In order to give students a clear structure of the course expectations, I use a lesson plan for each self-contained mod of Physics with Trig, and use consistent teaching tools for all the mods. There is a variety of technology available to diversify teaching to meet the needs of all students, particularly those who aren’t able to learn as effectively from traditional models.
Edpuzzle is a video-viewing service that allows me to assign videos for the students to watch outside of class, as well as add content checking questions to assess problem areas. These videos are “graded”’ on completion only (the expection for students to get all the answer correct when I haven’t yet taught them the material seems unreasonable), but it gives them an opportunity to hear the material in a variety of ways, and from a voice that’s not only mine.
There are a million videos created by world class educators all over the world at our finger tips - from Crash Course (made by PBS) to TedEd, student are introduced to a variety of topics in well animated and entertaining ways. Veritasium addresses questions about physics in the world with interviews and demonstrations. Movie clips allow students to see what can (and can’t really) happen in the real world, allowing them to be informed consumers of media. By making the broader work accessible at their fingertips, students are given endless opportunities to explore.
PhET Simulations (University of Colorado)
The Physics Education research group at the University of Colorado has created PhET, a library of simulations. In order to make Physics accessible, we often have to limit the variables in a the problems. Simulations allow students to explore how the world would work without air resistance, for example. This allows them to model how the world works and verify relationships between systems without the distraction of lurking variables. Students can pose and test their own questions, while discovering how those unknown quantities affect their every day observations.
The ExpertTA is an online homework system that not only gives randomizes content to allow students to work together while doing her own work, it also gives instant feedback and multiple attempts at success. I like that problems can be chosen at a variety of levels, and that hints are available to steer the students in the right direction. Finally, it adds a higher stakes component to the homework process without overwhelming student or teacher.
Instead of full lab reports, I assess our inquiry based labs using a poster. This visual document includes all the parts of a traditional lab report, but focuses on the science practices defined by the College Board for success in any high school or college science. Students enjoy the design process of the posters, as well as creating a visually appealing learning tool for the classroom.
This idea is unique across physics teaching, and I have taught it to other teachers across the country. My rubric is widely shared, and I have been accepted to discuss my technique at the AAPT national meeting this January as part of a session on high school teaching.