I am sorry it is taking so much time to get the results regarding the Heart Rate Monitors experiment. Part of the problem is that during the original "trial" experiment, I discovered an "error" on my part. I realized, after the fact, that the data taken needs a baseline which to compare it to. I forgot to incorporate a baseline comparison number. So, after the students took their heart rates, I had to go back and get each students Resting Heart Rate (RHR). The RHR is what the "test-taking" heart rates will be compared to.
I have also involved another teacher in getting the comparative results back, since I am unfamiliar with this area. One of the math teachers, Jim Jarrell, is having his AP Calculus class try to find any correlating data from our experiment.
In the meantime, I have decided to take this experiment a step further. Mike Gregory, the Principal at Mohawk Avenue School, suggested having staff members wear the Heart-Rate Monitors during their work day. Teachers go through various levels of stress during the school day, and I am hoping to see this represented in the fluctuation of their heart rates. I am hoping I can get twelve teachers to volunteer for this experiment. I will have each teacher record their own RHR, and then the day they wear the monitors I will have them try to record two times a period, during the nine-period day. I am also going to have them record the subject and material they are covering, and they are going to let me know if this was a teacher-centered lesson or student-centered lesson. Each teacher will also record their "mood", and any "excitable" moments, which will indicate why the heart rate decreases or increases. There are a lot of variables in this experiment and it should cause a variety of fluctuation with each teachers heart rate. I am looking forward to the teachers' experience and any correlations that are discovered.
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