Yesterday, I had yet another successful One-Day Tech Class (YASODTC). Overall, 20 of 23 passed the test. Here are a couple photos of the class:
One of the highlights was that 14-year-old Kyle passed the test. Kyle had failed the test once before, so I’m glad that I was able to get him over the hump, so to speak. He’s going to be a great ham.
Also in the class was Michelle. She told me that she got her Novice license when she was 12 years old and had renewed it all these years. I’m happy to say that she finally upgraded to Technician!
I was very disappointed in two of the failures. For these two students, this was their second time taking the class, and for one reason or another, they did not take the test the first time they attended. Both of them failed the test, one by one question and the other by two questions. I’m still hoping that with some one-on-one instruction I can help them pass the test.
Finally, I don’t want to forget the VEs. At right, is a photo of the VE team getting ready for the test. Thanks, guys!
Dave New, N8SBE says
One of the folks that failed was struggling with trying to remember the various incarnations of Ohm’s law and the power equation:
E = I R
I = E/R
R =E/I
W = E I
E = W / I
I = W/ E
Of course, simple algebra will give you all the forms, but a neat mnemonic is to write down this (I’m doing this here with characters, so it won’t look very good – imagine that you can draw a circle around it, like the ’round tuit’ coin I have someplace with this on it – the obverse side has the power equation – W = E I):
E
——
I | R
So E = I R, I = E/R, and R = E/I
Likewise,
W
——–
E | I
This avoids the whole ‘algebra’ thing, which may be a bit much for the younger (or even older) set. Just draw the diagram on your scratch sheet, and “Bob’s your uncle.” :-)
Dan KB6NU says
I do sometimes show them those mnemonics for Ohm’s Law and power calculations. I guess I need to do that every class and not just when I think of it. I’ll add a note to my class notes.
Bob WA9D says
I was a math professor for many years. I want to point out that there is a skill/ability at test taking that is separate from knowing the material. (Many of my colleagues would challenge that…) Maybe those two need some practice and elmer-ing re taking tests, particularly multiple choice tests like our ham radio exams. I used to encounter a few people in every large class (I taught calculus classes of several hundred students) who could perfectly well demonstrate knowledge of the material when I talked with them, but couldn’t pass tests on it. (And I took pains to make sure I wasn’t giving subtle clues.) I wish I knew some “magic bullet” to fix that problem, but I definitely believe it exists!
Dan KB6NU says
I agree with you about test-taking ability. Usually part of what I try to give them in the one-day Tech class are some strategies on how to take the test. For example, I always advise them to choose the most conservative answer when answering safety-related questions.