The goal of the discussion
section should be to help the students understand the methods of
solution for the types of problems they will encounter on the problem
set.
A suggested outline for a discussion section:
- Briefly list the new relevant principles which will be
covered on this problem set. For example KCL, KVL. Query student
knowledge with trivial examples to make sure they know what the
principles are about. The students probably won't really understand the
principles until they know how to apply them and what they are good for.
- Give an example problem, e.g. draw schematic. This could be an unassigned chapter problem or one you make up yourself.
- Talk through how you would know which principle(s) to
apply, and outline the order of application. (You could ask students
which principle to apply, in this case perhaps show of hands KCL vs
KVL.)
- Go step-by-step on the board through the solution, in
particular setting up the equations (for example, getting signs
correct). You might ask students to solve algebra in groups to keep
them engaged and report, or volunteers to do a step of problem on
board. Tedious algebra steps should usually be avoided, but setting up
the equation is essential.
- Summarize the solution: what does it mean, how does it
generalize, do all problems get solved this way, what limitations or
pitfalls do you need to watch out for?
- Try a simpler example problem for students to work on jointly for 3-5 minutes, to gauge whether they understand or not.
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