danaleeling

What does it mean to understand a mathematical concept? What constitutes knowing mathematics? How can one demonstrate the ability to engage in quantitative reasoning? What do we mean when we say we are teaching and learning math? How should math be taught? How should math be tested? Should math be taught in isolation, in a math class? Should math be taught in context, in non-math classes?  In this laboratory a system of abstract notation is taught without context. Just as symbols on a board. The notation is site swap notation mapped out linearly. Students usually quickly discern the pattern and are able to determine what should appear in subsequent sites. Once the class demonstrates mastery, then the illusion of understanding is taken away. Absent context, the mathematics has no meaning. The mathematics is no more useful than the quadratic formula - neither site swap nor the quadratic formula are ever again used by the non-major students in physical science.  Both ...

The last laboratory of the term occurred less than seven days prior to the last class day of the term. Once a laboratory occurs with only six or less days left in the term, the laboratory has no laboratory report. This term the class went on campus walkabout.  The class started out with viewing the new shoots of Premna serratifolia. From there the class saw Emilia sonchifolia, Sphagneticola trilobata, Strobilanthes reptans, and other roadside "weeds" as the class headed towards the Volkameria inermis, Premna obtusifolia, and Scaevola taccada. The Premna obtusifolia brought up didynamous stamens. Then a tour of ferns of lycophytes. At Palhinheae cernua stolons were observed. Then a trip across the road to Pterocarpus indicus and short talk about being able to identify plants and name their parts and structures as a core botanical skill.  Botany is all about plants, what better way to wrap up the term but to visit some plants?

A spreadsheet that could automatically tally the courses advisees needed to take in order to graduate was developed in April 2023. The spreadsheet also provided information of use to an advisor during registration. Link to view the spreadsheet The first tab contains advisees, their program courses, their grade points in each course  and a status flag.  The advisees are listed in column A.  Column B is their grade in a course recorded as grade points. This helps the advisor know what courses might need to be retaken. The code "ip" is used to denote that a course is in progress.  Column C is whether a student is taking/has taken a course (1) or has not yet taken/needs to retake a course (0).  Columns D to G are copied and pasted from templates on the second tab.  All advisees in all programs are listed on the first tab. The second tab contains program templates as blocks of cells that are manually copied and pasted into the second tab ...

Hula hoop period versus diameter data Monday began with a planetary playlist updated with recent Perseverance and Curiosity rovers. Uranus landed at 12:44 on an 11:58 start. So the list could use some trimming if Pluto is to be reached by class end. Neptune start would have been 12:48 but in the process of skipping the extra Uranus videos the playlist wound up at Pluto at 12:50. Class was dismissed at this point. After class the playlist was pruned. Any additions need to be accompanied by deletions. Wednesday's solar system scale model across campus was done on a cold open. The book 13 planets was found in the next curriculum shelf unit over filed under QH instead of CRC QB501.3.A9 2014 . Marbles, the measuring wheel, and the sun were prepped at 8:00, which proved prescient. The sun was introduced using the blurb in the book and then without other introduction Mercury was located at 18 feet away. In the past the class has started on a "Where do you think Mercury should be loca...

Chapter ten of the textbook opens with legends and stories of plants and then moves into psychoactive plants. The connection is that psychoactive plants are also often sacred plants in traditional cultures and almost always have origin legends or stories attached to them. Plant legends lift a plant up to a higher plane. Here on Pohnpei Piper methysticum is nonphysically elevated to where no one can step over the plant when the plant is laying on the ground. The class opened by asking each student if they did drugs. Then, with the textbook open on the smartboard, the five types of psychoactive compounds were covered: Euphorica : Drugs that cause a pleasant sensation of warmth and comfort. Often highly addictive. Withdrawal from any drug often brings the opposite effect, in this instance depression and melancholy (sadness, emptiness, loneliness). Opium, morphine, heroin, codeine. Physical and psychic pain killers. Phantastica : Drugs that cause hallucinations, illusions, visions, peyote...

The day before laboratory Ace Hardware was searched for iso-octane, 2,2,4-Trimethylpentane, to no avail. Ninety minutes of perusing solvent and automotive additive ingredients surfaced nothing equivalent. The lab directions in the thin layer chromatography kit referenced acetone and isopropyl alcohol.  Acetone was available at Ace Hardware, ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol were available at Ace Office Supply. Cheesecloth was not located. White cloth from the house sufficed. The hardware store lacked lime - they had bags of lime for track and field at one time. The possibility of lime in the gardening section was overlooked. Black nitrile gloves were also purchased and provided. Nitrile has only moderate to good protection with respect to acetone, but no one was coming into direct intentional contact with the acetone in the class except the instructor. The leaf pulp was squeezed through a white cloth causing contact with the acetone. The gloves held up due to the brie...