Technology-Based Lesson Plans:

A Critique of Three High School Physics Lessons

Prepared by Susan Connell
As part a a requirement for Educational Technology 570
San Diego State University
Summer 2003

Lesson Plan 1

Title: Simple Thermodynamics of Transportation
URL:
http://www.pbs.org/americanfieldguide/teachers/transportation/transportation_unit.html
Grade
Level: 9-12
Summary:
In this lesson, students watch videos about various modes of transportation, examine the energy transformations that occur in each, and are introduced to the laws of thermodynamics. These lessons can be adapted to fit the needs of various classes by adding more or taking away information about the laws of thermodynamics.

How well does this lesson use technology? Does it use technology to do things that would be difficult or tedious to do without technology?

This lesson makes extensive use of on-line video clips to illustrate various principles. It makes good use of technology in light of the fact that field trips to make first hand observations are often not practical and the clips illustrate principles of thermodynamics with things such as locks and dams or steam engines in action that are not always easy to find in one's community. It complements the video clips with one activity that the students can do in the classroom so it is not entirely passive.

What kind of thinking skills are engaged?

This lesson plan engages the skills of:

  • Remembering - recalling basic laws of thermodynamics
  • Understanding - explaining how those laws apply to the activities shown in the video clips
How clear are the directions in the lesson plan? Would you be able to pick it up and use it as is, or do you have questions about the details of implementation?

For the most part,implementation of this lesson plan seems straightforward and well documented. I had some difficulty accessing the video clips because I did not have the correct plug-ins for my browser. So it might have been nice to include a brief note about software/plug-ins required for the lesson.

Lesson Plan 2

Title: Understanding Uncertainty
URL:
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/understanding-uncertainty/
Grade Level:
9-12
Summary:
Students learn about the Heisenberg uncertainty principle which states that in the world of subatomic particles, the very act of observing alters the reality being observed, and therefore, in that world of subatomic particles, one can never measure all properties exactly.

How well does this lesson use technology? Does it use technology to do things that would be difficult or tedious to do without technology?

Although the lesson plan specifies that a computer with Internet access is required for the lesson, it appeared that none of the primary activities required the use of a computer. Some supplementary activities and adaptations required use of the Internet to research certain areas in more depth and a multimedia Glossary provided pronunciations of half a dozen words that a teacher could easily pronounce for the students without Internet access (physics, reality, particle theory...). The lesson was from the Discovery Lesson Plan Library and as such, there was a 52-minute companion video that could be purchased for $49. It was theoretically possible to view a video clip of the tape on-line for evaluation purposes, but there was no free plug-in available for my operating system, so I was not able to view it to get a sense of its quality and relevance.

What kind of thinking skills are engaged?

This lesson plan engages the skills of:

  • Remembering - recalling basic principles of uncertainty theory
  • Understanding - explaining how those principles apply to subatomic scientific research methods and observations
How clear are the directions in the lesson plan? Would you be able to pick it up and use it as is, or do you have questions about the details of implementation?

The "meat" of this lesson plan was well documented, however it left out details like when would be the best time to introduce the video and places in the core lesson where the Internet might be used. Perhaps they should have listed Internet access as an optional material, so that an instructor whose classroom did not have Internet access would not avoid the lesson. Again, I had difficulty accessing the evaluation video clips because there was no free plug-in for my browser.

Lesson Plan 3

Title: Introduction to Physics
URL:
http://henson.austin.apple.com/edres/shlessons/sh-physc.shtml
Grade Level:
9-12
Summary:
This lesson provides ideas for the first days in physics or physical science classes and an online source for introducing students to physics.

How well does this lesson use technology? Does it use technology to do things that would be difficult or tedious to do without technology?

This was a very basic lesson meant to provide an overview on the subject of Physics. However it was a little bit too cursory. While it listed an Internet-connected computer as a required material, the lesson plan only included one reference link - and that link was broken. Clearly, this was not a good use of technology. Had they included several links for students to explore, it obviously would have been more valuable. While this sort of information is readily available in libraries and textbooks, some basic Physics topics are well suited to animation, hyper linking and illustrations that would be appropriate for the Internet.

What kind of thinking skills are engaged?

While the lesson plan listed "Understanding" as the main level of thinking involved with this lesson, it did not specify a clear deliverable that would allow anyone to evaluate whether any level of understanding had been achieved.

How clear are the directions in the lesson plan? Would you be able to pick it up and use it as is, or do you have questions about the details of implementation?

This item did not really seem like a complete lesson as much as a suggested introductory activity for a physics class. If it had included more Internet links and some method of evaluating what level of understanding was achieved, it would have been more useful.

Summary

The first lesson about Thermodynamics was the most complete and comprehensive lesson that was designed to engage students on many levels. The second was more cursory and passive, while the third was really more effective as a suggestion for how to introduce the subject of Physics. While all made some use of various technologies, I found that there were many more physics lessons that appeared to be reasonably comprehensive and engaging but did not require any use of technology - just old-fashioned experiments that allowed students to observe the laws of physics first-hand.

Last updated Sunday, June 29, 2003 2:10 PM .

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