We did the Whiteboard Mistakes Game as a way of reviewing our constant acceleration unit in 1st year physics. Specifically, I chose problems from a worksheet where students “translated” between position vs. time, velocity vs. time, and acceleration vs. time graphs, and also from a worksheet involving word problems. This went okay. I still have a ways to go with developing a culture where all students feel comfortable participating in whole group conversations and where large amounts of students volunteer to ask questions (not just a few).
The best discussions occurred when teams created the whiteboards in the beginning. I had them start by discussing, agreeing, and creating a “correct” solution, and then modifying it to add the mistake. I heard quite a few groups who were happy when they found out that one of their peers had a different solution or idea, they usually used that idea as the mistake.
The best whole groups discussions were about the graphs, especially scenarios where an object was speeding up while moving in the negative direction.
Randall Physics 