Mr Guay's teaching blog

So disapointed...

2011-02-26T22:36:00.001+08:00

with the Sec 4s and their Common Test results. MSG of 5.5? Serious? Is that with or without any effort?

mrguay's video - crystallization of copper (II) sulphate crystals

2011-01-13T10:46:00.004+08:00

You might wonder why a Physics teacher is doing crystallization? That's because I'm teaching 4 NT this year and they are doing Chemistry this semester.

Chemistry is indeed a more interesting subject than Physics. However, it's really too complicated to explain anything fully.

If you're interested to try this, you can use common salt or sugar to do crystallization in your kitchen as well!

Gaming - what's it good for?

2010-12-14T16:11:00.002+08:00

Nothing much in real value, as according to this video. Do watch:

However, as most of you may be aware mrguay also does some occasional gaming... Okay, actually only DotA. Isn't it self contradictory?

Nope, because I do understand that playing games are just...games! They create as much value and purpose as say a cup of coffee does. But we do meet our friends for coffee, don't we? And perhaps it's not the game nor the victories but the experience and friendships that is forged along the way.

Hope you guys have a nice holiday. Now stop playing games and go out in the sun!

Are you learning what you need to survive and excel in the future?

2010-10-26T22:38:00.004+08:00

Watch this well-made and thought-provoking video.

So what do you need to do well when you 'grow up'?

Since you ask for it - new DotA forum to organise games

2010-10-23T16:37:00.004+08:00

Yup, I've created a forum for like-minded people to join.

Use it to discuss heroes, strategies or to organise games.

Registration is free. Join now!

http://mrguaydota.freeforums.org

My ex-students who use the other old forum, pls register in the new one as the old one is very buggy.

Interesting project for the holidays?

2010-10-23T13:48:00.003+08:00

Watch this interesting 'diy' science project.

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

It looks simple but a lot of planning and science is involved.

Do note that it is illegal to do this in Singapore due to our very very busy sky. And also, the camera will most likely land in the sea.

Still, how about tying a camera to a kite?

2010-10-18T12:29:00.005+08:00

Definition
Streaming:
Tracking (also called setting or streaming) the manner by which students are separated by academic ability into groups for all academic subjects within a school.

Exams:
a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge

Difficult
unmanageable: hard to control; not easy but not impossible

Killer
a difficulty that was hard to deal with

Global Culling Blade

- a term coined by mr guay to describe the level wide differentiation of the good, average and poor students in term of Physics understanding.

I have to agree the Sec 2 Physics paper was not easy to deal with but also not impossible. Which means it did serve its purpose: a benchmark to assess the suitability of your Sec 3 subject combination choice.

On a scale of 10, I would rate it 6 and 9. 6 because it would be an average paper for Pure Physics students; 9, because it would be a killer paper for the general Science (Physics) student.

Here's the result we have been eagerly awaiting.

my rating for you guys:

If you pass (C5-C6) - not bad but need to work harder to get an A in Pure Science

If you just fail (D7-E8) - you're suitable for Pure Science provided you actively ask questions to clear your doubts.

If you fail badly (F9) - taking Science (Physics) is the way to secure an A in O levels.

If you did ok/very good (B4 and above) - don't get complacent, you still need to work hard because it is really quite tough to get an A1 in Pure Physics (most students got A2).

Totally unrelated to school - DotA 2 by Valve

2010-10-17T12:30:00.002+08:00

Yes, it seems the popularity of DotA and the software limitations of the Warcraft engine has finally spawned a dedicated platform for our beloved game.

DotA 2 is a partnership between Valve (Counterstrike, Half Life etc) and Icefrog (current developer of DotA). Will it be free? Will it be better? When will it be released? Read more at http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/10/13/dota-2-announced-details.aspx

Sec 2 Exp Science (Physics) EOY examination - a little tad too difficult?

2010-10-11T14:13:00.005+08:00

Seems that the EOY paper was quite a tough one, because I actually hear quite a no. of stories about students crying after the paper....

Well, it certainly wasn't my intention to make any of you cry (actually I do but only to those extremely lazy students) but I did see and I ackowledge all the effort you have put in for Physics. And in a sick way I am actually glad some of you are upset about today's paper, because it means you have high expectations of yourself - the first step of any successful person.

Look forward, concentrate on your other papers and stop dwelling on that darn Physics paper.

And try to smile when you see me, k?

All the best for EOY!

2010-10-07T22:54:00.001+08:00

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

My very own simple motor

2010-09-22T14:29:00.002+08:00

Although I had learn this in my Secondary school days, this is the first time I tried it. I think it works pretty well :)

Materials:

coil of insulated wire
paper clips for support
magnet
batteries and wires
a base to mount everything

Note: you need to strip HALF the insulation at the ends of the wire.

For more info, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it_Z7NdKgmY

Old but good video - Frames of Reference

2010-09-19T23:28:00.002+08:00

May be too complex for some of you but do give them a try and wonder as you sit there and watch the video: are you stationary or are you actually moving at quite a fast speed?

National Day 2010 Celebration@Kranji Sec

2010-08-06T16:49:00.002+08:00

Quite a good one. I don't think anybody felt bored :)

Physics video by UMass Lowell

2010-07-25T15:39:00.001+08:00

A great video which I guess is shown to freshman in this university. Credits to Win? Fail? PHYSICS!

Introducing: Prezi - the zooming presenter, presenting simple Electricity

2010-07-18T23:31:00.008+08:00

Tired of Powerpoint slides? Frustrated by the limitation of Powerpoint or MSOffice in creating large concept maps?

Introducing Prezi, a different way to present. It surely is interesting for both the presentor and the audience, as the zooming and panning effects just capture your attention much more than the Powerpoint usual fade in-out sequence. What's more, it is a great tool to present concept maps.

Created one based on Electricity. It's still kinda rough around the edges and lacking in content....cos it's not as 'user-friendly' as Powerpoint. Comments welcomed!

Electricity - Introduction and Current Electricity on Prezi

The invisible rod

2010-06-24T13:58:00.002+08:00

Two similiar acrylic rods are placed in two different liquid. The one of the right is water, the one on the left is corn syrup. Why couldn't the submerged portion of the rod be seen in the jar on the left?

A potential CE lesson material on responsibility, integrity, RESPECT...and self-control

2010-06-14T21:15:00.002+08:00

I didn't find this video funny but am rather apalled by the behaviour of both the girl and the raging teen..... I really do hope my students are way better than them, right?

A nice way to start the holidays....

2010-06-03T23:33:00.006+08:00

..is to have a good DotA game with my former Sec 2s!

So my current Sec 2s, I'm waiting... :)

Cambodia Service Learning Video - draft version

2010-05-27T06:58:00.002+08:00

After much work., finally it's almost done!

Extended version will include bloopers and more....

MYE 2010 results for my classes

2010-05-10T22:56:00.005+08:00

Update 12 May 2010: Results for my Sec 3 Exp class is in. Not good at all...

Except for my Sec 3s where I wasn't the marker of their papers, here are the consolidated results for MYE 2010.

Click on image to enlarge:

Keep up the good effort 2A and 2F!

2C, you need to reflect what went wrong this time.... ask more questions in class! Copy down what I've said! Do a bit of memorising!

2B, quite a lot of careless mistakes but nonetheless quite well done. Failures please buck up...this is your streaming year!

3I better wake up! Grrr......

Game for Physics - 99 Bricks

2010-04-23T16:43:00.004+08:00

How often does a teacher encourages you to play games? But here I am, recommending this brilliant online flash game called 99 Bricks.

It's essentially Tetris with a twist: the aim is to build the TALLEST structure! However, the bricks observe the laws of stability, momentum, balance of moments, forces due to weight and centre of gravity etc etc....

Link: http://www.kongregate.com/games/WeirdBeardGames/99-bricks

Spending time on youtube

2010-04-22T21:59:00.003+08:00

Despite my busy schedule, I've been spending some time on Youtube. Partly because I'm finding interesting clips to share with my students, partly to find some inspiration for the contestants of the Amazing Science X Challenge (http://www.asxc.com.sg/).

Anyway, here's one that I really like. It's by Steve Spangler, on a popular talkshow by Ellen Degeneres.

Watch the first one here! Go check out his other videos too.!

HOM Brain Teasers

2010-03-11T11:46:00.002+08:00

Submit your answers to me (for my mentor class 2A) by next HOM Lesson on 08 Mar 2010 and the first 8 students with the complete correct answer will win a prize!

The Questions:

You have a fox, a chicken and a sack of grain. You must cross a river with only one of them at a time. If you leave the fox with the chicken he will eat it; if you leave the chicken with the grain he will eat it. How can you get all three across safely?
What is special about the following sequence of numbers?8 5 4 9 1 7 6 10 3 2 0
Three travelers register at a hotel and are told that their rooms will cost $10 each so they pay $30. Later the clerk realizes that he made a mistake and should have only charged them $25. He gives a bellboy $5 to return to them but the bellboy is dishonest and gives them each only $1, keeping $2 for himself. So the men actually spent $27 and the bellboy kept $2 - what happened to the other dollar of the original $30?
You are the bus driver. At your first stop, you pick up 29 people. On your second stop, 18 of those 29 people get off, and at the same time 10 new passengers arrive. At your next stop, 3 of those 10 passengers get off, and 13 new passengers come on. On your fourth stop 4 of the remaining 10 passengers get off, 6 of those new 13 passengers get off as well, then 17 new passengers get on. What is the color of the bus driver's eyes?
An 18-wheeler truck is crossing a 4 kilometer bridge that can only support 10,000 kilograms and that's exactly how much the rig weighs. Halfway across the bridge a 30 gram sparrow lands on the cab, but the bridge doesn't collapse. Why not?
A completely black dog was strolling down Main Street during a total blackout affecting the entire town. Not a single streetlight had been on for hours. Just as the dog was crossing the middle line a Buick Skylark with 2 broken headlights speedily approaches his position, but manages to swerve out of the way just in time. How could the driver have possibly seen the dog to swerve in time?
In a small cabin in the woods, two men lay dead. The cabin itself is not burned, but the forest all around is burned to cinders. How did the men die?
Ida puts her coffee into the microwave, as she does every morning, for exactly 2 minutes. When the microwave goes off, she opens the door, but then closes the door again and sets the microwave for 2 more seconds. What good would 2 more seconds be?
I am the owner of a pet store. If I put in one canary per cage, I have one bird too many. If I put in two canaries per cage, I have one cage too many. How many cages and canaries do I have?
My daughter has many sisters. She has as many sisters as she has brothers. Each of her brothers has twice as many sisters as brothers. How many sons and daughters do I have?
What seven-letter word has hundreds of letters in it?
Tom's mother has three children. One is named April, one is named May. What is the third one named?
Two women apply for a job. They are identical. They have the same mother, father and birthday. The interviewer asks, "Are you twins?" to which they honestly reply, "No".How is this possible?
A boat has a ladder that has six rungs. Each rung is one foot apart. The bottom rung is one foot from the water. The tide rises at 12 inches every 15 minutes. High tide peaks in one hour.When the tide is at its highest, how many rungs are under water?
During WWII, there was a bridge connecting Germany and Switzerland, and on the German side, there was a sentry tower with a guard in it. He would come out every three minutes to check on the bridge, and he had orders to turn back anyone who tried to get into Germany, and shoot anyone trying to escape without a pass. There was a woman who desperately needed to get into Switzerland, and she knew she didn't have time to get a pass. It would take her at least six minutes to cross the bridge, but she managed to do it. How?
A man is traveling with a fox and two chickens, if he leaves the fox alone with the chickens the fox will eat the chickens. He comes to a river and needs to cross it, he finds a small boat that can carry only him and one animal, how does he get himself, the fox and two chickens across the river safely?
A man and his son had a terrible car accident and were rushed to the hospital. The man died on the way, but the son was still alive and a surgeon was called in to operate. However, the surgeon saw the young boy and said, "I can't operate on this boy. He's my son."How is this possible?
Two guards were on duty outside a barracks. One faced up the road to watch for anyone approaching from the North. The other looked down the road to see if anyone approached from the South. Suddenly one of them said to the other, "Why are you smiling?"How did he know his companion was smiling?
You're riding a horse. To the right of you is a cliff and in front of you is an elephant going the same pace as you and you can't overtake it. To the left of you is a hippo running at the same speed and behind you is a lion chasing you. How do you get to safety?
If eggs are 12¢ a dozen, how much would it cost for 100 eggs?

Service Learning: Sec 2A 2010 (My First Skool) - 26 Feb 2010

2010-03-03T17:49:00.006+08:00

More photos at : http://www.4shared.com/dir/32671992/75bebfd9/Service_Learning_-_My_First_Sk.html

And a video below!

Just for humor...

2010-02-12T12:47:00.001+08:00

Created using www.batmancomic.info

Brain Teaser

2010-02-08T07:09:00.005+08:00

You have 12 pearls. 11 of them are real, and 1 of them is fake. They all look/feel/everything EXACTLY the same, the only difference between the real and fake ones is their density.

You are given a balance scale (one of those old school scales that compare weights. You can weigh/compare the pearls three (3) times. Describe how you would:

1) determine the fake pearl

2) determine whether the fake pearl is more or less dense than the real pearls.

Post your answer in the comments!

Combine Science (Physics) vs Pure Physics

2009-11-17T08:21:00.004+08:00

This is a question from this year's (2009) O-Level Physics (i.e. pure physics)

And this is a similiar question in 2009's O-Level Science Physics

The difference is not in the content nor the depth of knowledge required but the answering skills and the level of understanding for both the content as well as the question.

Sec 2 Exp Physics - "Global Culling Blade"

2009-10-21T10:34:00.005+08:00

Top score: 46/50.

Total 69 failures (28%)

As mentioned before, the EOY paper will be tough, and there is no other way about it because we need the results for streaming.

So students who haven't been paying much attention in class or following through the assignments timely will find the paper very hard to handle. Even conscientious students may struggle, due to the limited time (1 hr) and the very narrow margin for any error or slight doubts in your Physics concepts.

I mention this before: "If you simply study the notes we gave you and go for a Physics test, you will FAIL." There's some element of practice but mainly you need to question the theory and truly understand just what the hell this equation/law/rule is talking about.

My last piece of advice is to NOT forget all the Physics you have learnt in Sec 2, because they will be tested again in Sec 3! Regardless if you're in a Pure Physics class or a Combined Science class...

All the best! Enjoy your break...while you can!

2F 2009 class photos

2009-09-26T08:06:00.002+08:00

Bridge Challenge @ Ngee Ann 2009

2009-09-13T11:48:00.007+08:00

Kranji Sec sent 2 teams of 8 students to take part in the Bridge Challenge 2009 organised by Ngee Ann Polytechnic. The aim was to build the strongest and lightest bridge within 6 hours, using bamboo skewers, vaguard sheet, limited string and glue.

These are the rules of the competition:

Materials
On Day 1of the competition, every team will be given the
following materials for their use:

8” Satay sticks (Pack of 180 sticks) - 5 packs
Ball string - 2 m
630 x 510 mm Vanguard sheet - 2 pcs
A4 paper - 2 pcs
4” x 5/16” Glue sticks (Pack of 12 sticks) - 1 pack

Dimensions
The bridge must span across two supports placed 600 mm apart (the width of each bridge support is 50 mm). The bridge may span straight from one support to the other. The width of the bridge must be at least 150 mm throughout the entire span. There is no limit to the height of bridge.

Judging Criteria
- Strength factor [Failure Load/(weight of bridge +
penalty weight)] 50%
- Design (Structural concept) 15%
- Construction (Workmanship) 15%
- Aesthetics & Innovation (Profile, shape and etc) 15%
- Fact Sheet 5%

The participants

Team 1:

Yow Kai En (3B)
Foo Chuan Ri (3A)
Grayson Chang Fanyao (3D)
Jasmend Yow (3F)

Team 2:

Yap Hong Yi Desmond (3A)
Ng Shao Hui (3B)
Tham Chin Siong (3B)
Quek Hong Wei (3A)

Pre-Competition

We started preparing only after Common Test. I foolishly thought with 3 weeks, it should be more than sufficient to prepare for the competition.

Unfortunately, I was rudely surprised at the slow pace of work the teams are producing.

Hence I went to research and build a bridge prototype (which they are suppose to do...) to give them something to base on and to benchmark against their miserable effort. Credit of the design goes to Garret Bridges (http://www.garrettsbridges.com/design/trussdesign). So I spent half a day and created this:

Team 2 decided to follow my design with some modifications. It was strong and sturdy but was also very heavy.

Team 1 will use the design based on previous bridge competition that Kranji took part in. The design was very light but the load that it can handle is questionable...

Day 1

Both teams started at 1030 am....

and ended at 430 pm. The 6 hours might sound like a long time but both teams only barely manage to finish on time.

I heaved a huge sigh of relief...

Here the some designs from other schools:

and of course the 2 bridges from Kranji!

Day 2 - Judging

The bridges are loaded at the centre as shown. Loading will stop when the bridge breaks or the maximum load of 30 kg is reached.

In addition, the participants need to explain their design concept to the judges themselves.

Some videos of the loading for our 2 bridges. The jerkiness is due to youtube...:

Team 1

Team 2

Results
Here's a summary of the results of all the bridges at the challenge:

So how did Kranji fare?

Remember, it's not the based on the absolute load but the load factor, which is calculated by the load supported by the bridge divided by the mass of the bridge. E.g. for Team 1, their score is

Team 1 load factor: 10000 / 170 = 58.8

This score actually places them among the top 5! And they went on to win the Merit award!

Team 2 was the highlight of the competition (almost everyone wants to take a look at the Kranji bridge) because it's the only bridge that supported the maximum load of 30 kg. However, they lost in terms of load factor to Pasir Ris Crest which manage to support 16 kg with their bridge that has a mass of only 190 g.... Still, a very good job by Team 2 and they clinched the 2nd place - Silver Award!

Congratulations to all participants! Hopefully you enjoyed and more importantly learned something from this experience. I know I did.... :)

September holiday! You're joking right?!?!

2009-09-06T13:47:00.001+08:00

Just like Mario, there's no resting until the final level. So stop staring at your PC and go do some revision!

Source: http://wigflip.com/thankyoumario/

Teacher's Day 2009

2009-08-31T14:03:00.007+08:00

A great big THANK YOU to all my students!

So what did I get for Teacher's Day? Well, the usual foodstuff...

stationery...

novelties...

So which gifts do I really prefer? Well, ask any teacher and I think you will get the same answer - we love to see you write/draw stuff to us! So thanks once again for all the cards and artwork!

Happy Teacher's Day to all of you!

Sec 2 Exp Sci(Phy) Common Test 2 results summary

2009-08-23T15:15:00.003+08:00

I did say it will be an easy paper, so now all of you can 'trust' my words.

The good news: most of you have done wonderfully, with half the class attaining A1s.

By mrguay

The bad news: I'm setting you EOY paper, and it will be tough. Much much tougher.

Trust me ;)

Mr Guay's Science Video Contest - Results

2009-08-22T10:32:00.003+08:00

1st Prize goes to Edmund's (2E) video on Electrical Safety!

2nd prize goes to Daryl's (2F) video on Refraction and Rainbow!

And 3rd prize goes to Edmund (2E) again for his Lemon Battery video:

Play a game + revise at the same time?!?!

2009-08-18T22:48:00.003+08:00

Play a game of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" and revise the topic on Current Electricity and Resistance!

Click here to play: Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Current Electricity and Resistance by mrguay

You can even create your own customised game from this website!

National Day Photos

2009-08-18T12:25:00.002+08:00

National Day 2009

2009-08-08T18:25:00.003+08:00

It was nice to see most of us coming to school in red. But what struck me the most today is how enthusiastically everyone sing together when the teachers played the NDP songs.

So here are some of my favorite NDP songs in order, ending with my most favorite at the end of the post.

But I must thank http://www.sha.tc/singapore/ndp-songs for the inspiration and some of the links.

10. One People, One Nation, One Singapore (1990)
An oldie but you can't deny it's catchy and easy to sing. Lack a bit of emotion though.

9. Where I belong by Tanya Chua (2001)
Not too bad but just lack that little magic. And the tune is not that catchy.

8. Stand up for Singapore! (1985)
The first song written especially to commemorate National Day! (before that, we only have 'Chan Mali Chan' and '相信我吧! 新加坡!') Upbeat and catchy but too many politaically correct words inside. And right now, Singapore have come far enough that 'standing up' is no longer enough... the people have to do more than that!

7. Count on me Singapore (1986)
One of the songs that sometime I mistaken it for 'We are Singapore'. Soothing tune, easy lyrics, catchy chorus. But slightly corny and 'fake', yeah?

6. Home by Kit Chan (1998)
A bit melancholic (sad) and a bit slow but otherwise beautifully written. Can't say it's a song for high spirits but if you're one of those listening to this while stationed overseas, I bet tears will roll.

5. Things so Singapore by Ann Hussein (2009)
The unofficial song that had gained internet popularity in this year 2009 NDP. It's nice, but not really a 'group singing' song. I mean, you can't imagine the whole National Stadium echoing with this song, isn't it?

4. What do you see by Electrico (2009)
The first song by a Singaporean band that made it big (relatively in the local scene). The lyrics is meaningful and the tune is nice, just not perfect. It just lack that little something, a climax to the song maybe? The song begins with a question, and at the end, I'm still asking myself what do I see...

3. My Island Home by Kaira Gong (2006)
Erm...disregarding the fact that I actually know the singer in person (briefly, in NUS), I feel that this song has one of the most changes in terms of mood and tempo. Started slow and gentle, and finally crashing with a strong "I believe!" at the chorus, before settling down again.

And hearing Kaira (or Shi Jia) sing live, right in front of you without any mics or instrument, is way much better than what you hear from the CDs.

2. We are Singapore (1987-1988)

This is my most favorite NDP song before the invasion of pop singers and even poppier songs. Still, even after 23 years, you can't deny you actually prefer to sing the National Pledge rather than recite it, just like how they did it in this song.

Extremely easy to sing, lyrics are very easy to remember. Grand and yet not too sombre. Not too slow and yet not too fast like a dance music, I truly believe this is a real gem of a song. And they like it so much that this song was used for 2 years! If you haven't hear this song before, you must give it a try.

1. We will get there by Stefanie Sun (2002)
Besides that fact that I am quite a supporter of Stefanie Sun, I really like the tune of this song. The strong rhythm by the bass sets a good intro, with a gradual increase in instrument and finally peaking at the chorus. Part rock, part pop, which is what I like!

Lyrics wise I prefer the chinese version but I think the arrangement is wonderful and with Stefanie's unique voice, it's actually one of the few NDP songs that can be 'sold' as a top pick pop song.

An old but good video on Electricity

2009-07-30T20:51:00.003+08:00

As we embark on the new topic of Electricity, here's quite an interesting video that I found. It can be downloaded freely at http://www.archive.org/details/principles_of_electricity or from my sharing folder: http://www.4shared.com/file/121710609/7af86584/principles_of_electricity_512kb.html.

What's interesting about this video is that it's made in 1945 by a country that first entered the Nuclear Age.

For those that can't wait, you can watch it from youtube too but in 2 parts:

Kranji's blog

2009-07-10T10:08:00.001+08:00

Check it out!

http://kranjibuzz.blogspot.com/

Thank you 2F!

2009-06-25T15:07:00.001+08:00

Thank you for this wonderful wedding gift!

Interclass DOTA friendly match

2009-05-25T23:12:00.009+08:00

As requested by some of you (and I secretly wanted to do this anyway...), presenting....

http://mrguaydota.aceboard.com/

Go to the forum so that I/we can plan the game schedule. Registration required for forum access, so please use a valid email address.

Update 11 Jun 2009:

Thanks for supporting the interclass games. Now back to your holiday assignment! :)

Mr Guay’s Science Video Contest

2009-05-19T22:57:00.002+08:00

For the June holidays, I decided to organise a Science Video Contest! All my current students (Sec 2 - Sec 4) may apply.

Aim
To foster and cultivate the spirit of learning and self-discovery; to stimulate creativity and enhance the learning experience of Science.

Objective
Create a short video that is related to Science (preferably but not restricted to Physics).

Let your creativity flow! There’s no restriction to the format or style of video. It could be a video of you demonstrating an experiment, a magic trick, an illusion. Or it could be a collection of video clips/pictures that is related to the topic you are showing. It can even be a MTV, a comical skit or a cartoon, as long as it is related to Science!

Prizes
1st: $50 voucher
2nd: $30 voucher
3rd: $10 voucher

Requirements:

Individual or group effort. Multiple entries allowed.
Clear explanation on the scientific principles. Explanation can be done in the video OR offline (e.g. a writeup or report).
Sources of information or materials used must be clearly cited
Allow your video to be uploaded to youtube for sharing/viewing
No restriction on video format, length, music used etc.
Judges decision is final.
Judging based on content (40%), creativity (30%), explanation (20%) and quality of video (10%)
Date of submission: 10 Jul 2009
Register by 29 May 2009. Registration is free!

Here are some examples from youtube:

Mr Guay’s videos:

Moments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hr7LlEOv48
Mirror size and distance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEV8LNn0szI
Egg in a bottle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KA1d0voy74
Fun with electrical fuse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70arPvsHKkk

Examples from other users:

Build an electric motor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it_Z7NdKgmY
Crushing can experiment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVayky_b-6U
Floating tea bag: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbkEfYohXTA
Siphon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3F9hx5CjPY
Boiling with ice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTJZZY1a0XE
Magic balloon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucD8_y7VdvM
Cartesian diver: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGo7ECXCNgs
Rolling back up incline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7bXHP9OmVo
Static attraction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZPkCOySCWc

Sec 2 Exp Sci(Phy) consolidated results

2009-05-16T00:45:00.003+08:00

It wasn't an easy paper (I've already told ya!) but I always believe there's no such thing as a 'difficult' paper, just unprepared students. Good job 2F!

Meridien JC obtain gold in SYF...and puts up video with mr guay?!?!

2009-05-07T22:55:00.003+08:00

MJC got gold for their guitar ensemble...and at the end of their blog post, they posted a video featuring none other than yours truly!

The link: http://gemeridian.blogspot.com/2009/04/gold.html

Maybe Kranji should have a guitar ensemble too? Since almost half the school learned some form of guitar in lower sec...

Video for sharing - Chicken a la Carte

2009-04-21T10:43:00.001+08:00

Got this in my email, posting it here for sharing.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Java Applet to show Principle of Conservation of Energy

2009-03-29T13:28:00.001+08:00

Quite a no. of students are interested in getting this applet, hence I'm posting the link here:

http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/sims.php?sim=Energy_Skate_Park

It's totally free. Try it!

Total Internal Reflection

2009-03-10T23:50:00.002+08:00

A rather good video from Harvard, showing a professor explaining total internal reflection. Enjoy!

Singapore Paper Plane Challenge

2009-03-08T21:41:00.004+08:00

Free on 15th March? Have plenty of unwanted A4-size paper?

Contribute to a Singapore World Record! Fold as many Nakamura Lock paper airplane and head down to Singapore Science Centre on 15th March 2009. For more information, go to the official website: http://www.science.edu.sg/ssc/ibrowse.jsp?artid=8572&type=19&root=0&parent=0&cat=470

Watch a video on how to fold this paper airplane.

Video - Moments and an application in daily life

2009-02-26T20:27:00.001+08:00

Don't mind the dirty fingers. Enjoy.

Sec 2 Camp 2009 @ MOE Changi Coast Adventure Campsite

2009-02-20T12:33:00.010+08:00

18-20 Feb 2009

Download photos from here

I had fun! Hope you guys learn much from the experience!

Photos of a fond farewell

2009-02-06T14:13:00.004+08:00

Goodbye Fazlin, all the best in your new school!

Learning reflection off curved surface...by playing a game!

2009-01-15T16:02:00.003+08:00

A free, Flash-based game that may let you learn how does the Law of Reflection apply to curve surface....as well visualising attractive and repulsive forces. Introducing Gravity Pod 2!

Link: http://www.wickedpissahgames.com/games/gravitypods/GravityPods2.html

The screen shot shows how I can deflect the bullet using 2 curved surface as 'mirrors'.

Electromagnetic Spectrum - Some fascinating X-rays

2009-01-11T16:36:00.003+08:00

Link from http://news.aol.com/health/article/woman-says-doctors-left-knife-in-head/298929

Even more fascinating is that all of the patients actually survived.

Journey to a Black Hole

2009-01-08T23:00:00.002+08:00

It seems a lot of you are very curious about the stars, galaxy and the mysterious black hole, especially when I discussed about the speed of light. Here's an excellent interactive site that you can 'play' with to explore not one but two black holes!

To start your journey, go to http://hubblesite.org/discoveries/black_holes/

$30 = $29?!?!?!

2009-01-07T18:49:00.003+08:00

Three men dine in a restaurant. The total bill is $30 and each man hands the waiter $10. Later, the cashier realises that there has been a mistake and the actual bill is $25. The waiter returns the change of $5. Since it's hard to distribute $5 among the three people, the three men decided to give the waiter a $2 tip and each men got back $1 change.

This means that each man has paid $9, making it a total of $27. Including the $2 tip, the 3 men has paid in total $29. But didn't they pay $30 in the first place? Where has that $1 gone to?!?!

Try and explain this. The first correct answer to reach my email will get a small prize!

Update 08 Jan 2009 9:22pm: Thanks for all your participation! After 1 day, one of my Sec 2 student has emailed me with a correct and reasonable explanation. To see her answer, select the blank space below with your mouse cursor.

Well, in the first place if 3 men paid $9, it becomes $27. FROM THE
$27, $2 already has been paid as a tip! Why do we have to then add $2 yet
again!. For example, from the $30 we remove $25, leaving us with $5. that $5 had
$2 as a tip. so we add $2 to $25, isn't that $27? and $27 divided by 3 is $9!
Each man paid $9! So, basically, you all have confused yourselves, by adding
another $2 to $27 when it already has been there, and the remaining $3 was the
change given to them:)

Reflection - size of mirror and image

2008-12-13T00:58:00.001+08:00

3D drawing software - Google Sketchup

2008-09-12T11:43:00.003+08:00

Found this rather interesting (and free) software: Google Sketchup. Interesting because it enables you to draw in 3 dimension as well as manipulate it around to give you views from different angle.

Perfect for those who have trouble visualising 3D trigonometry problems.

Test your English

2008-09-04T20:26:00.001+08:00

Take the test at http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-commonly-confused-words-test.

Here's my result:

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...
Advanced
You scored 93% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 73%
Expert!
You have an extremely good understanding of beginner, intermediate, and
advanced level commonly confused English words, getting at least 75% of each of
these three levels' questions correct. This is an exceptional score.
Remember, these are commonly confused English words, which means most
people don't use them properly. You got an extremely respectable score.
Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog:
http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy

A 'simple' maths problem

2008-09-03T21:04:00.002+08:00

A teddy bear has a cost price of $18, and a selling price of $21. One day, a young man decided to buy that bear and gave the shopkeeper a $100 dollar bill.

Unfortunately, the shopkeeper do not have $100 change. Hence he went to change the $100 bill into smaller change from a passer-by and gave the change to the young man.

After some time, the passer-by realise the $100 is a fake and demanded his money back from the shopkeeper! The shopkeeper has no choice but to return $100 to the passer-by.

Question: how much exactly did the shopkeeper lost?

Teacher's Day 2008 'rewards'

2008-08-29T23:55:00.002+08:00

Thanks for all the gift!

Egg in a bottle experiment

2008-07-20T19:53:00.002+08:00

Make your own balance toy

2008-07-11T09:08:00.018+08:00

I have came across an interesting wooden balance toy, usually found in the markets of Vietnam and Thailand. Unfortunately, I lost mine and this is the only similiar picture I can find online:

However, you could make your own balance toy by simply using a piece of cardboard!

Step 1 - Download the picture (click on it and download the full size).

Step 2 - Print the shape on a piece of carboard and cut out the shape.

Step 3 - Bend at the lines to create this:

There you have it! Now watch as it does a seemingly impossible act by balancing on the tip of a pen.

Questions to ponder:

Is the toy considered stable?

Where do you think is the CG of the toy?

Do you think the toy is able to balance if you do not let the 'wings' droop down?

Ans: (highlight the space below with your cursor)

Yes, because the toy returns to its original position after being tilted.

The C.G. is below the tip (pivot), along the line of gravity pull.

No. This is because moving the wings upwards will cause the C.G. to move upwards, resulting in an unstable equilibrium. I.e. the moments created by the weight of the toy when the C.G. is above the pivot will tend to topple it. When the C.G. is below the pivot, the moments created by the weight will tend to move the toy back to the original position.

My posting

2008-07-02T23:29:00.003+08:00

I realise I haven't update that I've been posted to Kranji Secondary school. You can find out more from their website: http://www.kranjisec.moe.edu.sg/ A beginning teacher is a very busy person...

Sorry Shuqunites, I did request to go back but I guess Shuqun do not lack Physics teacher. Still, all the best for your 'O's! If you need help just let me know.

Would u believe this is the hair of a secondary school male teacher?

2008-06-28T22:31:00.001+08:00

English Pronunciation

2008-06-04T21:49:00.004+08:00

Though I do not teach English and neither is my command of the language strong, just wanna post this here to share. Try it!

Source: http://bertc.com/english.htm

English Pronunciation!?!
If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world. After trying the verses, a Frenchman said he'd prefer six months of hard labour to reading six lines aloud. Try them yourself.

Dearest creature in creation,

Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

Please kill 1337 speak, chat, lols and other nonsensical internet jargon!!

2008-04-17T17:21:00.003+08:00

Error in TYS notes

2008-04-10T17:37:00.002+08:00

Thanks to Leslie for this. Can you spot the error?

Probability in DotA?!?!

2008-03-06T09:16:00.009+08:00

Yes, you may have known that Mr Guay is currently a little into the game of DotA. And here are some interesting items in DotA that poses some mathematical questions!

There is an item in the game called Vanguard. Here are the details, taken from DotaPortal:

Vanguard

Description:+5 HP regen/second
+250 Hit Points
65% to block 40 damage

What's interesting is that the amount of damage it blocks is actually a probability! Now...what if you have 2 Vanguards? What is the effect? Some choices:

a) 65% chance to block 80 damage
b) No additional effect i.e. same as having one Vanguard. Which means you just wasted valuable gold!
c) 65%+65%=125% (or rather 100%, since probability can not exceed 100%) to block 40 damage. This means that you get a permanent block of 40 damage.
d) The 2 Vanguards are mutally independent, and hence we need to recalculate the probability.
e) I don't care cos games and maths don't mix! Stop spoiling it!

use your mouse and highlight the space below for answer....

Although Mr Guay can't be 100% sure as he is not the games programmer, it will most likely be (d). So to calculate the probabilty, we can do the direct method, i.e.

P(both Vanguard activating) + P(1 Vanguard activating and the other not)
= (0.65 x 0.65)+[(0.65x0.35)+(0.35x0.65)]
= 0.8775
= 87.75%

Or indirectly,
1 - P(both Vanguards not activating)
= 1 - (0.35x0.35)
= 0.8775
= 87.75%

So, when we buy 2 Vanguards, we increase the probability from 65% to 87.75% of blocking 40 damage. Pls note that Mr Guay is not sure how much damage 2 Vanguards will block when both activate but my guess is only a block of 40 damage instead of 80 damage.

That's all well and good but in the game, the amt of gold is quite limited. There is another item which is one of the material used to make a Vanguard and has similiar properties. Let's compare them and their price:

Vanguard ($2275)

65% to block 40 damage

Stout Shield ($300)

30% to block 30 damage

So which is more worthwhile? How many Stout Shields do we need to buy to obtain the same probability of damage reduction of 1 Vanguard? I know the amt of damage reduction is lesser but disregard that for now. Also disregard the additional porperties Vanguard gives you such as HP regeneration, as we're only concern about blocking damages.

use your mouse and highlight the space below for answer....

Probability of shield NOT activating = 1 - 0.3 = 0.7 (or 70%)

P(2 stout shields)
= 1 - P(both shields do not activate)
= 1 - (0.7 x 0.7)
= 0.51
= 51%

P(3 stout shields)
= 1 - P(3 shields all do not activate)
= 1 - P(0.7 x 0.7 x 0.7)
= 0.657
=65.7%

Hence, with 3 Stout Shields we can have the same blocking probability as a Vanguard, but 3 Shields only cost $900! Something to think about....

There are some other items in DotA that deals with probability, such as Butterfly, Basher, Buriza etc. Have fun!

Status update

2008-02-25T17:02:00.000+08:00

Currently doing practicum in Kranji Secondary.

And there's a high chance I'll be posted back to Shuqun!

ITE = It's The End?

2008-01-28T17:28:00.000+08:00

Old news but just wanna share it nonetheless.

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/01/20/principals-who-put-down-students-have-no-place-in-educating-our-young/#more-643

Are the impressions of ITE really that bad? I personally don't think so.

Did you know?

2008-01-27T17:31:00.000+08:00

Quite an interesting video clip I chanced upon.

So is it still relevant to teach the subjects in schools today? Or should we teach them about Internet, computers and connectivity in this fast changing world rather than Maths, Science and History? Since after all, they can locate these information easily if they have mastery of the Net and IT.

Release of N-level results

2007-12-18T22:44:00.000+08:00

Today is the day my former class 4/3 recieve their N-levels results. I was there to see the happy (and some not so happy) faces. I'm quite pleased (and pleasantly surprised) by the large number of students that are eligible for Sec 5, though I'm mildly disappointed nobody got has all As....

To be frank, I'm quite new to the whole N-level structure and this year they have introduced another path for N-level graduates. Briefly, a N(A) student can either

Promote to Sec 5 and take O-levels next year (aggregate 10 pts and below for best 3 subjects)
Enter a Higher NITEC course (this is new) if they obtain an aggregate of 19 pts and below for EL, Maths and other 3 subjects).
Enter a NITEC course in ITE.
Repeat Sec 4N.

Obviously, choice 1 and 2 are reserved for students whom had done relatively well in their N-levels. The new path of direct entry to Higher NITEC comes about because quite a large proportion of Sec 5 students did not perform as well and was unable to qualify for JCs or polys. These Sec 5 students will then have to choose to go to NITEC or Higher NITEC courses, which they were given a chance a year ago. I.e. they have "waste" one year as compared to students that chose to go to Higher NITEC after Sec 4N.

And herein lies a problem. And frankly, is quite a big problem in my former school. Most of the Sce 5N students have an aggregate of 8-10 pts. Sure, they make the cut-off point for Sec 5 but can they make it in O-levels? If they fail to score 15 pts or less in their L1R4 for O-levels, their chance of entering a polytechnic is highly unlikely, which would mean they would see their classmates in ITE but a year behind.

There's also the stigma in entering ITE ('ITE for those cannot make it one lah!') and, perhaps even worse, the mindset that exam results are somewhat unpredictable like a lottery: try and perhaps I can make it. I do hope they do not apply for Sec 5 simply because they feel they can buck up and catch up with O-levels standards in a year's time. It's not a matter of feeling but you must have confidence and determination to walk this very challenging last part of the journey.

Also, I feel that choosing to enter ITE to NITEC/Higher NITEC courses may not be such a bad idea at all. I try and draw analogy using DotA, a game I started picking up recently....

Imagine you're a STRENGTH character, like Sven, the Rogue Knight . Since you're a STRENGTH character, you need items that will boost your strength attributes so you can grow more powerful. In other words, you need the right stuff to develop properly.

Unfortunately, the current syllabus/curriculum in secondary schools are more suitable to develop INTEL characters, like Lina Inverse, the Slayer . Perhaps the N and O levels are testing the INTEL abilities and the school gives you items that will boost your intelligence attributes. So if you're an INTEL character, you will do well and excel in the tests and exams. If you're a STRENGTH character, then you may feel very miserable in some of the subjects or the learning style. Worst still, you get poor results in exams, because you were not developing your correct attributes!

Er...so coming back to reality, getting not so good results in your N-levels may mean that you could be a Rogue Knight in a school for sorceress and wizards. If you choose to remain in this school for 1 more year in Sec 5, you may not benefit at all. However, if you choose to go ITE, you will be able to choose courses that fit your needs, interests and attributes. The courses in ITE is such that all modules/subjects you take are relevant for you to obtain your certificate. E.g. you will not need to take history in an Engineering course, or take Maths in a hairdressing course. Hence you become a Rogue Knight in a martial art school, where you could shine and develop your full potential. Hope I'm making sense...

Well, irregardless of your choice, I wish the best for my students and has only this last advice: Be the best that you can be, not what you think you should be.

2007-11-27T12:58:00.001+08:00

Tks for inviting me to the chalet! Had a great time!

Please try to get onto the news for good reasons...

2007-10-12T20:34:00.000+08:00

A word you guys might find useful:

Discretion:
- The quality of being discreet; circumspection.
- Ability or power to decide responsibly.
- Freedom to act or judge on one's own:

Obviously he doesn't know the meaning of this word.
http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/viewPost5858.aspx

On the other hand, I realise a lot of these 'juicy' news came from ~~kaypoh, nosey~~ concerned public who deem it fitting to post it on Stomp and cause a stir. Should we be thankful to them, to Stomp, or should there be some control in this?

Fun with electrical fuse

2007-10-10T23:31:00.000+08:00

An extension of the previous video of the electrical fuse. This time, we added light bulbs to the circuit and also posed some questions in the video.

Video of a fuse in action

2007-09-28T19:34:00.000+08:00

A short video, made by myself and a colleague (Alfred) in NIE for our Physics course. The video shows an ammeter indicating the current passing through the fuse and how the fuse reacts to the current.

We chose this video because very few people has actually SEEN a fuse being blown. We studied it in school and yet most of my students have never seen a real fuse in their entire life. Hopefully, this can help them in understand how a fuse works, and what is its purpose in an electrical circuit.

To cut the long story short, when the current passing through the fuse exceeds a certain value, the heat dissipated by the fuse wire (given by Power = I^2R) is sufficient to melt the fuse wire itself. This cause the fuse wire to break and hence opening the circuit, protecting it from the excessive current.

Can you guess the rating of the fuse? To see answer, use your cursor and highlight the space below this:

Perhaps your guess is 1.5 A, as the video suggests. However, it was a fuse with a 0.6A rating. Apparently, things are not as simple as what's stated in Physics textbook. In engineering, there's a buffer of about 2-2.5 times of the rated current. This is to allow for surges or spikes in the current which is considered 'normal' and prevent excessive and annoying fuse breaking. Not to mention there's a time factor involved in breaking the circuit. Remember, you are actually melting the fuse wire. Does ice turn to water suddenly, or gradually (depending on temperature difference)?

Still, when designing a circuit that has a working current of, say 0.8A, it is still ok to use a 1A fuse. In other words, stick to the simple explanation given by your O level textbook and that is to use the fuse with a current rating that is nearest and greater than the current in the circuit you wish to protect.

A teacher joke

2007-08-30T22:45:00.000+08:00

"He who can, does;

he who cannot, teaches."

- George Bernard Shaw, 16th century

Apparently it's a pretty famous quote, and has been used in many context. The maths lecturer today used it, and extended it: those who can't teach, work in NIE!

Interesting video on teaching Maths

2007-08-20T12:25:00.001+08:00

And Singapore was mentioned near the end, though opinions on whether if that was a positive comment would be divided.

Games to help in coordinate geometry!

2007-08-16T15:28:00.001+08:00

Found this 2 great games that help with coordinate geometry!

Game 1 - Catch the Fly

For students who are still very confuse which is x, and which is y in coordinates? (2,3) or (3,2) leh?

Link: http://hotmath.com/hotmath_help/games/ctf/ctf_hotmath.swf

Game 2 - Equation of line aka Kill the Cockroaches!

This is a great game! Form equations of the stright line correctly by looking at the path of the cockroaches and send them to hell!

Link: http://hotmath.com/hotmath_help/games/kp/kp_hotmath_sound.swf

Other great games here: http://hotmath.com/games.html

Back to school for Mr Guay!

2007-08-11T18:56:00.001+08:00

QCP - Physics
QCM - Maths
QED - Educational Psychology
QLK - Communication
QGS - Group Endeavour in Service Learning

My time table in NIE. Already swamped with 3 presentations, 1 project and 1 essay. Not forgetting that Physics and Comms hasn't even started.

Learning how to learn

2007-08-01T11:14:00.000+08:00

Some of you may realise you aren't studying/revising effectively. For example you put in hours of studying and mugging time and can't remember a single thing, or you are so easily distracted and keep having suddent thoughts of every other matter except the subject you're staring with your eyes

1 possible reason for this is perhaps you did not study in a way to suit your learning style.

For example, I remember things by reading and then writing them down in my own words. I create summaries of keypoints and also include the difficult questions that I was unable to solve. Even though the textbooks or notes already have summaries but I still write my OWN NOTES (not copy the teacher's summary). Because only somebody who had fully understood the topic is able to write their own summary.

I also try to imagine or visualise things in thin air. Not sure how many of you can do this but can you try to do multiplication 123 x 54 by imagining you're writing the long multiplication method on an imaginary whiteboard in front of you, without moving your fingers? If you can do this, you would be able to imagine or visulise how electricity flows, how the molecules vibrate when you change the temperature etc.

Take this short survey to find your learning style, and perhaps you can change the way you do your work to make it more effective!

http://www.metamath.com/multiple/multiple_choice_questions.html

This is Mr Guay's learning style:

The results of Hansen Guay's learning inventory are:

Visual/Nonverbal 22 Visual/Verbal 26 Auditory 18 Kinesthetic 30

Your primary learning style is: The Tactile/ Kinesthetic Learning Style

You learn best when physically engaged in a "hands on" activity. In the classroom, you benefit from a lab setting where you can manipulate materials to learn new information. You learn best when you can be physically active in the learning environment.

You benefit from instructors who encourage in-class demonstrations, "hands on" student learning experiences, and field work outside the classroom. Strategies for the Tactile/ Kinesthetic Learner: To help you stay focused on class lecture, sit near the front of the room and take notes throughout the class period. Don't worry about correct spelling or writing in complete sentences. Jot down key words and draw pictures or make charts to help you remember the information you are hearing.

When studying, walk back and forth with textbook, notes, or flashcards in hand and read the information out loud.

Think of ways to make your learning tangible, i.e. something you can put your hands on. For example, make a model that illustrates a key concept. Spend extra time in a lab setting to learn an important procedure. Spend time in the field (e.g. a museum, historical site, or job site) to gain first-hand experience of your subject matter.

To learn a sequence of steps, make 3'x 5' flashcards for each step. Arrange the cards on a table top to represent the correct sequence. Put words, symbols, or pictures on your flashcards -- anything that helps you remember the information. Use highlighter pens in contrasting colors to emphasize important points. Limit the amount of information per card to aid recall. Practice putting the cards in order until the sequence becomes automatic. When reviewing new information, copy key points onto a chalkboard, easel board, or other large writing surface.

Make use of the computer to reinforce learning through the sense of touch. Using word processing software, copy essential information from your notes and textbook. Use graphics, tables, and spreadsheets to further organize material that must be learned.

Listen to audio tapes on a Walkman tape player while exercising. Make your own tapes containing important course information.

End of the World?

2007-07-12T21:58:00.000+08:00

Human life is short compared to the universe, and yet it is all we have.

So what have you done today, and why are you waiting for tomorrow?

Original source: http://content.ytmnd.com/content/a/0/8/a0812774c98903448246c7e213bc1fea.gif

Class Photos 2007

2007-06-29T22:18:00.001+08:00

Learning trip to Kuala Selangor 18-19 June 2007

2007-06-21T22:09:00.000+08:00

07 Jun 07

This will be a post about the learning trip that's gonna happen on 18-19 Jun 07 to Malaysia. 10 teachers, 40+ students from my school. Joy.

Will continue to update this post till the trip is over. However, what I want to show is that http://www.streetdirectory.com/ actually covers part of JB, Melaka and KL! Hence you guys can actually check out the location of the hotel we're staying in.

Which brings me to the next point.... Somehow, I've gotten the impression that this is a trip to KL - Kuala Lumpur. Well, it isn't unfortunately. Click on the link to find out the location of the hotel we're staying at. It's at least 25 km away from KL! Not too sure if you can even see the twin towers... http://www.streetdirectory.com/malaysia/kl/travel.php?travel_id=1369&travel_site=67215&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;x=780390.9300&y=340085.9300&star=1&viewmode=&level=3#map

18 Jun 07

Time flies and it's now the day of the trip itself! There was an itinerary change, and so instead of the visit to the rice plantations and other 'educational' highlights, we were scheduled for Sunway Lagoon on the first day! Not that the students were complaining of course.

The 4 hr journey was spent on a 30 seater coach. Quite comfy by my standards.

The tour guide trying his best to manage the students. Teachers was slacking somewhere. "It's school holidays wat!"

Finally, Sunway Lagoon!

The students weren't allowed to go into the wet theme park, hence they could only help themselves to the thrill rides at the amusement park. Unfortunately, there were only 5-6 different rides. Most of them went to have a go or 2, before diving back into the cool embrace of the air-conditioned mall that's attached to Sunway Lagoon and began their shopping spree.

The challenge: 360 degrees viking ride

All smiles before the ride....

...and no fear in the eyes.

Not much smiles now though...

Upside down, insides coming out?

4 ~~useless~~ guys posing front of the ride they dare not take. Eventually 3 of them grew enough..er...guts to try it.

"Hands up those that feel sick please?"

The girls from their class showed much more finesse though!

"Go lah...."
"Dowan lah you go with her lah!
"Siao!"

Finding that thrill rides are not their cup of tea, they succumb to Singaporeans' favorite past time - makan!

Happy faces.

Meanwhile, what do science teachers do in a theme park? Evaluate the ~~weight~~ mass of the underweight Ms Fu!

Getting a earful and a valuable lesson on punctuality.

In the mall, a lot of the students were hoarding loads of titbits and drinks for the 'late-night party' in the hotel. Well, I guess they got slightly carried away and in the end a handfull turned up late at the appointed meeting place. This obviously did not go well with the organiser of the trip, the VP.

Despite the little lesson on punctuality, their spirits were hardly dampened. Next stop is a 2 hour journey to a riverside restaurant, where we had seafood dinner by the river. I find it quite ok although most of the students (and some teachers) said the food was not appetising. And after dinner, they packed MORE food and drinks from the conveniece shop across the restaurant,

We then visited the Belimbing Firefly park (which was just 10 minutes away) for a boat ride along Sungei Selangor. Here, we see thousands of fireflies lighting up the berembang trees with their luminous tailights. Unfortunately, none of us have a camera that's able to capture the very interesting natural spectacle. So you have to use your imagination, and visualise a tree filled with hundreds of 2mm green LEDs almost blinking in unison...

Reached the hotel in Shah Alam around 11 pm. Despite the long day, the kids could still chat in their room, gorge on the snacks they bought and some even ordered ice-cream and pizza from the room service. I do know all the teachers fell soundly asleep once we hit the mattresses.

19 Jun 2007

After checking out of the hotel (yes, they were late again...), we were taken for a city ride in Kuala Lumpur. But prior to that, I noticed that the buildings and city layout of Shah Alam is very different from the Malaysia that I know. Instead of looking like JB or Melaka, the roads and houses here resembles Singapore. And the cleaniless is comparable to our green city. There are even street signs that worked!

So what do we do when we were brought to national monuments and places of interest? Take photos lor...

Some students from my Physics/Maths class.

The inevitable pose-like-the-statues pose.

Teaching staff. Last smile before school reopens....

Acting cute version 1

Acting cute version 2

Vice-principle, OM and the boys under the shadow of the Twin Towers.

Wah, finally some students ask for a photo with me...

Last stop for the trip was 2 'educational insights into consumerism and tourism of modern Malaysia' aka shopping stops. First we visited the Chocolate Boutique, which showcased the process of making chocolate and that Malaysia, having vast plantations of cocoa, should logically have the best chocolate (anybody heard of Belgian chocolates? Swiss chocs? Heck, Cadbury is from Australia btw...). Of course, they waste no time in showing off their wide variety of unique chocolate concoctions, such as the infamous Durian chocolate (with real durians!), Tiramisu, Espresso beans (which I bought one pack. It was good.). Being the silly and swakoo Singaporeans that we are, almost everyone bought something from the exhorbitantly priced shop.

And to round it off, we were given 1 hr in Sungei Wang plaza, which really resembled the shopping malls in Thailand (small shops space, low ceilings, IT section on the top level, many many handphones outlets...). I only managed to secure myself a copy of Top Gear Malaysia magazine. Is there a Top Gear Singapore?

To sum it all, the trip was pretty enjoyable, though frankly I was hoping to see rice plantations. I'm not sure much learning has happened during this "learning trip" but I'm quite sure they all had fun. And perhaps the trip was more memorable because they were all Sec 4 students and this could very well be their last class outing with the teachers.

Dragon sculpture..made of chocolate at the Chocolate Butiq.

This is why you need to buy 5mp and above camera...for the unavoidable big group photos!

See you guys when the school reopens!

Qualities of a teacher?

2007-06-15T00:25:00.000+08:00

Recently there was a small uproar about the termination of one Mr Alfian Sa'at as a relief teacher from MOE. The commotion is caused by MOE's unwillingness to express directly why did they terminate Mr Alfian's job, even though he seems to be doing quite well. To know more you can read his blog at http://www.blurty.com/users/sleepless77/, particularly

Not gonna argue who's right or wrong but, if I were to comment on this issue, it would be that the students in East View has just lost a valuable teacher. And also, it's always not easy to carry your beliefs and ideals in big placards and hold them up proudly above your heads. Your limbs will tire and sometimes resting and taking the easy way out seems much more 'common sense'.

But is that what you want people to remember you as? A being of common sense? Solely?

Anyway, just wanna share this story with my students (the blogs links are all very well written and will certainly improve your EL, as opposed to your daily MSN gibberish...) as well as for me to record this event in my blog. In particular, this few paragraphs:

1:13 am - what i learnt in school

I've been doing relief teaching (for History) for a bit more than a week now at East View Secondary School, a school 15 minutes away from my house, and one which has often been described as a 'neighbourhood school'. The term is of course reductive, and quite often one around which stereotypes agglutinate: the students are ill-disciplined, they are not interested in studying, there are gang members among the school population, etc.

My first week was a difficult period of adjustment. It takes a lot to enter a classroom and to establish a personality from zero. I was very aware that I was a new face and would thus be subjected to certain trials: the kids would test my threshold of patience, see what they can get away with. My position as an unknown quantity meant anxiety on my part, but for them not being recognised with a name meant liberation from surveillance. And thus when I handed out papers they giggled when I mispronounced names, multiple hands shot up when I called out somebody, I was vaguely aware that seating positions were shuffled under my ignorant watch: couples were reunited, cliques re-established, no more the strategic estrangements that kept mischievous combustions at bay.

I have to admit the frustration I felt when half the time spent in a classroom was spent at raising my voice, issuing stern warnings (a whole spectrum of threats was taught to me by the outgoing relief teacher: confiscating EZ-link cards, making them stay back after school, invoking the names of the Discipline Mistress and the Vice-Principal), pleading for the students to return to their seats. The din from the classroom was overwhelming; a tidal wave of restless yelps, red-faced bully laughter, the wailing of the freshly-smacked...a boy at the back gripped the sides of his table and screamed, 'I hate History!' A girl at the side of the class stared at me as if she was putting a hex on me; how in the world did she leave her house in the morning with eyeliner on? A boy ran out of one of the classroom doors and re-entered through the other, as if he was an actor rushing to make an entrance from the opposite wing. A girl was putting some green dye in her mouth, probably Art Class leftovers, and spitting foul green liquid at her classmates. A rosette of lurid green sputum bubbled on her desk. She was like Linda Blair in the Exorcist, but ten times worse, because I couldn't wave a crucifix at her and make her hair evaporate.

But: as I was novelty, the one they could gleefully blindfold and turn around like the guy in blind man's buff, there was something else, almost melancholic, in the background. Some of these classes have had up to four relief teachers in the space of half a year. Every new relief teacher was an opportunity to start again, to revise the rules; but it also meant abandonment. This was what was unspoken in class--why were they fostered out to so many of us, was it a) frustration b) hopelessness c) surrender or d) all of the above that ushered the hasty exits of all their former teachers?

Over the next few days, I realised how humbling teaching can be. For someone used to attention, indifference can be bewildering. I learnt to pace up and down the aisles, standing in the crossfire of rubber bands, eavesdropping on conspiracies of after-school plans, trespassing through barbed wire enmities, lingering over baroque mind-maps, scraps of notes, learning that a boy had cried because a classmate had written the words 'I LOVE' over the name of Mr Jeremy Wee, his English teacher on his journal cover. It is an illusion to think that the classroom is a homogenous neighbourhood. There are overlapping ghettoes.

This morning, a girl in one of the classes got sick and vomited on the floor. She went to the toilet, and I was frankly at a loss as to what to do with the mess under her table. If this was back in RI, I could imagine the class too being paralysed, by both helplessness and embarrassment. Someone might then suggest that we call the school janitor. But in that class, a boy walked up to me, a tall, gangly boy who I once scolded for not bringing his spectacles to school. He said, 'Cher, I go toilet ah.'I asked him what for.

'I go and take the mop.'

'Do you know where it is?' I asked. He nodded. The boy promptly came back, with a mop and bucket, and cleaned up the mess while I resumed teaching. He did everything with stoic professionalism, although I caught him taking a deep breath, hands on his hips, surveying the mess as he brought himself up to the task. He was probably used to doing housework.

This all happened in a sec one class. And at that point I believed that the boy's initiative, that hands-on spontaneity, was a mark of intelligence. I wished I could have rewarded him in some way for that act. Actually I believe that all the students I teach are intelligent, although perhaps they respond better to visual than auditory input. I have to constantly strain my throat to get them to quieten down, but I realised that when I draw on the whiteboard they are rapt, respectful. And thus I would sketch the faces of Brahmins and Shudras, the four Ministers of the Melakan Sultanate, the Shang dynasty Emperor. I would draw four-clawed dragons, cavemen, even the faces of some of the students, who would blush at the attention. I have had so many requests for drawings: Stamford Raffles, a character called Lady Xin, exhumed from her tomb, from their textbook, and even a hamster. I have complied with all. After lessons, I allow the class to take pictures of the whiteboard, even though I know some teachers impose detention on anybody caught with a handphone in class.

While conducting a mock-election in class, to familiarise them with the meaning of democracy, I picked two students out and asked them to make a campaign promise to the class. In one class, one student offered to have a computer in class, another offered air-conditioning. It did strike me how these were freely available in other schools. In another class, one of the students offered the class money, the other offered 'food every day'. The majority of that class chose 'food every day'.

There's something to learn from that response. The students are hungry. In more ways than one.

My last day will be this coming Thursday. And then the school will start to have exams; they have more than enough teachers to invigilate. I might be called back after the exams, but everything's still up in the air. It's going to be less than two weeks that I would have spent at East View Secondary, but I have a strong feeling that I will miss the students, the cries of 'hello, cher!' when I walk past the canteen, the cheering when I give them toilet breaks, and that one time, when passing by a whole row of students, the voice that reached me: 'Mr Alfian, we kena detention, come and save us!'

Certainly gave me something to think about. So are you guys hungry?

Very Interesting Answers Pt 3 - Graphical Humor

2007-05-18T00:23:00.000+08:00

I think I deserve some comic relief after marking the mid-yr papers. And these sure put a smile onto my weary face! I'll show the correct graph, followed by the hilarious mistakes.

Type 1 -Quadratic curve.

This is the correct answer:

This student manage to draw a straight line....don't ask me how!

Type 2 - Histograms

Correct answer:

Variant 1: artistic impression of a histogram

Variant 2: I don't even know how the student plot this graph!

Type 3 - Cumulative Frequency Curve

Correct graph looks like this:
Variant 1: wrong axis produces interesting curves

Variant 2: "I love curves, let's do more!"

Variant 3: I don't like curves:

Last but not least, though not related to graphs, it's my personal favorite:

Very interesting answers Pt 2

2007-04-24T23:30:00.000+08:00

First, let's start with some 'reruns' of mistakes....

Formulae get mixed up because they memorise the letters but not the definition!
Potential difference and Power both begin with 'p', hence...

Some have the audacity to repeat the exact same mistake as last time!

I'm not sure why but my students REFUSE to read the question. Even after I bold the words 'label all components'. Less than 10 out of 46 students actually labelled the diagram.

Another example of not reading the question. But I guess that's less condescending than assuming they do not know the meaning of 'vertical' and 'horizontal'?

Some are clearly confused... almost to the point of nonsensical.

I'm not sure to burst out in laughter or curl up and cry when I saw this...

"This way,I can at least get 1 of it correct!"
Yah, but it also means you will definitely get the rest of it wrong!

Not that I condone copying, but could they at least put some effort in disguising the fact they've copied?

my ears feel wet...is it blood oozing out?

What in the name of....

2007-04-03T18:06:00.000+08:00

...all that is sane and possess intelligence is she talking about?!?!?

todayy dunchhx noe whyyiie sho badd mood siiahh .
heart lyk berriie pain liddat .
haiishh .
ie reallyy dunchh noe .
haiix .
ie feel lykk cryinqq derhh feelinqqs .
haiix .
ie damn damn moodyy .
ie now owayys listen tuhhs manyy touchhiinq sonqs .
wan tuhhs cry osohh lyk tears carnort come out liddat !arqhhs .
wadd happen ?ohhs yarhhs .
wednesdayy ie jio manyy ppl qo TM .
bryan ; yiin quan ; manqq tiinqq ; su tiinqqclive ; miie ; yilinqq . .
iib ue wanna qo jushh tell miie iin msn .
[[ONLY FERBB THOSE WHOM IE NOE]]myy msn iishh lurbe_crystal@hotmail.com
okkayys ? ?
jushh tell miie . .
lols .
LOVE`forebamwackkx mwackkx . =DD

And by following her blog links, I can tell she's not the ingenious creator of this....new lingo. And it's not just RanDom capitalisation but there seems to be a particular order among the sentence structure and spelling anomalies.

Can anyone enlighten me? What is the name of this new language? Is there a convertor that can convert paragraphs of normal English into this blabble? I refuse to believe they can learn this 'new language' and yet fail in the simplier ones like English or Monther Tongue....

In case you're wondering, no I am not trolling among blogs of preteens, satisfying my perverted needs. But just a 3rd-4th degree link passer-by whom can't help but be extremely intrigued by this....

g, acceleration due to gravity

2007-04-02T23:13:00.000+08:00

You're most probably familiar with the equation weight, w = mass x g, where g is the acceleration due to gravity. And g is usually given as 9.81 m/s^2

You may also know that g is more or less constant around us. But will you realise that since acceleration is constant irregardless of mass, should a feather drop and hit the ground the same time as a hammer?

Well, we know that doesn't occur because the feather traps air and has a much higher air resistance than the hammer. Hence the feather is slowed down by the air as it drops down. However, can you think of a place where you can do this experiment without the interference of air resistance?

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mTsrRZEMwA

Excellent video demonstrating density and heat transfer of liquid!

2007-04-02T19:39:00.000+08:00

Can view the video here if the embedded one has problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH96MhITOlk

Pointers:

Oil is less dense than water, hence it floats as a separate layer on top.
Heat transfer in liquid is mainly via convection currents.
As the oil is heated on top of the water, very minimal heat is transferred to the water as there is no convection current generated in the water.
The goldfish tends to stay at the bottom of the tank. Guess why?
Question: Where does the goldfish obtain the oxygen?

Video on mass and inertia - Train vs Car

2007-03-27T18:53:00.000+08:00

Once again, Top Gear strikes with another educational video!

Can't view? Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3QKRl43i4g

Some points to ponder:

The train has a bigger mass than the car. And hence the train has a bigger inertia.
The train, after colliding with the car, moved it some distance until it finally stopped.
If the roles are now reversed, and that the car travels at the same speed as the train and collides into it, will the car be able to move the train as far away as the car was moved? Why? Why not?
Is inertia due to weight or mass? Imagine now that both car and train is floating in space. Will colliding a stationary train with a car at 80 miles/hr be the same as colliding a stationary car with a train at 80 miles/hr achieve the same result in outer space?

The video shows that a bigger mass (train) tends to remain at rest or in motion i.e. is more resistant to a change in motion than a smaller mass. This resistance is called inertia.

Bigger the mass, greater the inertia.

Road to Triumph - How Shuqun won the National Mobile Robot Competition 2007

2007-03-21T06:50:00.000+08:00

This is an overdue post, as the competition happened in Feb 07. Bless school holidays, else teachers will not have the time to complete ~~useless~~ time-consuming tasks like video editing.

Enjoy! If you can't view go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLxGrTuFtE8

I promise Pt 2 will be soon...

And here is Pt 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw5iRao99sA

Enjoy!

Even teachers have exams and grades

2007-03-20T17:21:00.000+08:00

This has nothing to do with students or curriculum at all but it has everything todo with teaching.

Read on, if you're interested. Especially if you're interested to enter into civil service.

http://jollypuddle.com/?p=454#comments

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/178112.asp

http://siewkumhong.blogspot.com/2007/03/lets-not-forget-basics-in-teaching.html

Education Stress??

2007-03-10T21:14:00.000+08:00

Happen to chance upon this blog, which was tomorrowed (http://tomorrow.sg/archives/2007/03/03/blog_entry_by_a_normal_secondary.html). Sparked off some thoughts from boring old me.....

Anyway, to view the blog go to http://nightboy-youthsg.blogspot.com/. The main thing from this blog that gotten the attention of the editors of tomorrow.sg is that the blog is very frank. honest (not something we associate with mass media) and of course, this paragraph on 'stressful education in Singapore'.

I am a secondary student and i am going to take my "O" lvl this year. My wish for this year is to pass my english paper if not i will not able to graduate to poly or JC. i feel that this year is very stressful as most of the teachers had given mi a lot of homework to do and nd to do a lot of ten years series. Being a student in Singapore is very competitive. My parents always like mi to be top in the school but a lot of student in the school are very li hai and smart so we cant get top. My parents also like to compare mi with the RI students and sae that I am dumb or stupid, but different student hav different capability and talent. So I think that my parent should not compare mi wif them.

I am the onli boy in the family so my parents hav high expectation on mi. I hav 3 sister, both of my sister is working while one of my sister are still studying in NTU. My parents lived in the olden days whr they think that boy is more impt then the girl. And they think that the girl will be married to other people whereas the boy will marry a girl back. So they think that I am more impt then my sister so they care mi more then my sister. Because of tis, I become very weak and not daring because my parents protect mi too much. I become a worrywart because of this.

I hope some of my students do read this blog, and care to comment on it here. Some questions I like to ask:

Is education really stressful in Singapore?
Students are feeling stress usually because they fail to meet expectations. Or rather, other people's expectation. What about their own expectations?
Is stress bad?
How to reduce, or remove stress, if it exist in the first place?

Firstly, having survived 16 gruelling years of Singapore education, I don't find it stressful at all. Seriously. And it's not that I have low expectations! While it's true my parents/relatives never place any high expectations on me, I do have high expectations of myself (and my sister, whom may have felt a bit to live up to her brother's name but I digress).

To answer my own questions, you feel stress because you can't meet expectations. Hence it is not stress nor how difficult the subject is, but rather expectations that is the cause. More accurately, the unwillingness to meet that expectation. For example, I will feel very stress if someone was to force me to take part in Singapore Idol! Because I don't have the interest, and even if I have any tiny drool of talent in me, I will feel stressed since this is not what I want to do! I will not work towards it, and practice will become a chore and a 'stressful' business.

But if I AM already in the Singapore Idol competition, I will give my best in the competition. Whether the other competitors are significantly or obviously way better should not affect how much effort and pride I take in the competition.

And so, the grades of the average RI or RGS student shouldn't affect your studies at all; conversely the grades of the worst student in class is not an excuse for you to work less harder just because 'you're not the worst'.

However, if you do feel stress, it means you can forsee the outcome of your current level of academic work to fall short of your expectations. Don't blame the parents/society/school etc! Take pride in your stress, that you expect yourself to do better!

To overcome stress, not only should you work harder, you should work smarter. Realise that stress can be a motivator, and that the feeling is simply how our brain tells us to buck up! Use it to help you focus; do not attempt to get rid of stress but instead work with it. In fact, I maintain a steady level of stress myself so as to keep myself going. If there's no stress, I'll be slacking pretty much!

Me and my students have something in common...

2007-03-06T20:06:00.000+08:00

Today, by the instruction of my co-form teacher Pearly, I presented my O and A level results to my class. This turned out to be a cacophony of oohs, and ahhs, and sure-or-nots and general outrage of modesty of my certificate folder.

Their reaction was something I didn't expect and frankly, I'm nonplussed. They were awed by my "unbelievable" results but, believe me guys, when you're elbowing for a space in the more competitive courses in local or overseas universities, straight As for us is as common as Physics common test failures in your class.

But my point here is, they fail to detect something (admist the...ahem...myriad of As) that I scored a C6 for GP-General Paper (equivalent of english) for my A-levels.

And yes, in my bunch of students in 4/3 Shuqun, there are some who are doing very well in all other subjects except for the omni-important English. Why is English critical? Because the entry score for polys/JCs always require the grade of the English examination plus 4/5 other subjects. And not only that, a pass in English is compulsory for entry too.

Citing my own example, I've took O-level Biology and subsequently A-Level Biology, because one of my greatest ambition is to be a doctor. I regard doctors as one of the most noble profession (that pays reasonable well...for a geeky guy with blood on his hands). But despite my almost perfect O and A level results, my C6 grade in GP means that I can't even qualify for an interview in NUS Medicine. And thus my dream of being a doctor is shattered.

In my sorrow, I took up engineering. Which landed me in RSAF, and now in teaching.

And it is with utmost irony, that I did badly for GP because when I was taking A-levels, I have no interest whatsoever in English. And only during my universities days did I develop taste for beautifully written english and well-articulate arguments. I credit that to the amazing comic/graphic novel Sandman, and the classic author Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray. I even tried Shakespeare but frankly I don't really appreciate it.

Still, it's not too late for you guys. I do hope you realise the importance of getting a good grade in English (and the idiocy of not attaining your dream because of English). I do have the whole collection of Sandman and also Dorian Gray, if you wish borrow.

Another way is to read well written blogs, that still is interesting! Or read whatever catches your fancy. And try to cut down on that internet/SMS lingo crap, lik msg in tis way cos it lewk waaay kool! It's da bomb! C u!

May wanna try these:

http://popagandhi.com/

http://fivetospare.multiply.com/

http://www.chubbyhubby.net/blog/

http://cowboycaleb.liquidblade.com/

http://poblemengrish.blogspot.com/

http://www.thaigirl2004.blogspot.com/

Enjoy the 1 week holiday! Cos it's gonna be hell after that! hehe...

First setback for me?

2007-03-03T21:55:00.000+08:00

Just finish marking the Physics common test of my students from Shuqun 4/3. In fact I marked it 3 times, after getting advice from the setter of the paper as well as the HOD.

46 students. 21 Failures.

Maybe some would say one of the worst thing about teaching is getting the class's attention. Others will say it's impossible to get students to adopt the right studying attitude. Or just simply to behave in a way as to show respect to elders/teachers/authority and basically, do as what we tell them to.

For me, it's seeing my efforts gone to waste. As I mark the test I wonder is it that the students just simply do not understand, or did they not bother to study at all? Wrong study method perhaps? No interest in this particular subject? Or rather, that the teacher (me) is ineffective and useless?

First blood goes to my cute students from 4/3 (Normal Acad).

Here are some interesting answers...

A very common mistake - usage of non SI units and wrong units.

Errors of wrong concepts, though look trivial, are actually more sinister and harder to correct. Weight is not mass, weight is not measured in kg but newtons; mass is in kg....

Some get confused, because we use similiar some words in physics...
potential difference = potential energy due gravity?

Some gets creative...

Some are very considerate and for my well-being, decided to cut down on the marking I need to do....

*cough...cough...*

Car hit by lightning

2007-03-02T18:01:00.000+08:00

Here's a video clip I extracted from an episode of Top Gear. Watch as man made lightning hits a car... and not a single damage is done to it, or to the man inside!

Can't see the video? Click here to view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv006jJjo6w

What can we learn from this?

Almost everything can conduct electricity. The lightning pass through air, through the cars, through the rubber tires and onto the ground.
It's not 100% right to say only conductors can conduct electricity then; rather, conductors have low resistance while insulators have very high resistance to electricity.
To overcome that high resistance of the air, a high voltage is required.
The car can be considered a complex circuit of various resistors (body, tires, seats inside, engine etc). However, current will flow through the path of least resistance (think shunting/shortcircuiting of circuit)
Same theory is applied to lightning rods on buildings, lightning protection on airplanes, on containers of flammable fluid etc.

EM Spectrum - Links to web resources

2007-03-01T22:42:00.000+08:00

Collection of links on EM Spectrum. To be updated!

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/index.pl - a dialogue type lesson, with Java applets. Also has info on Periodic Table, Radioactivity etc.

http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/biological.cfm - effects of microwave on heating and bodily harm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_spectrum - Wiki on EM

http://rabi.phys.virginia.edu/HTW/microwave_ovens.html - how microwave oven works

http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/waves2.html - NASA decides to educate on EM. Good pics.

Electricity - Links to web resources

2007-03-01T22:35:00.000+08:00

This is a collection of links to electricity, DC circuit etc. Will be updated as I find more.

http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/static_materials.htm - electric experiments

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Bill_Bowden/ - circuit diagram of hobby kits (advance!)

http://www.ngsir.netfirms.com/englishhtm/Circuit.htm - Java applet of simple DC circuit

http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/natsci/slc/slconline/IDIG/DigiMeter.htm - Shockwave lessons on how to use multimeter: measuring voltage, current, resistance.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/watcir.html - water analogy to electric current

http://sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/seriesparallelcircuits/seriesparallelcircuits.html - online lesson on series and parallel

http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/symbol.htm - symbols for circuit diagrams

http://library.thinkquest.org/28032/cgi-bin/psparse.cgi?src=lessons03 - easy to understand and attractive lessons covering electrostatics, magnetism and electricity. Some applets and Shockwave as well.

http://www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/electricCircuits/DC/index.html - comprehensive slides on electricity. Good diagrams and photos.

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/electromag/electricity/resistance.html - nice Java applets on Ohm's law and why resistance increase with temp.

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/PHYS1111/electric/electric%20fields.html - on eletric fields. A levels but has nice simple diagrams.

http://www.andythelwell.com/blobz/ - very nice Shockwave introduction to elementary electricity. On conductors, circuit symbols...

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/index.html - mostly on energy sources but has quite a biton electricity

Electrostatics - Links to web resources

2007-03-01T22:23:00.000+08:00

This is a collection of links on electrostatic. Will update this as I find more off the web.

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/static.html - Quite a comprehensive one. Limited pictures though.

http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/static_materials.htm - on the triboelectric series