THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512150195
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Studying for an exam translates into much more than memorization, caffeine and late nights for a group of teenagers at Kempsville High School.
Thanks to some projects set up by physics teacher Karen Shinn, these high schoolers are currently preparing for the May advanced placement physics exam by connecting with science buffs on the Internet.
The students have been assigned to two on-line mentors who answer their questions and challenge them with a variety of college-level problems via e-mail.
``They're excited about it and I'm excited for them,'' Shinn said of the mentorship. ``It's like picking up the phone - it's that easy.
``This is great! This is what the Internet is all about,'' she said.
Tom Garrett, a physics professor at Tidewater Community College's Portsmouth campus, is working with the Kempsville students this semester. In January, Tom Trocano - a former advanced placement chemistry teacher at Kempsville who is working on his doctorate in North Carolina - will move into the mentor seat.
This program is a first for Shinn, who has been at Kempsville for six years. She created it this year because of the record-breaking number of students who signed up for advanced placement physics - an independent study class students pursue on their own.
Most years, there are two or three students enrolled; this year, there are seven.
To accommodate these kids - who take a regular high school physics class at the same time as the advanced placement version - Shinn has traditionally given them extra problems to work and answered their questions outside of the classroom.
However, she realized early on that her standard operating procedure would not be enough for this year's batch.
``They needed much more than I could give them,'' Shinn said. ``I felt like I really needed to do more.''
Rubbing elbows with professionals in the field and dabbling on the Internet were perfect ``labs'' for the students at a school that is not equipped with fancy technology. The projects also fit in with Shinn's way of teaching.
``My kids are highly motivated and very college-oriented,'' she said. ``I try to make it as applicable as I can.
``You can't turn around and not see physics. It's everywhere.
``I have to make that real to them with the resources I have.''
Being connected with the mentors was a step in the right direction. ``These people actually specialize in physics,'' said junior Andrea Wong, 16. ``They're qualified to mentor us and they challenge us. The problems they give us are stimulating, and they're preparing us for the advanced placement exam.''
Through the mentorship, the Kempsville students were turned on to an opportunity to work with some teens on the West Coast.
An astronomy class at Independence High School in San Jose, Calif., was attempting to calculate the parallax angle using a reference star - Andromeda - and the moon. They needed a group of students on the East Coast (and at approximately the same latitude) to assist.
Since physics is linked to astronomy, the Kempsville kids were all for helping out. They began communicating with the West Coast students on e-mail and worked out days and times to attempt readings.
Armed with a sextant, a measuring instrument similar to a protractor, the local students tried to calculate the angle earlier this month, but cloudy weather spoiled their efforts. They will go for it again early next month.
In the meantime, they will continue to send messages to their new ``pen pals'' in California.
``I'm real, real glad they made this connection,'' Shinn added. ``My kids are going to learn something from the kids in California, and hopefully, those kids will learn something, too.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by HOLLY WESTER
Andrea Wong and Steven Lin use computers and e-mail for their
advanced-placement physics class.
by CNB