The Physics Teaching Podcast

Tag: Ways to teach

  • 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!

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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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  • Ways to teach… The Start of A-Level Physics (16+)

    Ways to teach… The Start of A-Level Physics (16+)

    Thomas and Robin return after an extended break, inspired by a Tweet from Ruth Cheesman, who joins us to ask for tips to get started with her A-level class this week (good luck Ruth!).

    We also welcome Sarah Dowd to help answer Ruth’s query, Sarah teaches at UNIS in New York and joins to share her practice in the first of two upcoming appearances (she’ll be back in a few weeks to talk ChatPhysics!)

    Thanks to all the contributors via Twitter who came up with some great tips which we’ve summarised below (although you really should listen because Sarah and Ruth are great).

    Assume they forgot – year 12s are just year 11s who have had 3 months to forget everything. Ask them to pick up a copy of the CGP book, Head Start to AS Physics. Sarah particularly liked its focus on the skills they should have ‘in the bag’ from GCSE.

    Practical focus – practical work gives them a chance to think, collaborate and develop ideas. An open-ended measurement task works well (see the links section for “How long’s a piece of string”). It also gives you a chance to re-discover your inner 6 year-old, says Sarah: “Why? Why? Why?…”

    Choose questions carefully. Problem-solving and question-answering are central, but be careful to tailor them at first as they develop their skills. Carefully look at past paper questions to ensure suitability, and set them going with Isaac Physics early. We don’t mention him in the podcast, but don’t forget The Science Doctor (aka Friend of the Podcast, Dr Pete Edmunds). See the links section!

    Lest we forget, technicians are heroes: Sarah reveals the list of professionals who saved her life through her career.

    Whatever subject you teach, there are some good principles to help any new 6th former settle in, so help them by coaching them in or teaching them study skills. For example developing a study plan and / or time management (8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for study, 8 hours for you!)

    A lot of discussion on developing note-taking skills: some favoured scaffolding, some favoured question-led notes. Scaffolding of notes varied, so try some strategies and see which work for your group. Sarah was a fan of booklets (try and leverage others’ efforts here – again, see Science Doctor in the links). Sarah recommends using the Visualiser and the Apple Notability App.

    Worked examples are important (I believe the young folk call it modelling) but as with questions, think carefully about what skills you are trying to develop.

    Try and remember a bit of Showbiz – the “awe and wonder”. Sarah wins here with a rooftop in NYC and a tank of Liqui Nitrogen.

    Thomas reminds us that progress is not linear in year 12: expect a hockey stick progress graph, and keep the expectations high. Sarah’s advice on how to deal with stroppy and upset students should be on a plaque in every classroom: you’ll have to listen to find out though…

    We’ll be back soon, and as always, we want to hear what you want to discuss… if you fancy guesting, even better.

    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… Space

    Ways to Teach… Space

    Space is a challenging subject to teach, so a good subject for the first “Ways to Teach…” of this academic year. 

    Thomas and Robin start with a look at some physics in the news. The proton is smaller than we thought!  About 5% smaller which will make it even harder to find one if you lose it, but let’s not be negative… 

    In other news, a new wonder-polymer promises transparency, strength and lightness all in one. Will it be as successful as graphene (which Robin made the mistake of questioning in front of an engineer). 

    And so to space. If there’s one message (and thanks to Dr David Boyce and others for this advice) try to use models, demos and activity to show what’s going on. It’s tempting to think you can’t do anything other than PowerPoint and YouTube for this topic, but whilst the odd video of cosmic phenomena can be great, you can make this subject live in the classroom. 

    So whether it’s “phases of the egg” or redshift on a balloon, try to get students involved in the subject. Living orreries, using beachballs to represent the sun and modelling the solar system’s scale with a beachball and a pea – all this and more is in our first “Ways to Teach…” of 2022. 

    Links to the resources we mention are listed below. 

    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… Under Covid Restrictions

    Ways To Teach… Under Covid Restrictions

    (aka Elysia and her Magic Box of Physics)

    Robin and Thomas meet Elysia (@PhysicsMumma) who helps them talk through the dear listener’s ideas for teaching under the current social distancing guidelines. She then talks them through her box of physics and introduces Frank the Flamingo.

    Thank you so much for making such a great job of teaching with the Covid restrictions! Given the circumstances, schools have done an extraordinary job, and this episode shows how teachers will always find a silver lining. We get a raft of ideas from folk turning the situation to their advantage; for example using visualisers to zero in on the crucial points of practicals, using OneNote to ‘write’ equations for you… we could go on.

    … and of course we are trying to fill the void with our excitement for physics! Lots of us jumping up and down and miming longitudinal waves. Future generations will have a precious clutch oif anecdotes about their “weird physics teacher”.

    So put the earpods in and enjoy a whole stack of ideas for teaching in Covid and starting to build your “physics box”. What’s in yours??

    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… Ionising radiation

    Ways to teach… Ionising radiation

    Listeners have been more than generous with some tips for ionising radiation and how to teach it. Thomas, Robin and Patrick introduce some great ideas and discuss how to put IR in context.

    Wisdom and wit

    Patrick, Thomas and Robin get together to tackle ways to teach Ionising Radiation with context proving to be the most common tip.

    Friend of the podcast, Dan Toomey shares his love of the radioactive sources and how to build a radiation detector, while Sarah Nunn and Mary Wild both weigh in with some tips on the best ways to run class demos and to help students remember the relative properties of alpha, beta and gamma. Everyone loves a story!

    Patrick, it turns out used to have his own nuclear reactor that the US government gave him (none of this is quite true, but in Thomas’ and Robin’s heads it always will be!) and he tells us some of the real-life ways in which he avoided being toasted – we’re so glad he did.

    Horror stories appeal to the kids too, so Thomas shared this genuinely terrifying clip of Russian ‘safety’ measures, whilst Veritasium gets a mention for the fantastic video on the world’s most radioactive places.

    XKCD.com/radiation is another great resource for getting kids thinking about how common and everyday radiation really is. The circumstances surrounding the Goiânia accident are as bizarre as they are terrifying.

    For careers advice, tell your students about Medical physics careers and many more. Just one of the jobs you can do if you study ionising radaition.

    Thanks to Dan, Mary, Sarah, Patrick and to you for listening!

    HAVE A GREAT HALF TERM!!

    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… Waves

    Ways to teach… Waves

    Thomas, Robin and Patrick introduce and discuss many ways of teaching waves that have been shared by the listener.

    Timestamps

    • Physics in the News – Blue Origin @ 01:07
    • Ways to teach… Waves @ 01:50
      • Cara Wood and a piece of string @ 02:20
      • Slinkys @ 06:50
      • Making many nodes @ 10:54
      • Salt Pendulum @ 13:47
      • Acetates @ 14:58
      • Jed’s wave visualisation experiment @ 16:48
      • How to remember the difference between Transverse and longitudinal @ 18:59
      • Alom Shaha and the Jelly Baby Wave Machine @ 20:17
      • Standing waves @ 24:51
      • Ruben’s Tube and Kundts Tube @ 28:01
      • Showing colour mixing and projector polarisation @ 30:43
      • Young’s slits – lab scale with sound @ 32:47
      • PhEt @ 33:38
      • Mexican Wave @ 34:20
      • Tell us misconceptions! #tptpmisconception @ 35:25
      • Who won Alom Shaha’s Book? @ 37:43

    Summary

    Patrick, Thomas and Robin get together to tackle ways to teach waves but not until they have touched on Jeff Bezos’ bid for extra-terrestrial adventure: Blue Origin.

    Cara Wood was first up sharing tips for teaching waves.  She introduces waves by simply getting students to pluck a piece of string held in their teeth, so that they can see, feel and hear vibrations, experience amplitude and frequency, and discuss waves travelling through solids and gases.  Patrick loved this: really giving a tactile encounter with waves and their source.  Robin made the tenuous link to cochlear implants.  Very similar is the metal coat hanger demo.

    “You can’t beat a Slinky” according to Dan Toomey – thanks Dan!  Patrick put us onto “Snakey springs” on amazon for a mighty £27, but we found them cheaper with a bit of persistence: £5.75 at Select School Supplies. Snakey Springs help to avoid Slinky tangles when demo-ing transverse waves.  Thanks to Graham Thomson for the tip of setting a ball next to the slinky spring so that it gets struck as the wave passes and you can thus link frequency and energy.  Graham pointed out the rich discussions you can have on time period, frequency, wave speed and wavelength all with the Slinky.  Thomas was really impressed with Frank Noschese’s video using paper cups next to the Slinky to demonstrate constructive and destructive interference.  Robin recalled a similar method to this to demonstrate the vibrational link to sound waves.

    Frank Noschese masters the Slinky

    Thanks to Dr Joshua Griffiths and Graham Thompson who talked about challenging students to produce features on ropes and Slinkies, such as increasing numbers of standing waves and purposely frustrating by asking for high frequency, long-wavelength waves.  This gives a good discussion of why it can’t be done!

    Thanks to all the other folk too numerous to mention, who also pointed us towards the Slinky as a ‘must-have’ for teaching waves.

    Thanks to Dan Toomey for the salt / sand pendulum video.  Thomas was delighted to report he had already done this and Patrick was keen to have a go.

    John Hamilton’s use of acetate wave traces to demonstrate superposition makes a tough concept much easier for students to visualise – thanks John!  Jed Marshall uses acetates to get across the tricky idea of wavefronts, alongside his ripple tank that students can struggle with and he kindly supplied a booklet to show how it worked. (photos below).

    • Thanks to John Hamilton
    • Thanks to John Hamilton
    • Thanks to Jed Marshall
    How’s this for a handy mnemonic for longitudinal vs. transverse?  Thanks to Chris Beason and K Physics 1.

    Alom Shaha joined us for his PIM and he described his jelly baby wave machine. The video says it all: easy to make, and as Alom says, transformative in the teaching of waves! Reflection, refraction, amplitude and frequency – all easily demo-ed quickly and cheaply. Despite Jelly Babies being lost in translation, Patrick endorsed the machine and he still uses it, although the Gummy Bears may be past their sell-by date!

    Signal generators, strings and vibration generators always go over well, particularly in conjunction with a stroboscope and Patrick described how he challenges students, not least through atmospheric use of Pink Floyd music! Don’t forget your Rubens tube too – it really helps discussing pressure differentials in sound waves. And if anyone has any tips to get the Kundt’s tube to work, let us know!

    Paul from @PlanetReynolds on Twitter had a lovely dichromatic crystals demo which has “Wow factor” and his toppling dominos is a great way of demonstrating density’s effect on wave transmission. Just search on eBay for “optical glass cube” and “100 led finger lights“.

    Thanks again to Dan Toomey for his tip on using superposition with loudspeakers, and don’t forget PhET, ripple tanks and “stadium waves”!

    …and finally! Well done to Frank Noschese who we picked from the expensively engineered randomised name selection device. Frank will receive a personally signed copy of Alom Shaha’s Recipes for Wonder.

    HAVE A GREAT HALF TERM!!

    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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