Ideas to fix an intersection: Physics #PBL learning project

Teacher Note:  As a final project after the seniors graduated, 10th and 11th graders looked at the safety of the back parking lot behind the school.  This area has a tremendous amount of daily traffic,and several fender-benders, as well as a two-vehicle collision, have occurred there in the past year.  Fortunately, no one has been hurt.   We had a variety of opinions as to whether this was due to operator error or safety.  Students went out to observe the locale and made measurements between 10 and 12:45 pm on a school day.

Students then needed to create a physical or digital model, think of sample situations that could happen at the location, and make recommendations as to whether or not the intersection, in their opinion, was safe enough, or if it needed changing.  Their work needed to be scaled and supported by physics equations that demonstrated their understanding of the term.  The project below summarizes their results.

Due to the time frame of the project, we were unable to contact board members or present to school personnel, but student opinions have been forwarded onward.  Verbal discussions indicated common errors were noted (for example, speed limits in a school zone are 25 mph) but not necessarily changed in the videos that were uploaded.  Some calculation errors may be present. 

Google Sketchup Model of Intersection by Gage K.

To Whom It May Concern:

As students of West Delaware High School, we have created a proposition to make the travel around the school a safer environment for students and faculty. We are addressing this to the school board and hope the information provided will be used to conclude whether or not we should redesign this intersection to make it safer.

It has been previously asked if the intersection involving Prospect Street, Sherman Avenue, and the faculty parking lot is unsafe for the school community. After research, we have concluded this intersection poses a threat to the safety of the West Delaware students. Our findings have enabled us to create a list of options to make this intersection a safer place.

Due to the lack of speed limit signs, stop signs, and curbs, it is known that people of the community are moving at speeds higher than fifteen miles per hour in a school zone. This in itself is a threat to students coming to or leaving school by walking or driving in a vehicle. We are addressing this situation to the school board mainly because this intersection is near school property, but it will involve many others in the town of Manchester. The community will also need to address the situation. If costs become unreasonable or more needs to be done, we should also address the rest of the community and town officials to ask for financial help.

When we study a situation such as this and find we need to make a change, there are costs involved. Our current plan is to add an 80 foot curb along the faculty lot connecting the lot to Prospect. Our research suggests this curb will cost between 350 and 400 dollars. Other calculations are still in the process to find additional costs.

Multiple concerns with this intersection directly affect the school community.

• Last fall, an accident involving two students occurred at this intersection. After speaking with students, many complain of low visibility of this intersection. 
• The main concern is difficulty seeing cars driving on Prospect Street from the stop sign on Sherman Avenue. 
• We are concerned a crash with more physical and community impact may occur here if nothing is done to review the safety of this intersection. It may take many years for this accident to occur, but we believe it is important to look at this as a hazard to safety now, and then decide whether or not something should be done to create a more protected intersection. 
• Summer break begins soon, which means there will be significantly less people using this area and it could be the best time to reconstruct this intersection. 

We hope you will review the information and decide whether or not this intersection should be changed. As students, we understand that this intersection could be deemed “safe,” but we want to be sure this intersection is “safe enough.” 


Sincerely,


Team B














Is this the BEST project-based learning effort ever?  Perhaps not, because our presentations were videotaped, rather than presented to the administration and board.  But it IS timely, relevant, based on real-world data, and filled with application.  And to my students, who asked me to forward on our data to the superintendent/grounds people/school board for safety reasons, perhaps it was the best way for them to use their ideas, talents, and abilities to remember that physics can matter.

It is my hope that the someone in the District will take some time this summer/fall to look at the intersection between 7:45 and 8:15 in the morning, as well as between 2:50-3:20 in the afternoon.

Signs and curbs may be the result of this process, and we can certainly put a dollar sign upon them, but the fact that students can do a critical analysis bodes well for their futures.  What will you do as you reflect and plan for next year to help your students with new ideas?  The answer to that, of course, may well be priceless.

It's not personal....

(licensed under a Creative Commons attribution)


It's seven days from the end of my online course, twelve days from the end of my traditional classes.   Two of my own kids have just finished online coursework as well.  I've been frustrated, impressed, distressed, and ready to shout, "Enough Already."  The majority of my students have done a great job.  But 10 are on the cusp.  The last week or two of effort will push them up to C or drop them to a F.

Then it hit me.   Just like the Tom Hanks character in the old rom-com,  "You've Got Mail,"  these kids were telling me,  "It's not personal, it's the way I do business."  So, in the midst of online procrastination, where I was seeing missed opportunities, the kids were seeing "Git-r-DUN" as a mantra for their success.

It irritated me.  I had worked hard all year to develop relationships with kids: didn't that translate to them doing their best on the courses?  No, it turns out, it doesn't always. It did, however, mean that they would try to pass the class, and move on....even if they had to come in after school, or work until 11:55 pm when the test closed at midnight.

So what do I see? Is this 21st century effort?  Is 6% an acceptable at-risk rate?  Are 90+% of my kids passion-driven or just compliant so I only had to deal with a few stragglers? Are these kids finding that the knowledge I have to offer isn't worth the cost?  Is the Project-Based Learning I am doing with kids valuable?  I will be reflecting on this during the summer, but I also will have the kids evaluate me before the end of the year to try to get the data.

My own children tell me that they are always running, and that it comes down to the ultimate purpose of what we are learning.  If learning is applicable to something else (a project, an application for the future, or even for graduation credit), it's worth trying on.  Learning facts, however, is easily tuned out because Reddit, Facebook, and a thousand other digital diversions take their place.

"C'mon, Mom," says one of my kids.  "You know I'll never use this stuff again.  I just jumped through the hoop to get the credit."   And it would appear her view echoes many students.  In my own classes, passing all the summative assessments, and passing equals high school credit; I always have a few kids who only aim for that goal.

But I want the classroom to be a dynamic place where kids are excited and challenged, rather than a place where they listen half-heartedly or put their heads down.   How can I translate that excitement?  How can I get better at what I do? Where does student interest finally trump student procrastination?

Judging from discussions with teachers this week, I am not alone in this frustration.  But I am grateful I have resisted the urge to be angry, as I know that will get me (and more importantly, my students) nothing.  Deep breath.  Go on.  Gather data you can reflect upon later.  But it's hard not to be upset.  We are in a profession built on relationships, on connections, and were were trained as content experts.

After all, in "You've Got Mail" Kathleen Kelly responds to the jibe,  "Not personal?  What is that supposed to mean? ...it means it wasn't personal to you.  But it was personal to me."