Recent content by Hlud

I have used a similar rubric for grading in the past. However, i did not include the last step, as you have it. How would you model the written assessment of why the numerical solution is correct? I have abandoned grading this way because i am trying to expand on the student's giving me...

Well, i wouldn't want to put the entire blame on the teacher as well, but i don't think the students would suddenly jump in blame over the course of one year. There was a clear drop in performance after the change, and still has a lower achievement rate (even considering the change to scoring)...

I apologize. Upon moving to a new country, i have had a lot of students truly struggle with some of those types of questions, and it has made me more cautious in question writing.

I think it depends on how you model answering the question. It could be argued that there is no explicit requirement for an equation for the question posed in the OP. I could expect some students trying to pull a fast one with "Really tall." Both questions relate answers to quantifiable...

I don't quite follow. Because the explanation to the question requires an equation, i would argue that it is a balance of quantitative and qualitative reasoning (you are reading an equation, and using words to apply it to your scenario). I think you are arguing that quantitative reasoning...

I think my issue with that is the Foucalt pendulum is intended to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. I would want to have the students explain the physics of that, but then it may (or may not) become more difficult than intended. I might want to rephrase the question to remove the...

For the most part, i would definitely classify this Tommy John surgery question as good. My two issues are a) it can be argued that someone unfamiliar with baseball has a disadvantage; and b) i would make that bonus question required. In fact, i think a good follow up would be to compare...

A question that i really like is "A person in a boat floating in a small pond throws an anchor overboard. What happens to the water level of the pond? Defend your response." Would you classify this as a good question? I would like to ask you the same question, regarding the anchor in the...

I agree with this. The number is a lot of times irrelevant, as in this case. Maybe an addendum like "The man really wanted to visit a building that is at least X high, did he get achieve his dreams?" would at least make the number relevant, but the question becomes silly (sillier actually, how...

I believe this is one of my biggest frustrations from college that i still carry over. All of my college courses would talk about the equations we derived. What was the scope of the equation, etc... All of my textbooks would do the same. There were more words than equations. When we got...

I don't like the question because it is almost mindless plug-and-chug. The majority of the time spent on the problem is not spent on doing physics. As Dr. D suggested, the student has to connect length of string with height of building (well, the question does that for you) and then the period...

In a textbook i use for my AP class, i have come across the following question, "A man enters a tall tower, needing to know its height. He notes that a long pendulum extends from the ceiling almost to the floor and that its period is 15.5 s. How tall is the tower?" Physics classes are rife...

I am not for exclusion, but at the same right, i think how we apply education is flawed at its core. I am maybe leaning towards more vocational education, but i have to research that more.

I fully agree with you here. Science fiction also is known for garnering interest in the sciences. Unfortunately, i don't have a detailed response for you. When i first started teaching, i knew something was wrong with how we present physics to our students because our students were...

I think this is the problem. You say that conceptual physics is non-math based. There are physics concepts that include math. Trying to go a little back to the original topic, i remember taking a test in a Relativity class (undergraduate level). There was like three problems, and all of them...