Term 1 Week 4 - Investigation of Law of Reflection

During a practical session with the class of 2E1 pupils, they investigated the light phenomenon of 'Reflection' through a mirror. The diagram as seen from the practical worksheet is as shown below.

Diagram of the experimental setup
(extracted from CPDD resource for Lower Sec Science Package)

The pupils were not taught the theory concept of the laws of reflection but were expected to learn to follow the procedure of the investigation and to translate the diagram setup to actual setup. The intention was to allow the pupils to explore the reflection phenomenon and to infer from their observations and measurement of the angles the laws of reflection. In doing so, pupils also need to learn to read the procedure carefully before they commence on the investigation and subsequently the measurements of the angles. Initially, most pupils faced difficulties in interpreting the diagram and understanding the procedures. The instructions and steps are as follows:-

1. (Pair-work) "You will work with each other and read the procedures and study the diagram before you commence. Time given is 10 minutes for you to setup the apparatus and to measure the angles to fill in the table as provided. Later, I will select 2 to 3 pairs to present their interpretation of the investigation to the class." (skills: teamwork, meticulous reading, focusing and commitment to succeed)

2. Teacher commented on each presentations and give her inputs and praised the efforts of the pupils who presented. (skills: confidence-building and willingness to make mistakes and learn from their peers, students who were unsure know how to perform the experiment more confidently)

3. Pupils traced the rays and measure the angles and record into their practical worksheets. Subsequently, they answered inference questions to summarize their investigations.

Youtube Video on the experiment

The Youtube video has shown an easier method to obtain the angle of incidence and reflection. We could consider using this way to allow pupils to focus on observations at lower secondary level and to later elaborate on the drawing of ray diagrams.

Term 1 Wk 3 - Critical Angle and Total Internal Reflection

Practical Experiment on Critical Angle and Total Internal Reflection

4E1 pupils had a session of experiencing for themselves first hand the light phenomenon of total internal reflection when light travels from an optically denser medium to an optically less dense medium. The pupils were given a set of ray box and a semi-circular glass block. The theory concept was covered earlier, but given hands-on experience would help them to internalise the concept better.

Crysta, Indrani, Saranya and Saktheswari (4E1) - happily posing with the ray box and the semi-circular block

Youtube video on critical angle and total internal reflection

A video would help pupils in recapping the concept which was covered so that they can relate better to the theory aspect.

Reflection Term 1 Wk 1-2 : Use of Whiteboarding

2E1 pupils presenting their whiteboard to the class

2E1 pupils with their work

Vocalising their thoughts through whiteboarding (a shy boy hiding behind his whiteboard)

2E1 pupils showing their works with pride

Formative Assessment is about constantly checking for pupils' conceptual understanding and obtaining feedback and to close the learning gaps in good time. The use of whiteboard is an immediate way of obtaining valuable feedback from the pupils and to allow them the time and the space to think, reflect and respond to the question asked. Pupils were encouraged to spend time writing/illustrating on the whiteboard and to share with either a partner / group and share with their class their most representative answer. In this way, pupils were given the opportunity to communicate with their classmates, to reason with each other as to the pros and cons of their whiteboard answers and to come to a common understanding of the concepts.

Whiteboarding provided pupils a platform to think, reflect, share and present/vocalise their understanding to the rest of their classmates. With more practice, pupils would build up their confidence in presentation skills and proper negotiation skills with their peers.

First Day of School 2rd Jan - New Beginnings...

New Beginnings....

A new school term has started. new challenges ahead...new form class, CCA, pupils and textbooks... In summary, I am bracing myself for the upcoming changes and looking forward to a new year with renewed passion to embrace change and to inspire pupils to be enthusiastic about Physics and becoming a holistic person.

New Year Resolutions...

Reflective Practitioner..
Being a reflective teacher-practitioner and able to share insights on various aspects of teaching to colleagues. To be able to build on strengths and to work on areas for improvement. As iron sharpens iron, we need to work along side fellow colleagues so that we can grow professionally and collectively.

Teacher Researcher..
Pursuing a Masters Degree in Education provide me with opportunities to read up on educational research articles and journals and tried-and-tested pedogogies and different aspects of child psychology development and updates in learning environments. Understanding and applying what I have learned is an excellent way of using the knowledge learned and sharing it with others.

Leader of the classroom...within and outside...
As teachers, we need to walk our talk and be role models for our pupils. Pupils come to us in all shapes and sizes. The question is to customise our curriculum delivery to match the learning style of the pupils and to convince pupils to believe in their ability to succeed. Formative assessment is a way for teachers to constantly connect with the pupils to obtain feedback on their performance. Having measureable data of the pupils' performance can enhance the teacher's understanding of the pupils' progress and learning gaps. With this knowledge, learning gaps can be close by using differentiated instructions and remediation to help the weaker pupils and challenging questions for the higher ability pupils.

Blogging as a way of sharing professionally and building rapport with pupils
New technology has given me a platform to share innovative teaching practices, working with colleagues and pupils. Communications is a two way traffic and providing the opportunities for colleagues to comment and students to share would enable open communications.

signing off..