Jim Peterson

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  Jim commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  How to Write Timed Essays That aren't Crap

  I am a physics teacher. I ran across this post and was intrigued. I have tried in the past a physics teaching technique that is similar. I give students a different book than my own and have them pick a problem from the chapter equivalent to chapter in the book that they are using. I have never seen the problem so they seem my process of approaching a new problem. I never thought of making video of that, thanks for the idea. My question is based on my experience with this method of problem solving.
  
  Have you tried something similar with more average students. When I do this sort of exercise in my own class it really advances my students who already have reasonable amount of understanding, but it serves as a frustration and I think holds back my students who need more help. When an advanced student see me approach something to analyze they can compare how they would do it. They learn from the gap between how I approach it and they do.
  
  My less advanced student frequently think I am doing magic or using some sort of black box. I even remember this as a student watching an English teacher pick apart a poem and thinking that they were just making all that stuff up. Have you usde this with students who are not there yet? If so what has made it helpful to them as well.
  
  Thanks for a very thought provoking post.