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Core 160 - Natural World Perspective / GC seminar

Energy and Environment

Syllabus, Fall 2015

Here is the catalog description of our course. But another way to put it is...

The goal of this course is to use energy as a way to think about the relationship of humans to our environment on planet Earth.
  • energy: a central--maybe *the* central--concept of physics. This is a Natural World Perspectives course. Along the way we will also reflect about the process of science and the nature and limits of scientific knowledge.

  • think about: We will use writing as a tool for learning, for thinking, for discovering your own voice. This course is a GC Seminar, and is the second writing-focussed course in the the GC Core curriculum.

  • the relationship of humans to the environment: Each GC seminar revolves around a larger cross disciplinary question or theme. This one has theological, biological, commercial, physical, spiritual, and psychological aspects, to name a few.

You have had at least one college-level writing course. This course builds on that to enhance your writing and communication skills.

You have attained at least algebra-level math skills. This course builds on that to enhance your numerical and analytical skills.

Welcome to the course. I hope that through our opening exercise you start to see writing as an important means of learning...even in a physics course!

I've composed this syllabus as an open agreement between us and a means of keeping us on task. I may need to change parts of it as need arises, but will strive to be fair. I expect you to hold me to its terms, as I hold you accountable to its terms.

Unlike a math problem with a definite answer, writing is never finished and done. I see myself on the same journey as you towards better writing. We writers must work to strengthen all aspects of the writing process--brainstorming, drafting, rewriting, copy-editing...

I will work hard to have all students meet these goals:

  1. Be able to identify energy transformations and be able to use energy conservation in calculations.
  2. Be able to put numbers in context with units, by making comparisons, identifying common reference amounts.
  3. Identify terms, components and stages of the writing process: freewriting, drafting, re-writing, copy editing
  4. Develop your curiousity and find no shortage of topics to write about.
  5. Connect writing with real world problems, and with your own life.
  6. Acknowledge the social aspects of writing: the need for giving and receiving feedback.
  7. Increase your independence as a writer, gaining in the ability to organize your own writing project and solicit specific feedback.

I want a certain amount of freedom to respond to everyone's writing and so the schedule is a guideline, not a precise map. By the same token, you should bring up issues as needed whether they're laid out in the schedule or not.

We learn best from each other. So, except for writing of a personal nature, I will assume your permission to share your work (without identification) with the rest of the class. I want to respect your privacy. Please mark passages pre-emptively that you would not want shared if you have any hesitation.

Quality writing is not something you can force. But we know for certain that if there is no writing, no quality writing will happen! So, we will write *a lot* and regularly, and I will endeavor to organize plenty of feedback. Gary Shafer's philosophy is worth quoting:

Good Writing is "accidental". It makes sense that writers--people who write and count words--produce the most good writing. They work hard at it daily and thus bring about the most "accidents".

Grading vs. Assessing

Just like a baseball team, writers need to train hard, regularly, and receive feedback on their training. But there is no score for training, only for the games.

I am choosing to assess (give feedback and offer reactions) more, and grade less. My hope is that student writers can play with writing in constructive ways more often, and that I can offer more in the way of feedback, if we forget about grading during the "training" period. The grading will also come, but only once, and at the very end. That's what we'll be training for.

Of course, that doesn't mean the training is easy. But if you work really, really hard on the tasks assigned in this course, I will assure you of a final grade of a B.

This contract for a B has been inspired by Gary Hafer, inspired in turn by ideas of Peter Elbow and Jane Danielewicz who liken this approach to an informal "home studio": An artist offers to those who would learn encouragement, and evaluative feedback, pointing out areas for improvement, but doesn't put a grade on a painting. Copious sketches are a means for arriving at inspiration for the final canvas, but are not graded. But beautiful canvas is unlikely to emerge without a preceding sketchbook.

The contract for a B

So, to be clear about my expectations of what it means to work hard at the material of this course:

  1. Get ready. Read the assigned readings ahead of time. Go beyond skimming and pass it through your mental digestive tract before class. Follow through: You must complete at least 90% of the assigned work.
  2. Peer feedback. You must be able to speak and write observations of work that is read aloud from others. Take an active role in small group discussions. Take notes on your own work when it's your turn to receive comments. File these in your work folder. At some point in the semester I will be checking your work folders.

    The same goes for quantitative assignments. You should be able to participate in a discussion, and take ownership in group decisions about improving quantitative work.

  3. Competence evidenced on quizzes and exams. Study the material assigned for quizzes and exams. You should average at least 75% (after any curving) on quizzes and exams.
  4. Prolific, unstructured writing. I expect you to be able spew words onto the page any time you're conscious, both in and outside of class. Concretely, I will expect you to write--"freewrite"--for ten minutes outside of class on five days out of the week. Some of the topics will be assigned. But frequently the topics will be your choice. Use this as an excuse to get in touch with your own curiousity! We will also write frequently in class.

    I want you to do this prolific writing with pen and paper. This minimizes the technical distractions and allows you to do things which are sometimes very hard to do with digital media, such as connecting phrases with lines, placing words spatially in relation to each other, sketching a graph or some mathematical expressions. The point of freewriting is to dump your brain, not to be re-writing, so you need not erase a thing. If you can't think of what else to write, it's OK to write, "I can't think of anything to write" for a while, until you get tired of that.

  5. Structured writing. I expect you to be able to make good faith improvements to your unstructured writing through re-writing, editing, imposing a structure, and incorporating feedback.
  6. Rewriting. I expect you to be able to re-write at will. By re-writing I mean incremental improvements at the sentence level and below: Identifying key sentences for improvement, generating options for consideration, and then choosing the best among the options. [Ponsot and Deen make a distinction between this kind of re-writing and revising, by which they mean a more wholesale re-consideration of a piece of writing. We will frequently work on re-writing, but probably not at all on revising.]

    Re-writing would typically account for 50-80% of the time you put in on a draft.

  7. Polishing. Second draft pieces, and the final draft should be copy-edited and proofread. By copy-editing I mean tidying up the spelling, grammar, capitalization, etc, and checking the facts. By proofreading I mean a final read through for formatting and checklists. *Everyone* should visit the writing center or consult with a friend whose writing you respect. But don't expect them to be able to do it as rigorously as you can for yourself.

    First drafts do *not* need to be polished: The effort would be wasted, because you will be re-writing and making other changes based on feedback received.

  8. Maintain a "working folder". Collect all your work for the semester, together with notes from feedback, and your daybook. This will be the basis for your final portfolio. I'll review your working folder when we conference.

    "Turning in" your written work (and your weekly free-writing exercises) of two pages or less will usually mean dropping a photo (scan) of your hand-written work into a folder on Google Drive that you've shared with me.

  9. Deadlines. Often the point of an assignment is to have worked something up to the point where we can productively discuss it in class with each other. So, I will not accept late work. I will not accept work handed in by a friend, or handed in ahead of time. However, you should still keep a copy in your working folder. It may be the basis for re-writing or further portfolio work.
  10. Absences. Don't miss more than three classes. You don't need to give me any excuse for missing up to three classes (though a brief e-mail ahead of time if you know you'll be gone would be nice). Beyond three, you will need a note from someone else (doctor, coach, therapist,...) justifying your absenceto avoid breaking the contract. You are still responsible for any learnings from the days you missed.
  11. Self-accountability. Keep track of whether you're staying up with this contract. This includes completing any self evaluations as we go along.

 

This is likely a different structure than most classes you have taken. But some advantages...

  • A goal of this contract is to make a B available to any student, irregardless of your "skill" at writing coming into this class, or what your past experiences of writing have been.
  • The emphasis of this contract is on your effort. No attempt is made to judge the quality of your work. Your work should show evidence of a mind at work, trying out changes, making deliberate choices in re-writing.

A, A-, B+

A B grade is obtained by completing tasks. Higher grades depend on going beyond this, and producing excellent work.

For a B, you do not have to worry about my judgements or standards of quality at all. But we will have sessions in which we try to jointly identify excellent writing.

Actually, as you become a more self-conscious writer--choosing your own style, and paying attention to your own voice--you should find yourself increasingly pursuing an internal sense of excellence that may or may not parallel my standards. Every voice can light up, and is valuable. There is not one correct way of writing. Still, it is valuable to hear reactions from others. A self conscious writer will not simply accept all suggestions, but, as in re-writing, will choose what seems the best options for her among the choices generated.

The final portfolio will play the biggest role in deciding on excellent grades.

  • Bloom's hierarchyPhysics courses have a reputation for being 'hard'. Perhaps two factors that go into this are...

    • Physics uses everyday words (for example 'work') to talk about concepts that have a much more precise meaning than their everyday use would suggest.
    • 'Remembering' is at the bottom of Bloom's cognitive domain scheme (right). But the phenomena of physics (like balls falling, whether you can push around your older brother who weighs twice as much as you do...) are all around us and we don't need to spend much effort remembering them. What we call 'Physics' starts perhaps at the level above. The upper levels of Bloom's domain are sometimes referred to as 'critical thinking' skills, which do turn out to be terribly useful in just about any endeavour.

    Instructor

    Paul Meyer Reimer

    Sci 011   ·   x7318   ·   e-mail: paulmr@goshen.edu

    I don't have regularly scheduled office hours. Instead, look at my class schedule and stop by or drop me an e-mail to schedule a time to conference, formally or informally.

    Contributions to class material (particular laboratory) come from Prof. Carl Helrich and past laboratory assistants.

    Online

    You can find the syllabus, class notes, and other materials related to this course on the web at:  

    tiny.cc/gcEE  (Open in Safari, then "Add to Homescreen" or "Add Bookmark")

    Grades and other items will be available on moodle.

    I use your "goshen.edu" e-mail address for many class communications. Read your e-mail daily for class resources and announcements.

    Course materials

  • Writing supplies: You'll be keeping a "daybook" or journal. Buy a cheap but standard-size paper notebook. At left: 1 subject notebook, 70 pages, \$1 from Dollar General, and the spiral binding doubles as a pen holder!!
  • Textbook: Art Hobson, Physics: Concepts and Connections, 4th edition (2005). The physics department has purchased used copies of this worthy textbook for our class. I will collect a deposit of \$15 each when distributing copies at the beginning of the semester and return \$5 at the end of the semester if you turn it in. The difference covers buying more used copies, and copying/copyright costs.
  • Writing handbook (1 choice of several required): Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual 4th edition (2004) or newer. I'll be referring to the 5th edition--2009.
  • A folder to keep track of your work, and comments on your work. This working folder will be the garden from which your final portfolio work will spring.
  • Lab supplies: You will need a 1" binder and loose leaf paper to write up lab responses and collect other lab artifacts.
  • iPad (required) with these apps installed:
    • Vernier Video Physics (not yet available) (GC App Store)
    • Google Drive: Set up a folder labelled something like "Core160-your name" and share it (give me editing privileges) with me. You'll use this to deposit your weekly entries and some other out-of-class work.
    • Google Docs: Google's Word Processor app.

    Optional, but potentially useful:

    • Wolfram Alpha (GC App Store)
    • Notability (GC App Store)
    • QR code reader
    • iFiles Converter Lite
    Most of these are paid apps which are available to GC-registered iPads if you go to the GC App Catalog | Purchased section. You should also make sure that you have some sort of "scientific" calculator (graphing calculator not required)--a real one or an iPad app.

    You should bring your iPads to class. But I expect them routinely to be closed unless called for.

     

    Class - MWF 2 pm in SC 006. Tuesday 8:00-9:30 am in SC 001.

    Participation: Bring your daybook and writing instruments to every class. Many classes will involve an individual or group written response.

    A secondary purpose of the written responses is an incentive for class attendance. They cannot be made up if you miss class (though they will be pro-rated if you have a valid excuse.)

    In a small class, and in a lab class, attendance is kind of a big deal.

    Writing

    A portion of each exam will be drawn directly from the concept checks, as well as the suggested conceptual exercises in Hobson, both those handed in as well as those not handed in.

    This is a 3 credit hour course. In order to receive an average grade, you should expect to spend 2-3 hours outside of class for every hour in class.

    Labs: We will do some lab activities. I'll announce ahead of time when we need to meet outside our regular classroom for these. Sometimes we'll be in SC 001 and sometimes SC 008. Just like homework, some of the lab activities will need to be worked on outside of regular class periods. Some lab tips:

    • Write things down in pencil and bring an eraser!

    • Check your results and graphs with your lab assistant before dis-assembling your equipment.


    Exams: Exam dates will be published on the class schedule at least 1 week ahead of time. Make up exams are not possible unless prior arrangements are made, or you have a medical problem come up that is documented by a healthcare provider treating you.

    Studying

    In Fall 2009 I asked the students who improved by more than 10% between the first and second exam what they did the second time. Some of their responses:

    Study with a friend

    "I studied with a friend."

    "A friend and I split up the studying. I wrote out the conceptual exercises, another wrote out notes from each chapter."

    Time spent studying

    "I spent more time studying for this class."

    "The play was over and I had so much more time."

    "I studied about 3 hours more this time..."

    Working problems

    "I went through all of the odd questions [these have answers in the back of the book] in the chapters that the test covered. This helped me work on problem solving rather than just memorizing facts."

    "I made sure I had a grasp on every sample problem."

    "The most helpful thing was doing the concept review questions."

    There is some research that indicates that pulling out a piece of paper and writing something down--whether it's a set of related concepts, the solution to a problem, or a conceptual framework--is *far* more effective than simply reading and re-reading study materials.