Physics Modeling Group

For the past few months, Dr. Fernand Brunschwig and a small group of phyiscs teachers, have led area physical science teachers in a set of workshops on physics modeling instruction.

While we promote their workshops through our PD Calendar and newsletters, I was hoping to find it an even bigger audience by putting it up on the blog.

Building and maintaining a community of practice is a huge challenge to any teacher but considering there are so few physics teachers, this type of ongoing professional workshop and community seems especially important.

The details for the event and an answer to the question “What the heck is Modeling Instruction?” can all be found below.

PhysicsTeachersNYC – NY Academy of Sciences
INVITATION to PHYSICS TEACHING WORKSHOP: ENERGY
Please circulate and forward this notice.
ORGANIZER/FACILITATOR: Fernand Brunschwig, Physics and Science Education, Columbia Teachers College
WHEN: Saturday, December 3, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
WHERE: Columbia Teachers College, Zankel Hall, Room 404
(Physics Lab), 525 West 120th St., NY, NY 10027
(#1 subway to W116 St/Columbia Univ, or metered parking on W 120th St.)
COST: $10.00 per participant (cash at workshop, receipts available)
CAPACITY: Limited to 20 participants.

**RESERVATIONS REQUIRED** AT: < http://tinyurl.com/ptnycenergy >

SUMMARY: The concept of energy is central to all of science. This workshop will lay out several ways to introduce students to the concept of energy. We will begin with common intuitive notions and everyday language and develop the key analog, working and mathematical models, including conservation and degradation of energy, necessary for successful problem solving. Participants will collaborate on discussing and solving a variety of problems focusing on specific conceptual issues that generally pose difficulty for students.

Participants should bring an electronic version of a selection of their best homework assignments and test questions on energy to the workshop; assignments/questions can be at any level from middle school through advanced placement. We will provide copies to all participants, along with Chapter 4 (“Energy & Matter”) from Introductory Physics: A Model Approach by Robert Karplus. Biology, chemistry and earth science teachers will also find many aspects of this workshop to be of value.

There will also be time at the beginning of the meeting for 2 or 3 individuals to make short presentations (5 minutes max.) about specific physics teaching ideas. If you wish to make a presentation, you should post a brief preview/summary of whatever you would like to share at the following URL: < http://tinyurl.com/4xc6aht >

PhysicsTeachersNYC was originated in summer 2011 by a group of teachers as a teacher-led physics study group. The group members were all practitioners of a curriculum and pedagogy known as Modeling Instruction, developed collaboratively by university and high school physics educators over the past 20 years. The group conducts sessions focused directly on Modeling Instruction as well as more general workshops for sharing ideas about teaching and learning in physics.

Modeling Instruction. The use of modeling in teaching was pioneered by Robert Karplus in his 1969 textbook, Introductory Physics: A Modeling Approach, and Modeling Instruction was subsequently developed at Arizona State University by David Hestenes, Malcolm Wells, and Gregg Swackhamer, as well as by many others across the country. Modeling Instruction is disseminated through peer-led summer workshops. The best way to learn more about modeling is to participate in a workshop, but if you’d like to read more about it, go to < modeling.asu.edu > or take a look at Introductory Physics by Robert Karplus.

Meghan Groome

Meghan Groome is the Executive Director of Education and Public Programs at the New York Academy of Sciences, an organization with the mission to advance scientific research and knowledge, support scientific literacy, and promote the resolution of society’s global challenges through science-based solutions. After graduating from Colorado College in Biology and Theatre, she desperately needed a job and took one as a substitute teacher at a middle school in Ridgewood NJ. She discovered that had a knack for making science interesting and enjoyable, mostly through bringing in gross things, lighting things on fire (but always in a safe manner), and having a large library of the worlds best science writing and science fiction. After teaching in both Ridgewood and Paterson, NJ she completed her PhD at Teachers College Columbia University with a focus on student question asking in the classroom. While at TC, she was a founding member of an international education consulting firm, and worked on projects from Kenya to Jordan with a focus on designing new schools and school systems in the developing world. After graduating, Dr. Groome became a Senior Policy Analyst at the National Governors Association on Governor Janet Napolitano’s Innovation America Initiative. Prior to her work at the Academy, Dr. Groome worked at the American Museum of Natural History and authored the policy roadmap for the Empire State STEM Education Network and taught urban biodiversity in the Education Department. At the Academy, she is responsible for the Afterschool STEM Mentoring program, which places graduate students and postdocs in the City’s afterschool programs and the Science Teacher program where she designs field trips and content talks to the City’s STEM teachers.