- Introduction
Introduction
The IB Hexagon The IB course can be represented by a hexagon. the hexagon is divided into 6 sections each representing one of the 6 diploma subjects. These 6 sections enclose the core of extended essay, theory of knowledge and CAS. I am not sure that CAS should be inside the hexagon with the extended essay and theory of knowledge so I have made my own model representing the way I see it in practice. The 6 subjects are like petals of flower held together by the extended essay and - Learner Profile
Learner Profile
Background The IB has a mission statement The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through inter cultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. The learner profile is a list of - TOK
TOK
What is TOK? Although I was involved in team teaching the whole of the TOK course for a couple of years I am certainly no TOK expert however I know someone who is, Richard van de Lagemaat. So, as an introduction I have copied the introductory page from his excellent TOK website. How Do You Know? Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a compulsory 100 hour course in the IB diploma programme. The main question in TOK is “How do you know?” The aim of the course is to help students- TOK in Physics
TOK in Physics
Thinking OK As Physics teachers we do not have to know all the ins and outs of the TOK course however we are expected to know what it is about and when to point out aspects of the course that might be interesting in a TOK context. I like to call the course "Thinking OK", whenever the students are thinking then it is relevant to TOK and that's pretty much all the time. Students study 6 subjects, they might not realise it but in each subject they are being asked - The TOK essay
The TOK essay
Format The essay must be between 1200 and 1600 words in length, to quote the subject guide "The students are required to show their TOK thinking skills in the discussion of a prescribed title that may be primarily conceptual in nature. Concrete examples play an important role in the essay in illustrating the main ideas or taking forward the argument but the presentation is in a sense an extensive TOK reflection on a single example, albeit one that is necessarily of a particular kind." As it says concrete examples play
- TOK in Physics
- Extended Essays
Extended Essays
Introduction Towards the end of the first year of their diploma programme students start to choose their Extended Essay (EE) subject, this is an approximately 4000 word essay that is the result of 40 hours of research. This is the time when students get the chance to go deeper into a subject giving you the supervisor the chance to work on a more individual level with the keenest students. Well that's the theory unfortunately the reality is sometimes different and the whole thing can turn into a nightmare. I have- Writing an Extended Essay
Writing an Extended Essay
Some sections of this website are strictly teacher only however this part is for students. I have tried to use both my experience writing an essay and as a supervisor to give some advice to students thinking of writing a physics EE. Choices For the student the early days of the EE are full of choices, firstly which subject to choose, secondly which topic and thirdly what research question. There are many reasons that students choose to write their EE in physics: Physics is their best/favourite subject. They want to- Choosing a Topic
Choosing a Topic
Choosing and extended essay topic is probably one of the most difficult things a student will ever be asked to do. At university they will undoubtedly be asked to write essays of similar length and much greater depth several times a term but they never again be given a blank sheet. It's a big step, choose wrongly and you could end up with a nightmare. As teachers we need to understand the difficulty of what we are asking and guide the student through the initial stages. There are many different - Research Question
Research Question
The most important step Once the topic of the essay has been decided the next step is to think of a specific research question, this is a very important step, if you don't have a good research question you can't write a good essay. So the question is how do you know if the research question is any good or not? It's not easy but you don't have to stick to the one you first think of, after doing some initial experiments you may decide to change it a bit, - Resources
Resources
Use what you have My philosophy here is keep it simple and try to limit yourself to what you have easily available, this of course depends on your situation. A quick bit of research after you have thought of your research question will show whether you are going to be able to find what you need and this includes "book" research as well as "Lab" research. When you intend to write your essay makes quite a difference, a lot of schools get students to decide on their research question before - Using Word
Using Word
Processor or Pencil? You can write you essay with a pen and you can communicate to someone across the street by flashing your bedroom light on and off in a series of dots and dashes, both work but aren't the easiest way and I'm not going to explain here why word processing is better than using pen and paper i'll just assume that that's the way you're going to do it. The most commonly used word processor is Word and since that's the one I use I will use this - Making a Plan
Making a Plan
Essay Structure Its difficult to make a plan if you don't know how the essay is going to pan out but it is difficult to write a good essay without having a plan. The reason you need a plan is to make sure that you can see how the essay is going to be held together by a common thread. Most Physics essay have a similar plan: Research question Introduction background theory Experiment Discussion Conclusion You could reverse the process and work out how your essay is going to fit - Referencing
Referencing
Why reference? Before looking at ways of refencing its worth pointing out that if you are going to cite a reference the you have to have a reference to cite, this takes us back to the original research question, if you have chosen this carefully then the topic will be one that requires you to look things up, in other words you don't know everything about it. If you do know everything then you should still say where you found certain bits of information and if you can't remember then - Practical work
Practical work
Difference between IA and EE The practical work is the meat of the essay but its not the whole meal, although if I think of some of the restaurants I've eaten in then meat is the whole meal. An extended essay is not the same as a normal physics lab but what are the differences? The research question could be the same as a "design lab" but the extent of the investigation and they way it is written up is different, lets take an example. "What is the relationship between - Concluding
Concluding
Discussion/ Evaluation After the results have been presented it will be necessary to make some comments about the uncertainties etc. if the results support your expectations then you could add some supporting evidence. If not then this is the time to do some more book research to try to find out whether you can work out an explanation. Conclusion The conclusion concludes the essay, it is a summary of what you have found out from your research both theoretical and practical. Before you get to the conclusion there will probably - Finishing off
Finishing off
Preparing for the Final Draft When you have concluded the essay there are a couple more things that you need to do before you can hand in the "final draft". These are mainly cosmetic but are well worth doing properly because you get quite a lot of marks if you do them right. Word count You should be keeping track of the number of words thoughout the essay, the maximum is 4000 and if you go over that you will lose 4 marks. If you are slightly over its probably - 10 tips for students
10 tips for students
Well I proved it; it is possible to get an A in a physics extended essay: I know that I am a physics teacher and I've written a couple of books but I haven't written an essay since I was at university. So here are my 10 tips: 1. Make sure you have a good research question. 2. Don't be too ambitious. 3. Make a plan. 4. If you have no idea how you will do the practical then think of another research question. 5. If you can't find any
- Choosing a Topic
- Being a Supervisor
Being a Supervisor
As a supervisor you will be responsible for the progress of all the students allocated to you. This job can be fairly easy or very demanding , it dependis entirely on the student. I once supervised 12 students which although not the world record was rather a lot, 6 is about right. As a supervisor you have certain responsibilities: Give advice and guidance in the skills of undertaking research Advise the student on a sensible choice of research question, to do this you need to know what a sensible choice- Introductory Talk
Introductory Talk
Preliminary stages Most schools probably start of the EE process with a presentation about the extended essay to all of the first year students given by the Diploma coordinator. The next step is the students choose their subject, this should be done in consultation with their potential supervisor. Some students know what they want to do from the beginning but many haven't got a clue. It is a good idea to talk about writing an extended essay in physics with your physics classes so they have some understanding of what - Research Question
Research Question
What makes a good research question? Once the topic has been decided upon it must be refined into a research question. This must not only be focussed but it should be possible to get complete the research and write the essay in 40 hours. Its difficult to decide if this is going to be possible since you might not know how the investigation is going to be carried out, well this is the time to make a plan. If the student (with your help) can't work out how they are - Assisting practical work
Assisting practical work
It is during the practical phase of the process that the student often needs most help, it is also the most interesting part of being a supervisor. A student should plan to do their experimental part in no more than 20 hours, this often means that they will have to leave something set up in the lab so be prepared for signs saying "keep off EE in progress". Alternatively and preferably the practical work could be done and dusted over a weekend or a couple of evenings. Whether this is - Commenting on the draft
Commenting on the draft
What is a draft? The draft essay should be a completed essay that could be submitted as it stands. You can only comment on one draft and thats a good thing as it prevents students from endlessly revising and submittting draft after draft. This does not mean that you can't comment as the work progresses, it would be strange if the first time you had any communication with a student was at first draft stage. The most common sticking points are when students try to formulate their theoretical model and - Viva Voce
Viva Voce
According to Wikepedia "viva voce" means with living voice in other words an interview. This should take place after the final draft has been submitted. I always feel that by this time everything that should be said has been said so its just a final meeting to reflect on the process. One of the reasons for having the interview is so that you are sure the essay is the work of the student however if you have any doubts then these should have been expressed already. In the EE guide - Supervisors report
Supervisors report
What to write Before the essay is sent to the examiner it is put into a cover sheet. The front of this is information about the student, the title of the essay and stuff like that. On the inside there is a blank page where you can write some comments. These comments are to help the examiner to grade the essay. You should not go through the criteria saying what grade you think the essay is worth, this is the examiners job, but make some comments that support the student. - Predicted Grade
Predicted Grade
Whats it for? When you enter the predicted grades for your students you also have to enter a predicted grade for your EE students. You do not need to supply a complete breakdown into criteria just a grade from A - E. The purpose of this grade is to act as a flag in case soemthing goes wrong with the marking process. if the examiners mark is 2 or more grades different then it will be pulled out of the pile and looked at again by the senoir examiner (I'm - 10 tips for supervisors
10 tips for supervisors
I think I have learnt the secret of how to write a successful extended essay in physics however I don't know the secret of how to get my students to do the same. There have been many times when I have seen a student with a potentially great idea tying themselves in knots. Anyway these tips might help: 1. Try to tease the topic out from the student rather than handing it to them on a plate. 2. Help the student see their limitations. 3. Avoid any experiments that can't
- Introductory Talk
- Assessment
Assessment
Customising the criteria The 11 assessment criteria are the same for all subjects however the way they are interpreted in physics is not the same as in Languages for example. The IB has made a section of the EE guide clarifying the situation for each subject but students will often get mixed messages. I'm not sure where this comes from but students often get told that making personal input means that they must describe in the introduction of the essay how they are personally came across the idea their topic.- A. Research Question
A. Research Question
Criteria On the surface it seems pretty easy to score 2 marks just by making sure that the research question is clearly mentioned in the introduction, but it's not so simple. The problem is the research question has to be chosen before the essay is written and its not always possible to know if it is going to be possible to treat it effectively within the word limit, it is the supervisors job to help the student to narrow down their research question to something manageable. The EE guide has - B. Introduction
B. Introduction
Criteria Here we see the research question again but now it has to be put into context. This means to explain what makes the research question worth spending 40 hours on, not the story of how the student came to decide on the topic. This could be because of some practical application or simply that its an interesting question but what makes it interesting? One way that a research question could be interesting is if the result seems to contradict expectations: The resolving power of the eye being better when - C. Investigation
C. Investigation
Criteria The investigation refers to the main body of the essay, this includes the experimental work and any other research that has been done to try to find out the answer to the research question. It must be made obvious by using references that the student has used a wide range of sources, if different experiments have been performed they should be described in a logical way. Students often find it difficult to write down everything they did but stay focussed on the research question. To be imaginative implies some - D. Knowledge
D. Knowledge
Criteria The student must demonstrate that they understand what they are writing about and that's only possible if they are writing about something they understand. The level of physics knowledge does not have to be above the level of the IB course (it would be a bit ridiculous if it was) but they should be applying it in a novel way. It will often be the case that by applying the simplifications in class they will not be able to explain what is happening but as long as they use - E. Reasoned Argument
E. Reasoned Argument
Criteria This is one of the most difficult parts but an area where a good essay writer will gain points. It is important that all the part of the essay work together with the research question as the common thread. The introduction introduces the research question highlights its significance. The theory is there to put the research question into context. The experiment is a practical investigation of the research question. The discussion evaluates how the results of the investigation relate to the research question. The conclusion states how the research - F. Application of Skills
F. Application of Skills
Criteria The full title of this criteria is " the application of analytical and evaluative skills appropriate to the subject". Well the subject is physics so the sort of analytical skills we most commonly use is the analysis of numerical data. Students are well aware of how to do this from their IA work however the methods used in IA are often not enough. When students develop their own research questions it is rare that they will be investigating a linear relationship so the final graph will be a curve - G. Use of Appropriate Language
G. Use of Appropriate Language
Criteria In physics we have very particular use of language and it is very important that students use terms in the right context, a student who doesn't understand what they are writing about will not be able to do this, for that reason it's best that they stick to what they know. I have read many essays about fluid flow that go off track when students start to write about the venturi effect and reynolds number in completely the wrong context. Even simple terms like acceleration, work and energy can - H. Conclusion
H. Conclusion
Criteria The conclusion is simply the summary of the argument so assuming there has been some development of an argument this section should be fairly easy to write. The argument will often take the form of an initial model that is tested by experiment, the conclusion will summarise how the experiment either supported the model or showed up flaws in it. It is not the place for evaluation, this has already been done. The conclusion should also suggest possible ways that the experiment could be changed for future investigations or - I. Formal Presentation
I. Formal Presentation
Criteria Whether formal presentation is excellent or not is a matter of opinion but there are some obligatory components that if missing will reduce the score, these are: title page table of contents page numbers illustrative material quotations documentation (including references, citations and bibliography) appendices (if used) Good use of excel will help with the overall presentation so time spending learning how to use it properly will be time well spent. - J. Abstract
J. Abstract
Criteria The abstract is a brief summary of the whole essay from research question through experiment to conclusion. It must not be more than 300 words but as long as it contains the three components mentioned it should gain 2 marks even if the rest of the essay is nonsense. One of the most common reasons for an abstract to achieve less than full marks is that it is not written clearly, if too much detail gets in the way of clarity then it probably best to leave out the - K. Holistic Judgement
K. Holistic Judgement
Criteria The qualities refers to are; intellectual initiative, depth of understanding and insight. Most students will have shown some initiative during the process of writing their extended essay but the skill is to demonstrate this in the essay itself. Neat solutions to practical problems, novel application of standard theories or clear understanding of complex theories will all add to the evidence needed to score well. The supervisors report is also used as evidence for student initiative so its worth writing a good one if you feel the student deserves some
- A. Research Question
- My Essay
My Essay
This is the essay I wrote to see what it was actually like to write one and find out if it was possible to get an A by following the criteria (it was). Resolution and Pupil size How is the resolving power of the eye affected by the size of the- Abstract
Abstract
Abstract This essay endeavours to find out “how the resolving power of the eye is affected by the size of the pupil”. According to the Rayleigh criterion the resolving power should get greater as the pupil size increases. An experiment was carried out in an attempt to measure the resolving power at different pupil sizes; this was problematic since to change the pupil size meant changing the light intensity. To achieve this without altering the light illuminating the object a black tube was applied to the eye, this gave a - Contents Page
Contents Page
Contents 4 Introduction 6 Experimental Method 9 Results 10 Other Factors affecting Resolution 13 Conclusion 14 Bibliography - Introduction
Introduction
Resolution and Pupil size How is the resolving power of the eye affected by the size of the pupil? Introduction Resolution is the ability to see fine detail in an image; it can be quantified by separation of two distinguishable points. According to text books at this level (Giancoli, 1995) the resolution an optical instrument is dependent on the size of the aperture; this is one of the reasons why high resolution telescopes have such large diameter mirrors (Hamper, 2009). The eye is an optical instrument that has a - Experiment
Experiment
Experimental Method To measure the resolving power of the eye two close together objects are viewed close to the eye, the distance between the eye and the objects is then increased until they can no longer be seen as two separate lines. A commonly used variation of this (Stokes H.T.) is to use a series of lines and decide at what distance they appear to be continuous. Fig.5 shows an example of this. As the page is moved from the eye, at some distance x the lines appear to be - Results
Results
Results The average distances for each tube length is shown in table 2 The uncertainty in the “just resolved length” was estimated from how well I could measure the position of my head with a ruler placed on the bench, and the variation from one trial to another. This was rather inaccurate but revealed a trend shown in graph 3 Again the closest fit is exponential but the line doesn’t fit all the points. The equation however is not really relevant since the results show that the original assumption that - Discussion
Discussion
Other factors affecting Resolution Smaller apertures do increase the angle of the diffraction minimum however the effect of diffraction is not the only thing influencing the resolving power of the eye. Lens defects A perfect lens will produce a point image from a point object, no real lens will do this. Being long sighted, my lens is certainly far from perfect. Long sight means that the lens cannot become fat enough to focus light from close objects; the light is therefore focused behind the retina as in fig.11. The light - Conclusion
Conclusion
Conclusion This essay set out to find out if the pupil size affects the resolution of the human eye. Based on the diffraction of light it seemed that the resolution should be greater when the pupil was biggest however experiment showed this not to be the case. Due to the difficulty in measuring pupil size for different light conditions the experiment was not conclusive but did show that there to be a trend that was not in agreement with the original hypothesis. The main factor that affects the resolving power - Bibliography
Bibliography
Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pupil (21-02-10) Giancoli, D. 1995, Physics, Prentice hall Avison,J 1989, world of physics , Nelson Thornes Hamper,C 2009 Higher Level Physics, Pearson http://stokes.byu.edu/resolve.html (21-02-10) http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/eye-resolution.html (21-02-10) http://www.pc.ibm.com/ww/healthycomputing/vdt13eyec.html (22-02-10) http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/rodcone.html (22-01-10) http://www.telescope-optics.net/eye.htm (22-01-10)
- Abstract
- Writing an Extended Essay
To see a brief extract of a page in this section hover over the relevant heading. Red borders indicate free pages. The blog is also free. To access other pages you must Subscribe.
Free pages | |
In this section, the pages below are free. The blog is also free. To access other pages you must subscribe. | |
| Writing an Extended Essay | Being a Supervisor |
| A. Research Question | Abstract |
| TOK | Learner Profile |
Section Summary
|
|
Selected Pages
-
Towards the end of the first year of their diploma programme students start to choose their Extended Essay (EE) subject, this is an approximately 4000 word essay that is the result of... more»
-
Choosing and extended essay topic is probably one of the most difficult things a student will ever be asked to do. At university they will undoubtedly be asked to write essays of... more»
-
How is the resolving power of the eye affected by the size of the pupil? Resolution is the ability to see fine detail in an image; it can be quantified by... more»
-
The qualities refers to are; intellectual initiative, depth of understanding and insight. Most students will have shown some initiative during the process of writing their extended essay but the skill is to... more»
-
The conclusion is simply the summary of the argument so assuming there has been some development of an argument this section should be fairly easy to write. The argument will often take... more»
G. Use of Appropriate Language
In physics we have very particular use of language and it is very important that students use terms in the right context, a student who doesn't understand what they are writing about... more»
Navigation Tips
- Click ► to show/hide relevant sub-pages.
- Click “Show all” to show all sub-pages.
- Go to sitemap for overview of entire site.
Quote of the Day
“The methods of theoretical physics should be applicable to all those branches of thought in which the essential features are expressible with numbers.”
Site development: Jordi Gran
© Chris Hamper, InThinking 2012 | Legal