🚀 go-pugleaf

 "Keith C. Tipton" <kctipton@TENET.EDU>  asks:

>When a kid misses a lab, how do you handle makeups?

Each of my physics students MUST have a primary DSS and two alternate
DSS's. A DSS is a Designated Substitute Student.  As soon as a students
knows s/he is going to be absent, s/he is to notify her/his DSS (or
alternate) to look after her/his interests in class -=> pick up papers,
take class notes to share (and explain), tell the absentee what the demos
were about, what was collected, AND to quickly help the student make up the
laboratory work before the equipment is put away.  I keep a list of all
DSS's in my attendance book and I do my best to remind those present to
look after the interests of those absent.  It doesn't work perfectly but
every year it works better than the year before.  For last week's double
period lab (on Tuesday) of calibrating the B field of a solenoid and then
using it to measure the mass of the electron, the DSS system worked
perfectly.  Every absent student came in with their DSS and made up the lab
before the end of the week.  Because the DSS had already done the lab,
making up the lab went very efficiently and involved negligible hassle on
my part.  One DSS told me that she didn't really understand what was going
on all that well until she helped an absent student make up the lab.  Is
this "cooperative learning", those present tutoring those absent?  One way
I get this to work is that I refuse to be a student's DSS.  I will not tell
a student what s/he miss because of their absence since I simply say, "I'm
not your DSS."  Another way I get it to work is my optional (HA! everybody
chooses it) CAP points (Cooperation, Attitude*, & Participation) but that's
another story.

*even if they have to PHake it.

From DiRT's dictionary:
 Remember, laboratory is spelled  LABORatory and not labORATORY.

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David Thiessen
Science Department
Deerfield High School                      FUN + PHYSICS = PHUN
Deerfield, IL 60015
Home phone (815) 337-2883                    PHYSICS IS PHUN !!
School phone (708) 405-8488
Voice Mail (708) 374-3811 then *610
School Fax (708) 945-0970

dthiessn@nslsilus.org
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