The Physics Teaching Podcast

Latest Podcasts

  • Breakthrough Technologies III: Graphics Tablets

    Breakthrough Technologies III: Graphics Tablets

    Robin and Rosie are joined by former physics teacher Thomas to talk tech… After making the case for peer tutoring (low-cost, high impact according to the EEF), we turn our attention to EdTech for the 3rd time.

    Dr David Boyce returns for the last in our series of chats about seismic technological shifts driven by EdTech. I hope you have checked the two previous episodes on 3d-printing and AI. Today, David makes the case for graphic tablets as an alternative to blackboards, whiteboards and smartboards. This has real resonance with the team – and hopefully will give you another option to consider when you are planning tech for the classroom. David’s point that the limited functionality makes it more appealing is a tantalising one.

    David’s ReMarkable – using FIFA (Formula, Insert Values, Fine Tune, Answer)
    Rosie says hello via Wacom

    Links

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    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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  • Breakthrough Technologies in Physics Teaching: Exploring AI with Dr. David Boyce

    Breakthrough Technologies in Physics Teaching: Exploring AI with Dr. David Boyce

    The second in our trilogy of breakthrough technologies in Physics teaching, Dr David Boyce takes us on a journey through AI, its possibilities and how he has used it.

    Sharp eyed listeners will note that the title of this podcast does not match the episode art. This is becuase AI renamed the episode for us…

    Don’t forget that the vacuum cannon is back on sale!

    The Apocrophal James Joule and his wife (possibly)

    Will Smith Eating Spaghetti (2023/2024)

    Links

    Join in!

    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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  • 3D Printing

    3D Printing

    An overdue visit at last from the one and only Dr David Boyce (@DrDavidBoyce). David is a force of nature: physics teacher, mountain leader, chalk advocate, technician champion, the list goes on. An all round enthusiast and he will be joining us in the coming weeks to talk about three of the potentially transformational developments that teachers should know about.

    The first of these is 3d-printing, and if you’re a bit fuzzy: “3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control, with the material being added together, typically layer by layer.” Thanks Wikipedia!

    David points out that you may well have this technology in school in your tech department, so if you want to flex your creative muscle and craft your own fiducial marker, you may not need to look far.

    See the weblinks below for more about David, and 3d printing. More from David soon…

    Links

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    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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  • CanSat

    CanSat

    The science department often wistfully watch the MFL mob heading off for glamorous trips to Paris, Berlin or Barcelona, plaintively sighing over the challenges of finding exciting ways to boost their students’ passion, when all languages has to do is to head South and feed them their bodyweight in croissants (other nationally stereotypical carbohydrates are available). I mean, sure we’ve got CERN, but it’s been going a while, and breathing in Switzerland costs more than 20 Ryanair tickets to Nantes.

    So there was genuine excitement in the (TP)2 office* when we heard from Rosie McTavish. A true hero of physics Rosie’s been running the exciting CanSat initiative at her school, heroically stoking interest in rocket science… and not a Berliner in sight (it’s a German donut… no really, look it up, I promise). Who wouldn’t want to fire a bean can 400m in to the air and then try to get telemetry from it?! Well lots of people probably, but they won’t be listening to this podcast.

    *local takeaway.

    … and if all this is a bit too exciting for you, why not grapple with the difference between stiff, hard, tough and brittle while a roomful of 17 year olds desperately fail to repress their sniggering? Yes, Robin’s happy to be teaching Materials again and measuring Young’s modulus next week. He’s planning to bribe them with churros (they’re Spanish don… never mind).

    A video of Rosie’s grand day out:

    Links

    Join in!

    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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  • Ways to Teach… Atomic Physics

    Ways to Teach… Atomic Physics

    We talk with Jackie Flaherty about how the Ogden SKPT programme approaches Atomic Physics. Ths course is broken down as follows and we use this as a structure for the podcast:

    • Challenges as an intro
    • Models of the atom – diagnostics and liaising with colleagues from Chemistry, size and scale
    • Half life – models and limitations, how to develop understanding, multiple representations, 
    • Applications – importance of secure understanding of subject matter knowledge – SATIS style problem solving
    • Background radiation and physics in the news– science capital teaching approach, scientific literacy
    • History and stories
    • Nuclear fission – opinion boards, debate, models and process 

    At the end of the episode we finally inform the dear listener that we will be mothballing the podcast at the end of this academic year. Thomas is off to avoid falling off his bike whilst cycling slowly up mountains and Robin is getting distracted trying to find his dark side as he scrabbles up the tiers of management. We don’t think it is a full stop for the podcast, but a pause until we are both back in the game. We intend to do some work with the Ogden Trust before we go.

    The Ogden Trust aims to increase the uptake of physics post-16 by supporting physics education and engagement for all young people (4-18), particularly those in under-represented groups. The Trust supports schools, teachers, projects and programmes that are committed to enhancing physics teaching and learning.

    The Ogden Trust

    The Ogden Trust mission statement almost exactly sums up our thinking when we started the podcast. They existed long before we began and will continue long after. We will do what we can to promote them in our remaining episodes in the hope that late arrivals to the podcast will have somewhere else to turn other than a couple of nuggets!

    Links

    Join in!

    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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  • What the Ogden Trust can do for you

    What the Ogden Trust can do for you

    Thomas is fresh off the chunnel from Belgium and can’t wait to share exciting news that is nothing at all to do with Physics Teaching (sorry) – he’s been cycling and staying with a World Champion cyclist, Johan Museeuw. As you will see from the picture below M. Museeuw was less excited to meet his number one fans… until of course he found out that one of them was a world-famous podcaster. Rumours that we are doing a “Ways to Teach… stalking” are entirely untrue…

    When we get Thomas back on to physics teaching we steer (like a world-champion Belgian cyclist) back on to more familiar territory. Robin was privileged to talk to Claire Harvey and Jackie Flaherty from The Ogden Trust. (@ogdentrust).

    We are flummoxed as to how we managed to get this far without talking about the Ogden Trust: it’s a fabulous organisation which – amongst myriad other things – provides non-specialists with the completely free training to become specialist physics teachers on their SKPT (Subject knowledge for Physics Teaching) programme.

    Jackie will be back soon to help with a Ways to Teach… Atomic Physics – if you have any suggestions for this please contact us using the form down below, contact@thephysicsteachingpodcast.com or via twitter @physicstp.

    Oh, and if you fancy dusting off your Teltron tubes… the set-up for measuring the specific charge (ratio of the charge to the mass, e/m) of the electron is below.

    Thomas, Charlie Gilbank (friend of the podcast) and a nonplussed Johan Museeuw (cycling royalty)
    e/m setup
    Matching coils with Hall Probe

    Join in!

    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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  • GCSE Astronomy (via Teams)

    GCSE Astronomy (via Teams)

    Space physics is a crowd-pleaser and a ‘way in’ for many physicists. There are few things in physics more memorable than seeing Jupiter for the first time through a telescope.

    We chat with William H who teaches GCSE Astronomy to three schools at the same time via Teams. He makes a great case for teaching astronomy, not just growing the excitement of physics, but also extending the professional repertoire of teachers.

    See the links for the schools observatory: a way around the inevitable issues of cost when it comes to accessing telescopes.

    We finish by reflecting that teaching across multiple schools will be an increasing (if depressing) feature of physics education. Get in touch if you want to put your view!

    Links

    https://www.schoolsobservatory.org/

    The nuclear valley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_stability

    Edexcel GCSE Astronomy: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/astronomy-2017.html

    Join in!

    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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  • Don’t be scared of Ionising Radiation

    Don’t be scared of Ionising Radiation

    When it comes to emotive topics in physics teaching, radioactivity is up there. We have experienced colleagues who would refuse to work with school radioactive sources, even though there you generally encounter more risk while boiling a kettle. But you need to register, store and handle them properly or you could land your school with a fine.

    Thomas and Robin talk radiation and encourage you to get over the administrative hurdle, talk to your RPS and get trained in the use of sources so you can teach radioactivity with sources. If your school doesn’t have an RPS and you don’t know where to start, make sure you have a CLEAPSS membership and give them a call (see links for how to contact CLEAPSS).

    Surprisingly, the greatest risk is financial as falling foul of the regulations can result in a LARGE fine, so do make sure you satisfy all the requirements. You will need a Radiation Protection Officer (different to the RPS mentioned above, and generally more ‘expert’ on the regs). Between the RPO and CLEAPSS you should get enough advice to become compliant (or rarely to conclude that radioactive sources are not an option in your school).

    So whilst you shouldn’t be gung-ho, this is more to ensure you don’t risk a fine; the sources themselves are not inherently dangerous if handled carefully.

    Links

    CLEAPSS – why join?

    PDF L93 Ionising Radiations and Radioactive Substances – CLEAPSS

    XKCD – comparing radioactive doses

    Join in!

    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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  • That Einstein Fellow

    That Einstein Fellow

    Thomas and Robin were bowled over to hear from the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow 2023-24. Thomas caught up with Michael Stewart to talk about the amazing opportunity he has had to be involved with Education policy at the highest levels in the USA.

    Michael reminded Thomas about an episode in 2021 (GCSE Long Answers and MyMarkingMachine.com) in which Mark Robinson talked about a structured way to address questions: PVsELS. Thomas has run with this and renamed it the “DVEL’S in the Detail” to help his students process their way through questions.

    Robin had already returned to work and was teaching radioactivity. Check out the links for some fun radioactivity sites, and also a reminder of friend-of-the-podcast Richard Brock’s stories, including the origin of the Banana Equivalent Dose (no, really – it’s a thing!)

    Don’t forget: if you want to hear it, let us know!

    Links

    Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship

    Richard Brock’s Stories from Physics: Weird Units and Wonderful Measures

    The xkcd Radiation Dose Chart

    Join in!

    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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  • Chat(GPT)ting

    Chat(GPT)ting

    Everyone has been talking about it for a year or more so high time your finger-on-the-pulse physics teaching nuggets got to grips with ChatGPT (other AIs are available).

    To start though, we cantered through another week of physics teaching. Robin was finishing electricity with his year 10 groups, and wondering what others do with those odd bits of the specification that someone up the exam-board food chain (presumably) feels it’s ‘important’ for children to learn. For Robin, this was ‘mains safety’ in electricity which has minimal physics but lots of detail. How do you deal with this? Back when I had to teach biology a lot (don’t ask!) I used to have to teach “Commercial Uses of Plant Hormones” and it took two lessons – so I feel your pain if you are not a physicist. All tips gratefully received – perhaps you’d like to come on and talk about it?

    Meanwhile Thomas had been doing great things with inverse-square law investigations, challenging his A-level students to prove inverse-square or not. See the Inverse Square Carousel below for more, but as always, WP adds an inspiring dash of creativity to what could be some pedestrian practical work. If you’ve done anything similar, drop us a line.

    We chat ChatGPT and this was where we landed…

    Things ChatGPT is good at…

    • getting past writers block. If the blank page looks vast, try putting a brief into ChatGPT. At the very least it will give you a structure to work with, at best it will give you ideas. Do be careful to rewrite ideas in your own words…
    • more text-based problems. Robin always struggles to imagine up testing explanation type (long-answer) questions, but ChatGPT is pretty good at this – but do check carefully as it is not 100% reliable!
    • a source of material that students can critique. Thomas used this method to good effect – if ChatGPT spits out a load of garbage, can your students spot the nonsense?
    • mindless low-impact admin. Use it to generate standard email responses, box-ticking reports, PM targets and objectives – the sort of things that sap time and have minimal impact.

    Things ChatGPT is not so good at…

    • Numbers! If you want numerical questions / answers then ChatGPT can be a bit weak / suspect. Again, possibly a source of critique for your students but there may be other AIs that do a better job – let us know! (Mark Whalley mentioned claude.ai which appears to do a better job?)
    • Technical diagrams / circuit diagrams etc. Again, there are probably better AI engines for this so do let us know if you have found one.

    All technology goes through an initial phase of over-excitement in terms of its transformational potential, but AI does have uses and strengths and Robin has included some examples of a worksheet (with answers) and a set of practical activities in the thermal energy transfer topic so you can see what you make of them. These took about 30 minutes to generate, most of which was getting to grips with the interface and what question to ask (you need to phrase carefully), with remaining time given over to tidying up. You may feel (like Jo) that this represents too much of a time sink, but some will find it helpful I’m sure.

    heat-transfer-activitiesDownload
    Heat-transfer-worksheetDownload
    Heat-transfer-worksheet-w-ANSWERSDownload

    Links

    Inverse square Law Carousel

    Thomas loves this one. No photos of the GM tube and sources, but that is pretty standard.

    They are not allowed to touch the magnet (risk assessment)
    Two pencils to record the angle of rotation
    Vernier to get the clamp diameter and hence height of lift from circumference – also a 4mm pieve of aluminium to set the height of the clip above the magnet
    Light – don’t forget risk assessment of the hot bulb vs black paper
    Sound – stop the beam and just measure amplitude
    Sound setup

    Join in!

    Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions by messaging us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/physicstp.bsky.social .  You can also message us via our website contact form on every page of the web site at  the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember). We are moving away from X but can be found there as @physicstp.

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