They Call Me "Mister"

Teaching in LA

10 Feb

Waves on paper

Posted in Uncategorized on 10.02.13 by Frank

You will be working in pairs. Each pair needs:

  • 1 index card with slits cut in it (see image below)
  • 4 strips of paper (see image below)

In your pairs, set up your index card with one strip of paper like so:

waves_on_paper
(Click to enlarge)

Here are your directions:
Waves on paper

(This is also a good time to check for understanding whether your students can distinguish between wave frequency and wave speed (velocity). Often, students lump the two together in the description, “it’s fast”.)

You should end up with 4 strips of paper.

Look at the two strips you labeled “Low frequency” and “High frequency”. Do they have the same wavelengths or different wavelengths? Which one has shorter wavelengths? Why? Would we say that the frequency of a wave and wavelength of a wave are directly proportional or inversely proportional?

Now, look at the two strips you labeled “Low speed” and “High speed”. Do they have the same wavelengths or different wavelengths? Which one has longer wavelengths? Why? Would we say that the speed of a wave and wavelength of a wave are directly proportional or inversely proportional?

How does this experiment relate to our wave equation, wavelength = velocity/frequency?

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21 Dec

Law of Conservation of Energy (Mechanical Energy) Roller Coaster Lesson

Posted in Uncategorized on 21.12.12 by Frank

Objective: Students understand that (in an isolated system) an object’s mechanical energy is conserved. The object’s energy is not created or destroyed, but is transferred between gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy.

Question: Which part of a roller coaster ride is the cart going the fastest? What rule(s) governs the speed of the cart?

I play the following video full-screen on the LCD projector:

(Well, I don’t play the second half.)

  • How do we get information on the speed of the cart? (The answer to this one isn’t obvious, but usually at least one student figures out the faster the cart goes, the louder the “woosh” sounds are.)
  • Watch for the height, listen for the speed. Is there a relationship? (I play the video again.)
  • As the cart loses height, it loses “height energy”, or gravitational potential energy. Is that energy just disappearing? If not, where does it go?
  • Which part of the ride is the cart going the fastest?

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30 Nov

New Physics Teachers Workshop (NPTW) Winter ’12

Posted in Uncategorized on 30.11.12 by Frank

(Not everything has been posted yet. It’s mostly Frank’s stuff because he’s managing this page. James and Bill’s stuff will be posted when Frank receives it.)

James’ Links

www.physicsvideos.net – James’ Videos Website

Mechanical Universe Series is also here:
www.physicsvideos.net/video_series.html

James’ Lettuce Seeds Electric Field Demonstrator

How to Make James’ Lettuce Seeds Electric Field Demonstrator:
www.physicsvideos.net/e-field-oil.pdf

Frank’s Links

Private Universe, Minds of Our Own – Can We Believe Our Eyes? (MIT students try to light a bulb with a battery and a wire)
http://www.learner.org/resources/series26.html#
(Where it says “Can we believe our eyes?”, to the right, there’s a green/brown box that says “VoD”. Click that and a separate window should pop up and start streaming the video. The MIT interviews about lighting the bulb is at 2:00 minutes.)

Water analogy for electric circuits
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/watcir.html 

Squishy Circuits – Conductive “Play-doh” circuits
http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/apthomas/SquishyCircuits/howTo.htm 

PhET simulations
Circuit construction kit – http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-ac 
Other electricity and magnetism sims – http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/physics/electricity-magnets-and-circuits 

Demo – Dropping a magnetic down a copper tube
You can buy copper pipe at the hardware store. Drop a stack of button magnets (the stronger the better — get neodymium magnets) down the pipe. Buy neodymium magnets on eBay. Make sure the diameter of the magnets is smaller than the diameter of the pipe ;o).
More details here 

Brainiacs electric fence video
I didn’t show this today but it’s good. :o| 

Frank’s E&M Presentation Notes 

Frank’s Labs

Scotch tape lab – coming soon

Make a simple motor
In the workshop, we used “D” cell batteries. I recommend using strong magnets (“neodymium magnets”, which are cheaper on eBay compared to science supply companies). The wire used is commonly called “magnet wire”… 22 AWG is fine. Any thinner (large gauge/AWG) and the “arms” might start to sag too much. 

Electric shocker (includes construction materials, plans, and lesson ideas)

Other Notes

Connect ammeters in series, voltmeters in parallel. Bill says if you connect an ammeter in parallel, you will go to hell. :o( 

 

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25 Aug

New Physics Teacher Workshop Fall ’12 Notes

Posted in Uncategorized on 25.08.12 by Frank

Hosted by USC in association with SCAAPT (Souther California American Association of Physics Teachers)

Presented by James Lincoln, Bill Layton, Chija Bauer, and Frank Lee

 

Frank’s Kinematics Overview Notes

  • Stumbling block: “speed = velocity = acceleration = position”
    • Try having students use complete sentences and descriptions.
      • Ex: “It’s going 50” “The velocity of the car is 50 meters per second.”
      • Ex: “It’s going up” “The velocity of the person is increasing” 
  • Stumbling block: “Which equation do I use?”
    • Try having students learn motion and forces in discrete “models”. Most introductory physics classes can break down their motion and forces unit into “models” such as “constant velocity”, “constant acceleration”, “balanced forces”, “unbalanced forces”.
    • You can also try having students solve “goal-less problems” (http://kellyoshea.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/goal-less-problems/) – problems that don’t ask the students to solve for anything.
      •  Ex: “A student stands on her skateboard at the top of a hill, then begins to roll down.” Students are then supposed to write everything they can about the situation (draw a force diagram, “her speed increases, assume no friction”, etc.)

 

Frank’s Speeding Camera Resources (for constant velocity)

Article – http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/apr/20/business-owner-casts-reasonab…

Photos – https://picasaweb.google.com/113334693289323989329/August272011?authuser=0&am…

Powerpoint:

Chija’s Constant Velocity Buggies

Have students run the buggies and mark the position of the buggy (say, with Post-Its) at equal time intervals (using a metronome). Observe pattern created. Calculate velocity.

Where you can buy the buggies: http://www.physicstoolboxinc.com/p-62-constant-speed-buggy.aspx

Online metronome for helping students keep rhythm: http://www.metronomeonline.com/

Each buggy requires two C batteries. The buggies travel rather fast. You can make “slow” buggies by swapping out one of the batteries with a chunk of aluminum foil, which halves the voltage. Physics. It works.

James’ Jackalope Story

Have students graph this on a position vs. time graph and/or velocity vs. time graph. All situations are constant velocity.

Highlights:

  1. Driving at a constant velocity
  2. See jackalope, continue traveling the same velocity
  3. Jackalope starts running at a greater constant velocity. You follow.
  4. Jackalope stops. Staredown.
  5. Jackalope runs back to hole. You pursue in reverse, a slower, constant velocity compared to before.
  6. Jackalope runs into the hole where you originally spotted it. You stop there.

~Fin~

James’ Newton’s 3rd Law Activity

Have students pair up. Give each student identical spring scales. Connect the measuring ends of the spring scales to each other and have each student grab a loose end of a scale. Ask the students to pull on each other with different amounts of force (ex: “You pull with 30 newtons. You pull with 20 newtons.”)

James’ Universal Gravitation Stuff

Mechanical Universe video…
On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0eMysD0SxM
On non-YouTube (if your school blocks YouTube): http://www.learner.org/resources/series42.html
You can download the video from YouTube (to view later) using www.keepvid.com (just paste the video’s address into the textbox).

Frank’s Pendulum Activity (Stolen from another Frank)

Extension: “The rhythm is too fast and I can’t shorten the string that much! I’ll just double the period. Now… do I have to redo my calculations? Can I just double the length of the string?”

Bill’s Guide to the California Science Content Standards

http://www.physics.ucla.edu/HighSchoolPhysics/

Newton’s Cradles provided by xump.com!

Dancing Ooblek by Anton from xump.com

anton@xump.com

562-492-9560 x701

xump.com

physlink.com

James’ Physics Video Website

www.physicsvideos.net

Download physics videos by using http://www.downloadhelper.net/ (if you use Firefox), or paste the video’s address into keepvid.com.

Frank’s Guide for New Physics Teachers

It’s got like, resources and stuff. Yeah.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h5V0YRgOUnQ9pVamnYv38Cn7-_bu7M0Yny8EcvxBl…

PTSOS (Physics Teachers SOS)

This workshop (NPTW) is similar to a new physics teacher workshop in Northern California, PTSOS (www.ptsos.org). PTSOS puts on three workshops a year (in 2 locations each time, so really 6 workshops) on various physics topics. Each workshop is hosted by very experienced physics teachers who put on great activities and demos. There may also be some give-aways! Check their website www.ptsos.org for their schedule and registration info. The next set of workshops will be on Saturday September 15 in Los Gatos and Saturday October 13 in Sacramento.

A Book Frank Enjoyed :oT

This book is written by a college physics professor who takes a sabbatical to teach physics in high school. His book is filled with stories, epiphanies, and helpful advice about the general direction of science education (as relating to pedagogy, standardized testing, etc.).

An Inquiry Into Science Education, Where the Rubber Meets the Road (by Richard N. Steinberg): http://www.amazon.com/Inquiry-Science-Education-Where-Rubber/dp/9460916880

First chapter on PDF: https://www.sensepublishers.com/files/9789460916908PR.pdf

For those interested in getting a copy of the book, the publisher is giving a special deal for NPTW participants! (Ask Frank)

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08 Aug

New Physics Teacher Workshop @ USC, Saturday Aug 25

Posted in Uncategorized on 08.08.12 by Frank

There will be a New Physics Teachers Workshop at USC on Saturday
August 25.  The workshop will be for high school physics teachers who
are new to teaching or experienced teachers who have recently been
drafted into teaching physics.

Probably many people on this list are not “new physics teachers” but
would each of you take a little time to think about people you know or
have heard about that might benefit from this experience.

Free Equipment, Free Lunch, Free Parking!  There will be equipment
giveaways, and help with building a laboratory curriculum.  Teachers
who attended last year are still welcome to come but we ask that they
bring another teacher.

Anyone who is interested, please RSVP to  LincolnPhysics@gmail.com

Here is a sample program for the event:

Workshop Focus:  Newtonian Mechanics and Heat & Thermodynamics

8:00–9:00am    Coffee, donuts, etc.  Gathering time.
9:00–10:30    Welcome, Demonstrations as Lecture Components.
10:30–11:00   A careful look at the California Physics Standards.
11:00–12:00     Welcome and invited lecture from USC
12:00–1:00    Lunch provided by USC
1:00– 2:30      Hands on Laboratory Based Curricular Development.
2:30–3:00pm        Material handouts. Adjournment.

Thanks for your help in finding new teachers and Welcome to any new
teacher who wants to come.

Sincerely,

James Lincoln
President SCAAPT

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05 Aug

Classroom decor

Posted in Uncategorized on 05.08.12 by Frank

$4-5 picture frames from BigLots and Target, plus $1 worth of colored folders from BigLots, plus lots of labor with ruler and exacto knife

By Zen Pencils

http://society6.com/zenpencils

#8, 20, 34, 42, 51, 52

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16 Jul

Whiteboarding

Posted in Uncategorized on 16.07.12 by Frank

In modeling, it’s called “student mode”

i’m kinda bummed because i coulda sworn i took a picture of the more recent version of this whiteboard, where the entire bottom left quadrant was blocked off with the words “AD SPACE AVAILABLE”

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15 Jul

How I do SBG — With POINTS

Posted in Uncategorized on 15.07.12 by Frank

Many people seem to do SBG just slightly differently from each other, so I figure I’d throw my flavor into the mix.

(This post is primarily for those familiar with SBG, Standards-Based Grading. If you’d like to learn more, I suggest these fantastic resources.)

Instead of telling you the whole system, I’ll go over just one piece that as far as I know, I do differently from most others – How the grade for each unit is calculated.

The old system

Last last year and the beginning of last year, I determined a student’s grade on a unit based on a tiered A/B/C system that I believe many other SBGers use, or something similar. Here’s how it worked (see grade tracking sheet below for reference): To get a C on the unit, get a 4 on all “C” objectives. To get a B on the unit, get a 4 on all “B” and “C” objectives. To get an A? Yep, 4s on “A”, “B”, and “C” objectives. What if you did that, except got a 3 on one “C” objective? Then you didn’t even get a C. D for you. The idea behind that was if you’re in that situation, a “C” objective should be pretty easy for you, and since it has such a huge impact on your grade, you should be very motivated to get that one objective done, which would then skyrocket your grade.

Below is the grade tracking sheet for last last year’s unit on waves and sound.

Several things weren’t working for me…

Problems:

  • It’s possible that I just suck at explaining how this works since no other teacher seems to report major problems of their students not understanding their system, but this confuses the $#!+ out of my students. “C” objectives are the more “major”, fundamental stuff, and “A” objectives are the “minor” stuff. What? Seems backward. Not only is this a problem because they don’t know how to figure out their grade, but it’s difficult for me to explain how to improve their grade and why.
    T: Okay, right now you have all the ‘B’ objectives but not all the ‘C’ objectives. You need to focus on the ‘C’ objectives first so you can at least get a ‘C’.
    S: But aren’t the ‘B’ objectives worth more?
    T: … mm, that’s not how it works. Right now you’re missing a ‘C’ objective so you’re actually at a D. The first thing you should do is make sure you have at least a ‘C’, which means you need to get 4s on all the ‘C’ objectives.
    S: … I have a D???
    T: …
    S: …
  • Part of this system is used as motivation. That, later realized, is actually bad. But it’s worse that the students don’t even get the motivational aspect because they don’t get the whole system.
  • Many units are emphasized differently, but are weighed the same (since they’re all A/B/C with no quantitative values). I don’t want the mechanical energy unit to count the same as the circular motion unit.

I had to remind myself that the purpose of a grade is to measure, not motivate. I was using the wrong tool for the wrong job.

So… to make my students hate me even more, I switched up the already-confusing grading system on them mid-semester! :oD Oh, the things you can get away with in this district. Sorry, teachers-who-aren’t-even-allowed-to-implement-SBG-at-their-schools :o(.

The new, current system

Instead of putting each objective at a different A/B/C level, I assign that objective a number of points. Yeah, I said it. There are points, which is like the dirty word in SBG, but I believe this still follows the spirit of SBG. “Big” objectives are worth 10 points. “Small” objectives are worth 5 points.

Below is the grade tracking sheet for this past year’s unit on waves and sound.

Short version, if the student gets a 4 on that objective, they get those points. Their percentage grade on that unit is simply the number of points earned, over the number of points possible. (More details in the embedded document at the end of this post.)

So, what about the idea that you must get all the “important” stuff first to get a decent grade? Still works with this system. From the teacher standpoint, a student who gets all the “big” objectives and some “small” objectives does represent more mastery than a student who somehow gets most “small” objectives and few or no “big” objectives. From a student standpoint, the points tell them to go for the “big” objectives first. To get a high grade, the student still has to knock out the “big” objectives and most or all of the “small” objectives, just like before.

Improvements:

  • It’s easier to calculate their grade on the unit. They still don’t get it, but at least I don’t have such a hard time myself trying to explain it. “These are how many points you have. This is how many is possible. Take what you have, divide it by points possible.”
  • It’s so much easier to explain what to focus on to get their grade up and why.
    “There are several objectives you didn’t get. Of all of them, focus first on L2. It’s worth more points than the others. If you get L2, it will bring your grade up twice as much as if you got any other objective.”
  • This system IMO is now better geared at measuring and has lost the attempted motivational aspect. If the student shows mastery on a “small” but supposedly more difficult objective, then that’s what it is.
  • The weight of each unit depends on how many objectives are in that unit and whether they’re big or small objectives. A unit with many “big” objectives might be worth 65 points and is naturally worth more than a minor unit with few objectives, possibly worth 25 points.

Ever since switching to points, I haven’t missed the old system. The new system is still about evaluating students based on their mastery of content and skills.

Of course, this is not to say any system is better than the other, but like almost everything in teaching, what works in one class may not work as well in another. I’ve found my system so far works better for my students.

I’ll probably switch things up again this upcoming year, haha.

Below are other details of my grading system that may compliment what I’ve explained above, or just provide unnecessary or confusing detail:

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14 Jul

Is My Class Just About “Paying Attention”?

Posted in Uncategorized on 14.07.12 by Frank

For the past few years, I’ve asked my students to do two assignments.

  • Class survey (anonymous)
  • Letter to next year’s students (name attached)

There is no credit or grading for these assignments. I just ask them to do it and hope they’re not jerks about it. Pretty much everyone’s cooperative. The jerks are absent. (Unfortunately, this does make the data a bit self-selective. Although, I’m kidding about jerks. I don’t think of any of my students as jerks, but the data is self-selective depending on attendance.)

First, a little background on the letter to next year’s students. It’s what it sounds like. There are no strict requirements, but some suggestions on what to put. Students mostly end up putting what to expect, and some advice based on their own experience in my class. I stole this from someone else. Sorry, I forgot who.

What I found most boring, then annoying, then interesting this year was how common students advised others to “pay attention“. “Make sure you pay attention.” “I should have paid more attention.” “All you have to do is pay attention.”

The first few times I read the advice, I thought “woop dee doo, great generic advice everyone…” Then I realized most didn’t offer any advice beyond that. When almost every letter that offered advice only offered that advice, I started getting annoyed. “Is that all they learned in my class??? I thought I was doing inquiry-ish stuff. They make it sound like this class is one giant lecture! What about learning from mistakes? Doing test retakes? Collaborating with other students? Doing the homework because the practice is helpful? Participating in small group discussions? Thinking until your brain hurts? Asking questions???” Apparently none of that mattered. Well, a small handful did suggest retaking tests, keeping notes and handouts, and a couple suggested doing the homework despite it not being worth credit.

I remembered that the reason I did these assignments was partially as feedback for myself, so instead of getting defensive, what does this all mean? Based on this evidence, I might infer several things:

  1. These students didn’t really find anything in my class helpful and found the most success through “paying attention”.
  2. These students did find other things helpful, but just suck at recalling and expressing these things, so they lump everything into the general advice of “pay attention”
  3. These students are conditioned through their schooling and my class that school is about “paying attention”, so when they give advice to other students, they give the advice that’s been doled out to them throughout their schooling career
  4. These students don’t think of other helpful advice because I haven’t emphasized or even gone over what helps them succeed in this class, school, and/or life

These are the things that I could come up with. Could be a combo.

Some of these I can address by altering my directions and questions (“What advice would you give that’s different from what you’d give for your other classes?”), but my intution tells me their responses represent more than lousy communication. I’d say a large responsibility that is within my immediate control goes to #1 and #4, that students didn’t think success in my class depended on anything other than paying attention, and I just plain sucked at communicating and fostering the factors for success I have in my head. In fact, can I even express, specifically, what a student needs to do to be successful in my class?

So… to do: Come up with 3-7 concrete things that will play the biggest factors in a student’s success in my class. Concrete means specific. No broad shit like “try hard”. Also, these should be non-obvious, so not like “show up to class”. Although some students probably don’t understand the connection between attendance and success, so I’ll have to fiddle with my definiton of “non-obvious”. Next, decide how I will communicate these expectations to students and how to most effectively ingrain these through the year in the curriculum and activities.

Let’s take an example. One thing I believe is a key to success in my class: Do the homework. How do I communicate this to students? Tell them. Remind them. Stick it on a poster titled “How to succeed in this class”. Possibly the most important thing I have to do: Make sure this is true. Does doing the homework actually help you succeed in this class? I better damn well make sure it does. Assuming my homework assignments are meaningful and helpful, I may need to get students to reflect on the correlation between their homework completion and their performance in my class. Just because students do things that lead to success doesn’t mean they realize that’s what’s happening.

Mm, sounds like lots of work. I’ll really have to take a look at whether students need to think and ask questions in my class. I’d like my class to be like that (all inquiry-ish and whatnot), but their feedback seems to indicate otherwise.

If you asked your students to give advice to next year’s students on how to succeed in your class, what do you think your students would say? What would you hope they say? What do you do to increase the chances of that happening?

(The class survey and instruction for the letter to next year’s students are posted below.)

One comment »

14 Jul

Is My Class Just About “Paying Attention”?

Posted in Uncategorized on 14.07.12 by Frank

(Reposted from my Posterous account)

For the past few years, I’ve asked my students to do two assignments.

  • Class survey (anonymous)
  • Letter to next year’s students (name attached)

There is no credit or grading for these assignments. I just ask them to do it and hope they’re not jerks about it. Pretty much everyone’s cooperative. The jerks are absent. (Unfortunately, this does make the data a bit self-selective. Although, I’m kidding about jerks. I don’t think of any of my students as jerks, but the data is self-selective depending on attendance.)

First, a little background on the letter to next year’s students. It’s what it sounds like. There are no strict requirements, but some suggestions on what to put. Students mostly end up putting what to expect, and some advice based on their own experience in my class. I stole this from someone else. Sorry, I forgot who.

What I found most boring, then annoying, then interesting this year was how common students advised others to “pay attention“. “Make sure you pay attention.” “I should have paid more attention.” “All you have to do is pay attention.”

The first few times I read the advice, I thought “woop dee doo, great generic advice everyone…” Then I realized most didn’t offer any advice beyond that. When almost every letter that offered advice only offered that advice, I started getting annoyed. “Is that all they learned in my class??? I thought I was doing inquiry-ish stuff. They make it sound like this class is one giant lecture! What about learning from mistakes? Doing test retakes? Collaborating with other students? Doing the homework because the practice is helpful? Participating in small group discussions? Thinking until your brain hurts? Asking questions???” Apparently none of that mattered. Well, a small handful did suggest retaking tests, keeping notes and handouts, and a couple suggested doing the homework despite it not being worth credit.

I remembered that the reason I did these assignments was partially as feedback for myself, so instead of getting defensive, what does this all mean? Based on this evidence, I might infer several things:

  1. These students didn’t really find anything in my class helpful and found the most success through “paying attention”.
  2. These students did find other things helpful, but just suck at recalling and expressing these things, so they lump everything into the general advice of “pay attention”
  3. These students are conditioned through their schooling and my class that school is about “paying attention”, so when they give advice to other students, they give the advice that’s been doled out to them throughout their schooling career
  4. These students don’t think of other helpful advice because I haven’t emphasized or even gone over what helps them succeed in this class, school, and/or life

These are the things that I could come up with. Could be a combo.

Some of these I can address by altering my directions and questions (“What advice would you give that’s different from what you’d give for your other classes?”), but my intution tells me their responses represent more than lousy communication. I’d say a large responsibility that is within my immediate control goes to #1 and #4, that students didn’t think success in my class depended on anything other than paying attention, and I just plain sucked at communicating and fostering the factors for success I have in my head. In fact, can I even express, specifically, what a student needs to do to be successful in my class?

So… to do: Come up with 3-7 concrete things that will play the biggest factors in a student’s success in my class. Concrete means specific. No broad shit like “try hard”. Also, these should be non-obvious, so not like “show up to class”. Although some students probably don’t understand the connection between attendance and success, so I’ll have to fiddle with my definiton of “non-obvious”. Next, decide how I will communicate these expectations to students and how to most effectively ingrain these through the year in the curriculum and activities.

Let’s take an example. One thing I believe is a key to success in my class: Do the homework. How do I communicate this to students? Tell them. Remind them. Stick it on a poster titled “How to succeed in this class”. Possibly the most important thing I have to do: Make sure this is true. Does doing the homework actually help you succeed in this class? I better damn well make sure it does. Assuming my homework assignments are meaningful and helpful, I may need to get students to reflect on the correlation between their homework completion and their performance in my class. Just because students do things that lead to success doesn’t mean they realize that’s what’s happening.

Mm, sounds like lots of work. I’ll really have to take a look at whether students need to think and ask questions in my class. I’d like my class to be like that (all inquiry-ish and whatnot), but their feedback seems to indicate otherwise.

If you asked your students to give advice to next year’s students on how to succeed in your class, what do you think your students would say? What would you hope they say? What do you do to increase the chances of that happening?

(The class survey and instruction for the letter to next year’s students are posted below.)

Student Feedback – End of Year Letter

Survey End of Year 11 12

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