A master class was conducted last December 6, 2023, with fifteen students at A405 for AP Computer Science A class focusing on the use of void and non-void methods that might have or have not parameters. The class was conducted using the EIPM (Explore, Introduce, Practice, Make) approach where students were provided with conceptual grounding of the topic and then guided to solve related problems and finally, they were exposed to solving the problems on their own.

Activating student’s prior knowledge is important for this class so students can master the use of certain terminologies. To do so, a gamified review was conducted followed immediately by a brief warm-up scenario about a bank which intends to let the students ponder on what data should they allow to be accessed, modified, or allow to be both accessible and modifiable.

Explore

When introducing object-oriented programming concepts to students, I found it essential to cover the concept of such as encapsulation and this is where the new topic formally begins. Accessor and mutator methods, also known as getters and setters, are core components of encapsulation in Java. These methods allow students to understand how to control access to private variables within objects and emphasize the principle of data abstraction.

A presentation was shown illustrating how private variables protect data integrity and allow controlled access to data through accessor and mutator methods. Also at this stage, the naming conventions were introduced commonly used for accessor and mutator methods. For accessors (getters), the method name usually starts with "get" followed by the name of the variable it retrieves. For mutators (setters), the method name begins with "set" followed by the name of the variable it modifies. It was also at this point that the importance of using meaningful and intuitive names for better code readability was reinforced. An example was also presented to the students to help them grasp the concept.

Investigate

The students were asked to open their interactive book and investigate a code. Using the Java visualizer tool, the control flow was demonstrated to the students focusing on implementing the accessor and mutator methods in Java. An example was shown in a "Person" class with a private variable "name" and the process of creating a getter and a setter method for that variable was also demonstrated.

public class Person {

    private String name;

    public String getName() {

        return name;

    }

    public void setName(String newName) {

        name = newName;

    }

}

During this stage thought-provoking questions were asked to guide the students to think critically. They were also encouraged to ask questions and actively participate in the demonstration.

Practice

After the code demonstration, the class had hands-on practice exercises using the compiler embedded in the online book or to manually write a code using the worksheets found on Teams to solidify their understanding. These differentiated tasks are meant for students who are already comfortable with IDE while the latter task is more for students who are at the beginner stage of coding. The programming challenges require implementing accessor and mutator methods in a pet shop scenario. This exercise will give them the opportunity to reinforce their knowledge and apply the concepts in a different context.

It is also during this stage that the students were exposed to College Board sample questions and how to strategically find the right answer. They also answer a few sample questions found in the book.

Make

At this stage students go to their pairs which were previously set and work on designing a Java class to manage data in their community. Students, before this class, already brainstorm for what activity (e.g., tracking events in their home community) they wish to do. Durig this time, the students formally building the ‘class’ where they write the class name, its attributes, constructors, and the getter and setter methods. During this time, I walk around and pay attention to misconceptions that might arise during this activity. I also highlighted best practices following what each pair had been coding.

Wrap-Up

Due to time constraints, the exit ticket prepared at the College Board – three multiple-choice questions and one free-response questions, were not answered in the class and became their homework. Assessment of the learning objective happened through code reviews and discussions. Students were encouraged to share their approaches, discuss different solutions, and provide feedback to one another. This collaborative environment promotes active learning and helps students improve their coding skills.

To sum it up, this master class focused on conceptual understanding, provide hands-on practice, and emphasize real-world examples and best practices. With a solid foundation in encapsulation, students will be well-equipped to design robust and maintainable Java programs and will be more prepared for the upcoming external exam.

《数与形》教学设计反思和学生表现：

以学生微课谈古今数学家杨辉三角寻找规律和华罗庚“数与形”的诗句引入本节课的主题，让数学富有诗意并有故事，不再乏味。“数 ”与“形 ”是数学学习中非常重要的两个领域，“形中有数 ”、“数中有形 ”，所以我们研究数学问题的时候经常会数形结合，让学生通过观察、发现、归纳图形中隐藏的数的规律。同时，将例题进行改编，让问题变得更加开放，引发学生自主探究，以挑战性问题，激发学生的学习兴趣，培养学生学习的主动性和对问题的探究意识，通过观察发现图形中隐藏的规律。整堂课师生对话，生生互动，课堂气氛活跃，学生参与度高。新知探究，习“方法”先以“形”到“数”，让学生观察图形，说一说它们之间有什么规律，请学生用数或式子表示发现的规律。引导学生从不同的角度，探究规律，培养学生发散性数学思维。在应用规律解决问题的过程中，鼓励学生充分地动手、动口、动脑，顺利解决问题，活动探索乐趣。学生利用数形对照，说出图的变化规律，并探究对应的数的规律，从而利用发现的规律解决问题。通过多样的教学手段，小组竞赛激励，调动学生的积极性。教师语言亲切，注重师生互动，力求营造积极向上轻松愉悦的课堂氛围。

司艳平老师的语文课，为大家展示的是《孟子》三章的思辨性任务式整合课，课堂主题为“坚守的力量”。

经由这堂语文课，树立学生文化自信的意识，并且在春风化雨之中晕染先哲思想的精神内核，进而指导学生的人生。