In lesson 2, on the other hand, the diode and how to connect it was the clear focus.
Ann chose to present only the diode and several examples of how it could be connected
to lamps and batteries, both in series and in parallel. She provided her students with
equipment that was used to make different kinds of electric circuits, all of them
meant to give the students a variety of experiences related to how the diode could
be connected to lamps and batteries. Her students were instructed to connect the
diode in series and in parallel in order to highlight different ways to light the lamps.
She also deliberately urged the students to connect the diode in both the wrong and
the right ways to show how this influenced the lamps. This activity made the students
focus on something Ann knew was a common difficulty, namely to connect the diode
in the right direction relative to the direction of the current. For every example of connections
(also the wrong ones), Ann drew a corresponding circuit diagram and made
notes on the whiteboard. In the interview after lesson 2, Ann emphasized: