Image Credit: Night Sky Photography
I choose to major in Physics out of scientific curiosity, but the most valuable thing I learned in my education was not a collection of material that comes from any one subject. It was the ability to think like a physicist. I learned to apply reasoning and problem solving to every situation, to identify and internalize the relationships between ideas, and to question my conceptions and to test my understanding. Science is the constant application of this thought process to answer questions.
I cannot expect every student I teach to mirror my passion for physics. Instead it is my ideal is to have the students I teach "think like physicists" outside of the classroom. I want to change the way they think about difficult problems when pursuing their own talents and interests. If they can think like physicists, then those problems then the connections may become clearer as the problems seem more solvable.
As a teacher I am primarily a facilitator of knowledge, not a provider of it. My philosophy is based around problem-based learning (PBL). It is a learner centered type of instruction designed to help students become self directed problem solvers. Having students learn through experience of problem solving allows them to learn and apply both content and thinking strategies. This approach makes physics a social process of collaboration and gathering information, to find a solution to a specific problem. This approach models real life challenges and can make the content more interesting to the students.
In PBL the teacher must be an expert in the content to be able to use his or her understanding to design a problem that will facilitate the learning goals. The content must be complex, but also well defined. It should be open-ended to support multiple approaches, as well as promote conjecture and argumentation. The teacher must also be an expert learner that models effective strategies for learning and thinking.
The PBL approach effectively models the realities of scientific discovery and research for students. It is my belief that it requires acting like a physicist, if it is the goal to eventually think like one. "Problem-Based Learning: A Self-Directed Approach," authored by Sue E. Baptiste, further outlines the student-centered pedagogy. I also highly recommend Five Easy Lessons by Randall D. Knight and A guide to Introductory Physics Teaching by Arnold B. Amos. These additional books provide ideas to center the learning in a physics classroom around student misconceptions.
I cannot expect every student I teach to mirror my passion for physics. Instead it is my ideal is to have the students I teach "think like physicists" outside of the classroom. I want to change the way they think about difficult problems when pursuing their own talents and interests. If they can think like physicists, then those problems then the connections may become clearer as the problems seem more solvable.
As a teacher I am primarily a facilitator of knowledge, not a provider of it. My philosophy is based around problem-based learning (PBL). It is a learner centered type of instruction designed to help students become self directed problem solvers. Having students learn through experience of problem solving allows them to learn and apply both content and thinking strategies. This approach makes physics a social process of collaboration and gathering information, to find a solution to a specific problem. This approach models real life challenges and can make the content more interesting to the students.
In PBL the teacher must be an expert in the content to be able to use his or her understanding to design a problem that will facilitate the learning goals. The content must be complex, but also well defined. It should be open-ended to support multiple approaches, as well as promote conjecture and argumentation. The teacher must also be an expert learner that models effective strategies for learning and thinking.
The PBL approach effectively models the realities of scientific discovery and research for students. It is my belief that it requires acting like a physicist, if it is the goal to eventually think like one. "Problem-Based Learning: A Self-Directed Approach," authored by Sue E. Baptiste, further outlines the student-centered pedagogy. I also highly recommend Five Easy Lessons by Randall D. Knight and A guide to Introductory Physics Teaching by Arnold B. Amos. These additional books provide ideas to center the learning in a physics classroom around student misconceptions.