The most
interesting exploratory topic/question presented to me would be: How do different surfaces affect the
momentum of marbles? As a boy in elementary school, I was always attracted
to marbles of different shapes, sizes and colours. I may be assuming that all
children love to play with marbles, but at the very least, children do find
them interesting. In this experiment, I will be using marbles of different
sizes (one small and one big size), a thick rubber band, a piece of track (a
peg glued to each side of a dinky car racing track), two different types of
surfaces (one surface is made of floor tiles, second surface has a flat-matted
fabric on top) and a measuring tape.
The pegs will be on the end of the
track and the elastic will be attached to each side. The track will lie flat on
either surface and each surface will be large enough to give the marble a large
enough distance in length to roll/move. A measurement will be taken from the
rested-stage of the elastic band to the amount of force given to it (stretch)
to hurl the marble into one direction. A second measurement will be taken for
the distance the marble travels, on either surface. Both marbles of different
sizes (mass-magnitude) will be used in the experiment. In addition, the surface
(friction) will be considered, during the scientific process.
It was interesting to be reminded
after the experiment that 1.was the surface of the tiles and matted-fabric
completely leveled? 2. did I have enough measuring tape to measure the
distance of the marbles traveled on the tiled-surfaced/matted-surface? 3. did
I have enough length for the marbles to travel on the
tiled-surface/matted-surface, without impact? Students, will no doubt, run into
the same issues, if not more. If they haven’t recognized these issues or
variables, the role of the teacher will surely help in this matter. Students
will then be better prepared or at the very least, become astutely aware of
their environment. One of the important messages or teachings would be to be
aware of variables that you may not readily observe or have taken into
consideration; without a doubt, any type of variable will affect the outcome of
an experiment.
The most important challenges I
would face are the unseen variables in any given experiment. I should, at the
very least, be aware of them before letting the students proceed in any guided
inquiry experiment. Students would have to thoroughly understand what the
guided inquiry question means and what to expect from the understanding of it.
Students will realize that they have more responsibility and would have to
engage in group-communication more effectively, with guided enquiry
experiments. As a teacher, I would be a central observer, while the students
experience, analyze and learn through the process of trial and error. The end
results are important, but much more importantly, the students carry away with
them experience and correct knowledge, the latter not being misconstrued or
misinterpreted.
