activity: planet classification schemes
Astronomy 210 In-class activity 24 v.11.05.04 (revised), spring semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Students find their assigned groups of three to four students, and work cooperatively on an in-class activity worksheet to discuss the history of planetary classification schemes, and implement the current International Astronomical Union classification scheme to categorize different solar system bodies.
Previous post:
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Students find their assigned groups of three to four students, and work cooperatively on an in-class activity worksheet to discuss the history of planetary classification schemes, and implement the current International Astronomical Union classification scheme to categorize different solar system bodies.
Previous post:
- Astronomy in-class activity: planet classification schemes (fall semester 2008).
Previous worksheet version, with sample student remarks on plausible reasons for redefining planets.
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