In our 9th grade physics class, we had a strict teacher with a cracky voice who no one dared to challenge. Throughout the semester, she taught us various concepts and we had a CCE evaluation pattern in place, which allocated weightage to assignments. However, the teacher was aware that if assignments were given, they would be copied and passed on.
As a result, she came up with a unique problem statement for us to demonstrate our understanding of physics concepts through a working model within two days, with no group work allowed. One of my friends, who was on holiday, was unaware of the project.
On the day of the presentation, all the students went up on stage with their elaborate and sophisticated models. In contrast, my friend was dumbfounded when he saw the entire class preparing after the morning assembly. Curious, he asked me about the occasion, and I explained the problem statement to him.
To my surprise, he simply smiled and asked me for a ball. I gave him the Cosco ball we secretly brought to school for recess breaks. When the physics teacher entered the classroom, my friend took the ball to the stage, leaving the teacher puzzled.
What happened next defined him for the next five minutes. He began by explaining Newton's first law and the concept of inertia. Using the example of the ball falling through the atmosphere, he illustrated how the ball, initially at rest, would experience a gravitational force upon release, causing it to free fall and accelerate due to the absence of air resistance. However, as the velocity increased, the ball encountered air resistance, leading to a constant terminal velocity.
He delivered this explanation while dropping the ball and utilized the blackboard to highlight new terms and concepts. The passion in his body language was evident, capturing the attention of our skeptical teacher. It was a remarkable moment, as our teacher, who rarely smiled or appreciated previous demonstrations, seemed genuinely impressed. This demonstration brought about a change in the typical Indian education system.
Please note that the above account may not be an exact retelling of the events, but the concept conveyed remains the same.
No comments yet, come on and post~