IB Conference Notes 2014
IB Conference Notes (6/27/2014- Friday)
1. Last assessment is May 2015 for 2009 curriculum
2. Logger pro updated to allow for moving curve to determine greatest and least slopes to
determine uncertainty.
3. Command Terms
a. Give idea on how much or how little to write.
b. Obj 1: Basic Skills
c. Obj 2: Application (1&2 make up 50% of test)
d. Obj 3: Higher level thinking
4. Consider IB Speak, that is, language used by British writers and American readers (tire
= tyre)
a. Consider graph scales in pure numbers which jacks with the units.
b. Best fit line can stand for curve. Best fit straight line is a line line.
c. Consider IB meaning between describing a graph as linear and proportional.
5. Nature of Science in IB Curriculum
a. Part of exam
b. The paradox of knowledge: Any measurement has error (uncertainty)
inherently.
c. Look in the course guide for the specifics on what they want to hit regarding
NOS.
d. Only 2 – 3% of exam on NOS.
e. Look up the correspondence theory.
f. Einstein quote on looking inside a closed watch.
6. Defining Physics
a. Physics is the study of x and y and the function that relates them.
7. Don’t forget the ½ life of beer lab
8. EE… best ones are the simplest. Don’t forget you can just prove something that is
already proved (but be clever about how you crunch the data) plus you can get data
from online.
a.
9. The Physics Syllabus
a. HL is not harder, it is just more.
b. Prescribed means required.
c. Look at Mark’s supplement in his workbook to see a list or at the “Applications &
Skills” section in the syllabus guide. Syllabus guide will contain much more than
what Mark’s list does. Listen to Mark’s list as it is more up to date (pg 25). Don’t
do any HL labs in SL course.
d. 4PSOW is only one form per class.
e. Separate form for marks on IA.
f. Mark believes it is the teachers job to derive equations.
10. Keep in mind that the option is worth 24% of grade and so should not be glossed over
and should be taught towards the end of the course so that fresh in mind.
IB Conference Notes (6/28/2014- Saturday)
1. Lab: Analyzing Video Motion w/ Logger Pro
a. Projectile Motion
b. Find a video with juggling in an elevator
c. Conservation of momentum with ball and bat
d. Impulse on a tennis ball
e. Logger pro has video files.
f. Ball falling through water and ball falling through air
2. Database Lab
a. Using satellite data to determine the mass of the Earth
b. Requires log. Can introduce log with half life if want to. Log is not required for
SL.
3. Database Lab
a. Period of sunspots. Period for latitude.
4. IA
a. MUST be students’ independent work. Can’t use same data because it is a TEST.
5. Data Booklet
a. Mark believes all equations should be derived for the students.
b. There is an activity in Mark’s material (pg 44) that unpacks an equation the way
he believes it should.
c. Don’t forget to look at the IB Material for a specific doc that covers math
requirements “Physics Mathematical Requirements” I think.
6. Uncertainty
a. Uncertainty with penny tosses is a good illustration of what the plus minus
means.
b. Sometimes on test won’t see the decimal after 80 to lock in as 2 sig figs. Student
should know that it has two because the measurement 80 comes between 79
and 81.
c. Don’t round off at each step or you will compound round off error.
d. Update Vernier to get the feature where you can pick max and min gradient for
error bars and use this to determine uncertainty.
e. Look at “What Time is It” activity in Mark’s booklet.
f. Pg 61 he has a lab activity that emphasizes systematic and random error (Pulling
Brick with Force Sensor)
7. Test taking hints
a. If you see two possible answers, go with the one you can best defend.
b. Go with the answer the examiner wants to see.
8. Graphs in Physics
a. You can see mathematical relationships
b. Make sure you differentiate between linear and proportional and inverse.
9. Useful Websites
a. See “IB Resources” in dropbox.
b. Www.ib-source
c. A website that has ALL IB stuff
d. AAPT – Get a journal with physics experiments. Join it.
e. IB physics friend
f. Dot point for independent learning.
10. Experimental Resources
a. Check out in his dropbox.
11. II (Indpendent Investigation)
a. Student comes up with idea.
b. Teacher helps focus student’s question and keep them safe.
c. Teacher can guide student and read a draft.
d. 10 hrs dedicated to this. This is not time spent on lab. This is class time allotted,
could include teacher explicitly talking about project.
e. Lab need not be any more difficult than course material.
f. For example, confirm F = ma in some clever way.
g. Includes research to prove they understand the context of their work.
h. Make sure students submit digital as future holds digital submitting.
i. When giving score, take a holistic approach and use descriptor that is “Best Fit”
meaning that you can ignore outliers and ignore if something specific is not
included. For example, if they have 3 , 3-4 descriptors and 1, 1-2 descriptor, give
them a 3. Best fit.
j. You are not required to provide comments, just a score. However, the
moderators do appreciate the comments and more comments make you more
likely to get awarded the score you give them. The moderators are not allowed
to give feedback on why the marked down, but are allowed to give positive
feedback. Comments can be as comments in PDF or Word Doc, separate sheet,
or actual ink (different color please) on lab report.
k. A good tip was to do a complete holistic approach and line the papers up in
order from worst to best and then grade.
l. There are some exemplars graded online.
12. IA Specifics
a. Can give them a handout/outline of how you want them to set up the written
report.
b. Should look like a real scientific article.
c. Mark prefers many short sections so students don’t repeat themselves.
d. Perhaps have students first propose their topic of study (or even their
question?), then once you focus them to a practically researchable question, have
them do their significant research on how they will go about answering it, then
meet again to make sure they are headed in the right direction, then read a draft
and say things like, “Is this a good physics graph?” Then once they turn it in, no
more advice. You can grade, but don’t need to show them your comments or
grade as if your take differs greatly from the moderators.
e. Do audio comments. App called Screen Chomp will do this.
f. Students can use a rich simulation for their IA provided they don’t just play a
game but they collect data from the sim, there is something analog that allows an
analysis of uncertainty, manipulate, and glean something interesting from it.
g. One of my take home messages is that kids should pick an equation, one where
they can find a creative real world situation where they can measure all but one
of the variables, then spend their IA solving for the unknown and giving the real
world implication. Or, pick an equation and use some interesting real world
situation where they can measure all variables then compare measured to
theoretical and note the difference. Data, graphs, and some theory behind it.
h. Coordinate with other IB science teachers so that IA’s don’t occur at same time
i. Perhaps work on IA every Monday for a couple months.
j. Probably just build skills in year one. Do IA year two.
k. Not asking for them to discover anything new.
l. Tell them right off the bat, day one of class, about the IA so they can start
thinking about their topic. Perhaps have them open a google doc where they can
jot down ideas.
m. Can’t all do exactly the same thing. They can all do the same topic and you can
pick it if you would like, but each must do their own spin on it. IB understands
that you can’t come up with 35 different labs, but they must have a personal
spin. If two students decide to do the same thing, then they will lose the
personal engagement points… but that won’t kill their grade.
n. ALLOWED TO GIVE FEEDBACK ON A DRAFT!!!!!
o. One teacher put all of his materials in tinyurl.com/ibstuffguydo. Mark will also
add anything posted on the wall to his dropbox.
IB Conference Notes (6/29/2014- Sunday)
13. Examinations
a. Three exam papers for every calendar year cuz of different seasons on our globe.
b. Cradle to Grade will tell you all about how exams are written. Takes two years to
make them.
c. Paper 2 is weighted the heaviest.
d. Objectives 1 & 2 make up half the test, objective 3 the other.
e. Prescribed experiment is on paper three.
f. Answer all questions in paper two.
g. Experimental technique will be assessed on paper ?.
h. NOS on paper 1. No calculator on paper 1.
i. On paper 1, there are different types of questions. Basic understanding,
comparison, Effect of change, (1.5 min planned for each MC question and each
point on other papers), Example (mathematical) Problems,
j. For paper 3, do not write outside the box. Must write in box because exam is
scanned. If overflow, write a note where rest of answer is.
k. Tell students that questions are not trying to fool them.
l. Examiners do not take off for significant figures.
m. Won’t take off points for units. Even if the number is wrong cuz in the wrong
units, the marker will do the extra conversion.
14. Group 4 Project
a. Not assessed.
b. Perhaps do before IA to teach research and not plagiarizing.
c. Experimental component not required. No lab work required. In fact, discourage
lab work. They do so much other experimental work already.
d. Modern, relevant, real world topics. All research based is best.. steer clear from
experimentation.
e. Could do it all over a weekend?
f. Every Monday a month?
g. Mark gives theme, but don’t have to. Should have teacher approval. Mark gives
themes Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Best success is when students come up with own
ideas.
h. Another school stimulates themes by having kids talk to their parents about
their careers and visiting their work places.
i. Can cooperate with other schools around the world for interschool
collaboration.
j. One guy gave them the theme of isolating a pure substance from food.
k. One guy has kids make a one minute teaser video that people watch before going
and seeing their posters or whatever.
l. 50 word or less reflection is all that will be required.
15. Extended Essays
a. The ones that get the highest grades are the exceptional one.
b. Only want HL students do EE.
c. Can only write it in examinable subject.
d. It is really a big IA.
e. Must be some physics. Building is not physics. Measuring is physics.
f. 30-40% of group 4 EEs fail.
g. Need to generate own theory.
h. Teacher supervises in much the same capacity as IA.
i. Theoretical EE’s fail 99% of the time because students fail to come up with own
theory.
j. Can be experimental, or data based, or theoretical (but advise against
theoretical).
k. Comparing experiment to theory is a good route to take.
l. Can read and comment on only one draft.
m. Only provide 3-5 hours of guidance.
n. Skip history lesson and explanation of basic physics in report. Want PHYSICS!
o. Since physics will only be taught at standard, NO EE’s in physics.