Classroom Explorations: Pendulums, Mirrors, and Galileo’s Drama

Abstract

What do you see in a mirror when not looking at yourself? What goes on as a pendulum swings? Undergraduates in a science class supposed that these behaviors were obvious until their explorations exposed questions with no quick answers. While exploring materials, students researched Galileo, his trial, and its aftermath. Galileo came to life both in their presentations about him, and in the context of lab investigations by the emerging class community. Questions and experiments evolved continually; differing perspectives on science and authority were exchanged respectfully. In rediscovering their own capacity for wonder, students developed as critical explorers of the world.