Happily, my students have learned something. I have done an initial analysis of the math assessment, and there is a statistically significant increase in scores. Not every student did better, but some did incredibly better. I was skeptical that math could be "taught" in two days, but it certainly looks like we were able to increase their math skills with two days of focused math instruction and practice throughout the physics section.
My students are now taking their final exam. I am unsure how involved I will be in grading it - much of it is multiple choice, so I should be able to grade those questions, even in Tibetan. I don't know what scores I would be "happy" with on the test. I think the test is too long for the time they have to take it - nominally, 2.5 hours. I expect they are better at staying focused on a task for that long, compared to American students. It is clear that some of them had reviewed their notes, since today there were some very specific questions on material I had previously covered.
I really think this program is "working". The students are naturally creative and inquisitive, but they are not used to approaching scientific problems. Watching them in lab and based on the questions they asked, I think they are acquiring the ability to use a scientific framework. Based on what the first year instructors talked about, it seems like there is a difference between the students' questions in their first year of the program versus the second year.
I want to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism, especially their approach to knowledge. They are extremely logical and have a well developed system for analyzing and debating phenomena. There are certain challenging physics topics - like the possible existence for a third type of electrical charge - that they might be able to understand much more quickly than American-trained students. Pedagogically, it is always important to know what knowledge (and misconceptions) students come into your classroom with. Here it is even more important, especially if I work with a different translator in the future.
My students are now taking their final exam. I am unsure how involved I will be in grading it - much of it is multiple choice, so I should be able to grade those questions, even in Tibetan. I don't know what scores I would be "happy" with on the test. I think the test is too long for the time they have to take it - nominally, 2.5 hours. I expect they are better at staying focused on a task for that long, compared to American students. It is clear that some of them had reviewed their notes, since today there were some very specific questions on material I had previously covered.
I really think this program is "working". The students are naturally creative and inquisitive, but they are not used to approaching scientific problems. Watching them in lab and based on the questions they asked, I think they are acquiring the ability to use a scientific framework. Based on what the first year instructors talked about, it seems like there is a difference between the students' questions in their first year of the program versus the second year.
I want to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism, especially their approach to knowledge. They are extremely logical and have a well developed system for analyzing and debating phenomena. There are certain challenging physics topics - like the possible existence for a third type of electrical charge - that they might be able to understand much more quickly than American-trained students. Pedagogically, it is always important to know what knowledge (and misconceptions) students come into your classroom with. Here it is even more important, especially if I work with a different translator in the future.
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