ENGAGING PHYSICS
- Created By Neil Atkin
- Last Updated October 25th, 2022
Programme details:
We will look at the fundamentals of human motivation and how we can use this to drive curiosity and deep thinking in physics.
Physics is challenging to teach as almost every concept is linked to other concepts. Students come in with a raft of misconceptions that they need to think deeply about in order to understand properly. We have to shift their belief system and the only way to do this is to induce deep thinking. Research suggests our students are not keen on deep thinking and this is the reason so many switch off and label it’s boring and hard.
One way forward is to induce curiosity to create a knowledge gap that students have a desire to fill and this course looks at how we might do this.
There are many reasons for girls engaging less in physics than boys and we will explore some of the most important and what can be done to make your classroom more inclusive and to increase the number of girls studying physics at a higher level
Day One | |
08:45 | Registration and refreshments. |
09:00 | Session 1: Engagement what is it?
● Why students switch off physics ● Why students are reluctant to think – and why they need to. ● The fundamentals of motivation ● Inducing curiosity as a driver to learning
● Maths in Physics – Stories that formulae and graphs tell us |
10:30 | Coffee Break. |
11:00 | Session 2: Friendly Physics!
● What does the research say about student engagement in physics? ● Strategies for a more inclusive and equitable classroom ● Maths in Physics – Stories that formulae and graphs tell us to transform understanding
|
13:00 | Lunch Break. |
14:00 | Session 3:Activities and resources
● Activities to induce curiosity and highlight misconceptions. ●Putting it all together – Lesson planning
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15:30 | Finish. |
About AtkinEdu
Neil taught physics very successfully, but wrongly for 25 years. He only realised this when he spent 8 years working for a national body teaching teachers how to teach physics with some of the best physics educators on the planet. This is the course he wishes he had done at the start of his career!
Neil has taught thousands of teachers globally to teach more effectively. His courses are very interactive and engaging, but challenging. He worked as part of a Gender Balance Team researching why girls tend to drop physics when they can and what can be done to improve it.
He is still teaching and still learning so this is an up to date tried and tested course.