May 10, 2014

Back to School

Yesterday afternoon another teaching week came to an close, but I still have grading to do for next week and a test to make out for Monay. So here are a few photos from Lezha Academic Center to remind me of what I have done and have yet to do!

I. At Friday Assembly

At the start of school yesterday morning, we had an all-school assembly. Among other usual activates, it recognized Phil and Betsy Moyer for their weeks of service last quarter and into this quarter. They return to the US on Tuesday.

Phil and Betsy Moyer

Phil and Betsy Moyer Share in the Assembly (9-May-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

One new item was the announcement that the elections for student government were now open. All of the candidates were announced and recognized.

Xhorxhina announces student government elections

Xhorshina Announces the Student Government Candidates (9-May-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

student government candidates stand

Student Government Candidates (9-May-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Another special announcement was that Inda Piroli won second place in the 10th Grade in the Peace Corp's Write On! (International) Competition. (This blog has not yet been updated with the 2014 winners but should be soon.) Inda's essay can be read at the Albania Write On! site.

Write-on 2nd place global winner

Inda Smiles Shyly over her Winner's Certificate (9-May-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Students of the month for the junior high (grades 7, 8 and 9) and the senior high (10, 11, and 12) were introduced and honored.

students of the month

Students of the Month at LAC (9-May-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

II. In the Classroom

One of my special goals for teaching physics to high school students here in Albania is to give them some hands-on experience with laboratory experiments and real data collection and analysis. I had bought a few items in the US (such as two spring scales shown below) and brought them with me to Lezhë. We were studying how a spring lengthens with varying amounts of applied force. The scales are transparent and were only used for the spring we could see inside of them. Using local items (plastic shopping bags to hold plastic water bottles of varying amounts of water in them), we attached varying masses to the springs and measured how much they stretched. As expected it required some careful thinking on the students' part to understand the exercise. But they also seemed to have some fun. The data was recorded on the board for all students in each of the groups to copy and analyze.

students obseve the streching of a spring in an experiment

Students Observe the Stretching of a Spring (23-Appr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

students record their data

Students Record Their Data (23-Appr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

group data written on the chalkboard

Data Written on the Chalkboard (23-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Only one of the rooms that I am aware of has a chalkboard such as the one above in the room where I teach physics to the eleventh grade (along with four tenth graders making a total of 14 students). Mostly the rooms have whiteboards such as the one below in the classroom where I teach physics to 21 twelfth graders.

data on a dry-erase board

Data Written on a White Dry-erase Board (23-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Elsie and I will miss the students and our fellow teachers and staff at Lezha Academic Center when we return to the US on Thursday, May 22! 

--©2014, Richard L. Bowman

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