Tiziana
NECKARBISCHOFSHEIM
Neckarbischofsheim is a town in the district of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 8 km northeast of Sinsheim, and 24 km southeast of Heidelberg.
JOB-SHADOWING from February 11th to February 16th 2019
Adolf-Schmitthenner-Gymnasium: https://www.asgnet.de/
Tutor Maria Pia Panunzio ( Erasmus coordinator) + Alexandra Hindenach (Physics and Latin teacher)
Adolf-Schmitthenner-Gymnasium in Neckarbischofsheim has three different profiles, in fact students can choose languages, science or music. Last year students have five subjects and four of them are the object of their final examination, “ abituer”. Students have only written tests and their oral evaluation derives from classroom activities that each teacher periodically quantifies.Classrooms are very large: some of them, like physics ones, have been built recentely. There are not Interactive Whiteboards and teachers use traditional ardesia blackboards and headlamps.
A gymnasium classroom
One of the new classrooms
I experimented that books are not used frequentely, in fact teachers provide essential theoretical concepts and then students practise formulas and procedures using photocopies that teachers chose for them. New concepts are often introduced by practical examples like parabola in mathematics. A real parabolic motion is modelled using an equation that is successively modified by geometric transformations. Real contests are also used to practise formulas in trigonometry and probability. In Germany derivatives and integrals are introduced the year before the final examination according to the skills that physics requires. So electromagnetic induction is introduced in KS1 class. Teacher briefly explains the topic, then students verify some laws in laboratory and, finally, they apply formulas to exercises.
Quantum physics is introduced in KS2 class. The method is the same but, obviously, the instruments needed for experiments are too expensive for any school, so students, starting from their knowledge, have to use their skills to solve, by reasoning, different set-up situations. So they work in group, they discuss and the result of the activity is presented to the whole class.
The experience in Germany was very significant for me because it offered an excellent opportunity to compare methods and contents. I will share them with my collegues and students in Italy.
I thank the German teachers who hosted me in their classes making useful but also enjoyable the week.
SOME OF MY BEST MEMORIES
