Paths to Learning Physics in Physics 121-2-3

• Lecture:   Lecture is a place to learn from someone who has thought about the material and used it in real life, plus a chance for the entire class to ask questions (and hear the questions of others).  You should read the text before coming to class, since lecture will complement the text, and not repeat it.  Lecture will contain a guide to what is important, an overview of concepts, applications to real life, connections to other courses, and numerous demonstrations.  Lecture is also the place where quantitative aspects will be developed -- understanding where equations in the book come from and how to apply them to solving problems.  Please be considerate of others' learning by not having side conversations in class (unless instructed to discuss a specific physics problem as part of lecture).
• Tutorial:  Tutorial is a place to concentrate on concepts.  You will work in small groups with a TA to find your own answers to questions, frequently with small experiments.   Tutorial and lab are excellent places to bounce ideas off your colleagues.  Make sure you don't let one person in your group answer all the questions while you just watch and observe.  The point of tutorials is to become actively engaged with the material -- research has shown that active engagement significantly enhances your learning.  Don't be afraid to tell someone else to be quiet while you think, and please honor someone's request for you to hold your tongue for a minute while they figure something out for themselves.
• Laboratory:  Lab is a place to actively engage with the physical phenomena -- to make predictions, make measurements, and compare them.  Make sure both you and your lab partner understand everything you are doing.  If you disagree, or if neither of you know the answer, please ask the TA for help.  However, note that there is only 1 TA for 11 different lab groups.  You won't finish the lab if you stop cold everytime you aren't sure -- ask your neighbors or go on to something else after letting the TA know you need help.  Lab works best if you read the lab and any associated readings before coming to lab.  This is especially important if the lab preceeds coverage in lecture or tutorial.  Lab reports are graded by your lab TA, who can give you feedback on your understanding.  If you are unclear on why you lost points on something, ASK!
• Study Center:  The Study Center is a good place to do your homework and talk through the material with your peers and the teaching staff.  The Study Center is staffed some hours from Monday through Friday, 9:30-4:30.  Note that if you come in right before tests or homework due dates, there is likely to be a line for getting help.  If you come in during less popular time slots, and you can get more personal attention.  If the TA and Professor are busy, try talking to your peers -- often you will each bring one piece of the puzzle to make a whole.  When you ask questions, let the instructor know what you've been thinking so they can approach the problem in a way that makes sense to you.  Also, remember that the Study Center Staff may not have seen your specific problem before, and the last question they answered may have been for a different course, so please give them a chance to think it through.
• GoPost:  The GoPost Chat Room is a place to post questions about the homework or class material to anyone in the class, and to test your understanding by answering others' questions.  The professor will check it occasionally as well.  Please give guidance and advice, but not specific solutions, when answering others' queries.
• Pretests:  Pretests probe your understanding of the material to be covered in tutorial during the coming week.  The results are reviewed by the tutorial teaching staff at their weekly preparation session (after they take the pretest themselves!) to help them know where to place their efforts.  Pretests also benefit you by highlighting the important concepts of the coming week's tutorial.  Similar questions often will appear on exams.  This aids the physics education research and teaching staff in assessing the efficacy of tutorial and lecture in teaching concepts.
• Tutorial Homework:  Tutorial homework is an opportunity to work with the concepts introduced in tutorial to ensure understanding.  The solutions are not published.  If you read through the homework before coming to tutorial, it can help guide you to what is important in tutorial itself.  Tutorial HW is handed in and returned in tutorial.  It is graded by your tutorial TA, who can give you feedback on your understanding.  If you are unclear on why you lost points on something, ASK!
• Required Lecture Homework:  Required lecture homework is designed to have you work with the material presented in lecture and in the text.   It is administered through the Tycho system on the world wide web.  You do not really understand the material until you can do the homework problems.  You are not prepared for exams until you can do the homework problems without consulting more than a formula sheet.  Start early in the week, and come to the Study Center and office hours with your questions.  Don't just try random numbers in Tycho until it accepts your answer.  Do, however, keep track of non-significant figures through intermediate steps, since Tycho checks for 1% accuracy when checking your answer.  If you don't understand a problem, ASK.  You are welcome to work together on the homework.  However, you should do the first run through and the final solution on your own.
• Supplemental Lecture Homework:  Supplemental homework problems give you a chance for more practice with the material.  Again, work together, but make sure you do the final solution yourself.  The way to convince yourself that you understand the book and lecture is to do problems.  Note there are many more problems than can be "assigned."  If you need more practice, or feel a need for "warm-up" problems, do them.  Note that the odd-numbered problems have answers in the back of the book.
• Reading the Text Book:  You should read the book before the associated lecture.  The relevant sections are posted in the syllabus.  If something is confusing, make a note of it and move on -- ask questions in class if it is still confusing.  If you don't feel comfortable asking in class, come to the Study Center, post questions on the GoPost, and/or ask questions through anonymous or non-anoymous email.
• Tests:  Studying for tests, taking them, and then having someone carefully grade them is another way to learn the material.  Typical homework problems involve just one or two sections in the book.  Exam problems will be more general, incorporating multiple ideas.  Think about these connections as you are studying.  Also, as you are doing problems, keep track of the notes and formulas that you need.  In this way, you can make a more useful note page for use during the exams.  Pick up your midterms and learn from your mistakes.  If you don't understand why you lost points, ASK!  Graders occasionally make mistakes, too.