Today I did a session about linear motion. I explained displacement, velocity and acceleration to the students. First I've explained what displacement and velocity mean. Then I've continued the lesson by showing how I get to work, the distance I do, the time I take and the velocity. I did that on google maps. Then I explained what is acceleration and some useful formulas. Then we practiced with a couple of examples.
The google maps activity didn't work work very well. The students were quite engaged but I almost ended up calculating their time myself. I think the activity is good because it relates to their everyday lives but I should give more guidance at the beginning about several things:
- How to calculate velocity.
- Be very clear that we are calculating average velocity.
- The relationships between different units.
- Give a reason to calculate: to see who is the fastes.
The tutor presentation wasn't engaging at all. I should elicit first what they know about the parameters, because they've probably seen them before. For the next lesson, I'm going to play a game. I give the parameter to a learner and he/she has to define it without saying the word. Then I will carry on with the presentation.
