Initial Publication Date: September 5, 2024
Summary
In this physical sciences course for future teachers, students explore typical concepts of energy, power, heat engines, pressure, density, buoyancy, fluids, projectile motion, and Newton's laws of motion. This is an active learning class with minimal time dedicated to traditional lectures. Graph reading/plotting/interpretation, proportionality, and unit conversions are emphasized as recurring quantitative themes throughout.
Features of this Course
- This material is suitable for any undergraduate level and no prior college-level coursework is assumed. This course is designed to be completed over the course of a semester, but the topics covered are common in traditional physical science courses, and instructors are able to pick and choose activities and units that best fit their classroom constraints.
- The course flips the traditional order of topics, starting with energy and finishing with Newton's Laws of Motion. Studies have shown that starting a course with position, velocity, acceleration, and force - all quantitatively and conceptually difficult - can limit student learning outcomes, whereas energy is a relatively intuitive topic and serves as a more natural introduction.
- The four units of the course are organized around "Motivating Questions" that act to anchor the concepts around an interesting idea. This gives students real-world context for why they are learning these concepts.
- The class is truly designed for future teachers. Unit 1 introduces students to pedagogical resources and learning techniques, and the class returns to these ideas throughout the course. In three summative assignments, students will create a lesson plan. In this model, students create course materials for their own future teaching while also demonstrating that they have learned relevant physical science concepts of the course.
- In this course, there are a handful of recurring quantitative themes and assignment yypes. These build vertical alignment into the course through scaffolding and practice. Recurring assignments include: Science Journals, Reflections, Lesson Plans, and Scientist Spotlights.
Instructor Stories: How this module
is being adopted and adapted »