I have not mentioned how we conduct tests here. Forty students sitting at tables of 4 is pretty tight and too tempting to glance at your neighbor's work. So, Rod and I divide the class into 2 groups of 20 and he takes 20 into the room next door and has them spread out with 2 empty chairs between each student. I do the same with 20 in our regular classroom. That has worked out well.
Well, the lab room is only available before lunch on Thursdays. So, right after the students finished their Oral English unit test, Rod led them in a short Lab debrief and then moved all 40 students into the lab. It is also a pretty tight room, and a rather warm room, too. I don't think they have air conditioning in the lab--just ceiling fans and open windows.
The students really seem to come alive for lab...so much so that it is very difficult to answer all their questions as they begin to connect parts and start up their software to begin their lab. It also seems that the students are not so accustomed to getting their own hands fully into the work. Possibly their lab teacher helps hook things up for them, to expedite things. But Rod urges the teams of 2 to work together, and even has the partners switch places midway so both students get directly involved placing wires, making adjustments, recording results, etc. Rod also tries to encourage them to not be discouraged if things don't immediately work perfectly. Trouble-shooting is a key skill for any engineer or technician. So, here are a few photos to show students in action.
The student up against the chalkboard with the white shirt is a very diligent student and is a big help setting things up and tearing them down in the lab!
Notice the square waves!
After all our classes were done for the day, we felt a relief to have our "weekend" begin, since we don't teach classes on Fridays. (We grade papers and do lesson preps on Friday, but can mostly work from our hotel room.)
No comments:
Post a Comment