“ I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand.” – Chinese proverb.
Physics has a reputation for being highly technical and quantitatively difficult. As a result, the physics instructor faces a challenge to make the course material meaningful and accessible to students at a variety of levels. Physics teachers have a unique opportunity to excite students about the nature of the universe that surrounds them, but also the means to prepare students for living and working in a technological society. Physics provides an ideal environment in which to engage in critical thinking and practice problem solving skills, in addition to learning to work collaboratively with peers
As a researcher in theoretical particle physics and instructor for physics and astronomy, problem solving is a strong focus of my work. Efficient problem solving in physics requires strong conceptual understanding, mathematical means of representing principles, and domain-specific strategies for approaching problems. Problem solving is also a means to acquire cooperative skills through group tasks that require students to contribute ideas, ask questions, justify their reasoning, and negotiate to reach a consensus. I believe physics is much more than the memorization and manipulation of formulas, as it is sometimes misconstrued to be.
In the classroom, it is my goal that students develop a strong conceptual understanding of physics principles and apply them to real-world contexts, solve problems using analytical skills and logical reasoning, express clear, coherent arguments in their assignments, quizzes and examinations.
In the laboratory, I intend to encourage students to work together in teams, cooperatively as they carry out the experiments. They should be able to carefully observe the phenomena, record observations accurately, report the results in a meaningful fashion.
I motivate them to reflect on their own beliefs of what they feel about the “physical” laws of nature and try to open their minds to new ways of seeing things. Eventually, the students should have been able to overcome misconceptions about the physical world, and have a more systematic understanding of its functioning.
To achieve these broad learning goals, I utilize research-based teaching methods such as modeling a general framework for solving physics problems, for instance to solve a problem based on newton’s laws of motion. I would first teach them a general way to analyze any physical system, and identify the various forces in action. Then I would explain how to use this procedure to explain the motion of real-life bodies, variously by means of examples. My teaching practice places the instructor in a “facilitative guide” role by encouraging student participation. I usually prepare interactive lecture demonstrations, and ask the students objective questions (using ABCD flash cards) after covering every important concept. I find that this usually keeps students attentive and more receptive.
Recitations allow for think/pair/share activities in Physics courses. During recitation sessions, I would walk the students through problem solving, carefully controlling my own urge to solve the problems for them. Initially this was difficult, especially if a lot of the students take the same approach, leading them to get stuck at the same point. But, having overcome this, I am able to ensure that problems are solved by the students and not by the instructor. The final solution to a problem is rarely obvious and, as such, the thinking process must be developed and refined with practice. In a term, I would assign several problems that incorporate multiple ideas and first principles.
As an instructor in the laboratory, I would start by giving a brief introduction to the experiment, the concepts involved and the resources required. I also try to help them gain insight into what they should expect from the outcome of the experiment. To ensure that the students were going in the right direction, I would constantly monitor their progress ask them simple questions about the experiment and see the observations taken by them.
Assessment includes exams that balance both a conceptual understanding of physics topics with context-rich problem solving, written laboratory reports, cooperative group problem solving tasks, and online homework tutorials. The exams are not designed to test memorization; rather they are designed to test how the student analyzes the problem and works through to the solution, as each exam cannot be completed if not approached with basic principles. For a consistent and systematic grading scheme I always maintain rubrics, which are also useful in maintaining transparency, when the students approach with questions regarding grades. Often, I keep extra-credit problems/questions making the students explore beyond the realm of class curriculum.
For me, teaching physics is a precious opportunity to apply my interest in the subject to the practical classroom setting. I continuously learn from the students I teach, as they develop an appreciation for the nature of the physical world around us from a variety of perspectives leading to a plethora of novel questions. Ultimately, I aim to inculcate critical thinking and problem solving skills that will enhance their lives in a technologically-rich society.