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Background
Over the past decade or so, it has become increasingly apparent that there is not only a lack of general interest in physics, there is a huge deficit of knowledge regarding what classifies as a physics related concept in early science education. Oftentimes in the education system, the blurred lines between Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, and Engineering are not clear to children absorbing these concepts for the first time. These concepts tend to fall under the category of General Science, and I believe that by educating children and specifically informing them under which realm of study these concepts fall (even on an elementary level), it would help those who find interest in certain topics discern what they would like to pursue in the future while also diversifying the field.
In recent years Physics education research has taken a large role in addressing this issue and has developed multiple different ways to educate students on physics.
What is Physics Education research?
Physics Education Research (PER) is where physicists take a deeper dive into how students learn and understand physics. these physicists look at the different ways students are understanding the topics being presented and see how we as educators can better teach our students.
The Frame of Physics Education
Education as a whole is goal oriented however when we try to make education more science-based, the whole system needs to be changed. This system works best for non-science subjects. The idea behind a science class is to have the students be able to collect, evaluate, analyze, refine, and comprehend what is being taught. Science is an observationally based subject and with the ideal educational model, it is left unsupported. As a future educator, I want to be able to make it so that each of my students doesn't feel that they are being left behind in their physics class and that they are able to understand the material in any way necessary.
What can we do?
One way to bring attention to this issue is to create modules that can be implemented into education systems, at the middle school level (grades 6-8), to inform children specifically about various physics topics, and how they are correlated to future career paths. The modules would be topic specific, with content consisting of real-life examples. In regards to these topics, the students would then be shown how they expand and connect to various careers. The modules can be created using google slides. Before the presentation of the modules, questions can be directed at the students on what their definition of physics is, what a physicist is, and what a physicist does for their jobs. After collecting their responses, the classroom teacher will take over the lesson by presenting these modules to the students, while our team takes notes on our observations. After the modules have been presented, the students will then complete an in-class activity that is related to the physics topic they just learned about. This activity will be hands-on to further drive home the topics discussed in the modules. The hope is that by bringing these moduals into the classroom there will be a stronger recollection of these topics and there will be an increase in interest. By increasing the interest in physics, the field can become more diverse and less like a white male-dominated field.
This is an example of what a slide for a module would look like and some connections to real-world scenarios
Making Changes to Physics Education
Each student learns differently and because of this educators need to be able to adapt many different teaching methods to be able to include all students. In the past, the original methods only worked for a select group of students. As our world evolves, our teaching methods need to change as well. With the heavy introduction of technology into education, technical based problem solving skills need to be developed. How can we as educators make sure that the students who are taking our Physics classes are able to use the knowledge gained in the class to support themselves in their adult lives?
Teaching Physics
Knowing that there are so many issues embedded in physics education how are we integrating the necessary changes into our curriculum? To make physics more interesting, incorporating more research-based lessons is one method. another is to include more real-life examples. When a student can find a connection to the world they are living in they tend to create a stronger connection with the information being presented and are then able to retain more. Evidence has been gathered from PER that supports nontraditional teaching styles. these styles are shown to be more effective however there are some concerns regarding the applicability of these practices. Overall there is still a long way to go in changing the current system of physics education and with each new physics teacher we get one step closer to reaching our goal of increasing the general interest in. physics as well as creating a more diverse and inclusive field
To be able to make physics more accessible to all students there needs to be an influx of awareness brought to the subject. By bringing more awareness to Physics it leads to an increase in interest. this increase in interest then adds to the growing problem in the professional world. Since the Physics field is a male-dominated field, the starting block of education is absolutely integral in being able to dismantle the current system and include more diversity in the field.
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