I am reflecting on the teaching and learning that took place with the level 3 physics class as we worked through the material for the externally assessed standard – Mechanical Systems.
- How well did the learners meet the intended learning outcomes for curriculum and for deep learning?
Based on formative assessments, class discussions, on the spot questioning via open questions, critiquing other students answers etc, the class have shown good progress and are expected to perform well in the derived grade exams this week. The main (and deliberate) DL C we are focusing on is Critical Thinking – Meaning knowledge construction. Students are improving in their ability to express their ideas and are now starting to explain their reasoning by default instead of being prompted.
- How well did the learning design meet the intended learning outcomes?
The learning outcomes have been met through a well designed and paced course with good resources and variation in content delivery to suit different learning styles.
- What parts of the learning design worked well, what can be improved?
The current student workbook we have is an excellent resource, especially for when students are missing lessons. The pacing was pretty good, but in hindsight the class might have benefitted from spending slightly more time on certain parts of the topic (resolving forces in horizontal circular motion, use of the reference circle to model SHM and, finally, the relationship between rotational inertia and both angular momentum and rotational kinetic energy.