Panelists: Carl Wenning (moderator), Jim
Stankevitz, Joselita Velasco, Johan Tabora, Friday, October 28, 2005, 4:00-5:00 pm Physics Modeling Workshops designed for high school physics teachers were held at locations in several states this past summer. Participants in the two workshops that were held in Illinois will discuss their experiences. One of these was at Dominican University, River Forest, IL (July 11-29) and the other was at Wheaton-Warrenvillle South High School, Wheaton, IL (two weeks in August). The theme of the workshop at Dominican University was "Mechanics - Constant and Accelerated Motion". It included thematic strands of teaching standards, scientific modeling, constant and accelerated motion, the nature of science, mathematical modeling, applications of science education research, the use of calculators and computers as scientific tools, and topics from the areas of motion and energy. Participants were supplied with a set of course materials consisting of an entire semester course in physics organized around basic models. Four follow-up sessions are being held at Dominican University this fall. Here teachers are sharing materials, methods, and reflections on progress. They study samples of student work, evaluate effectiveness of instructional materials, and modify and re-design curriculum materials for future use. They also conduct curriculum mapping to help implement a curriculum aligned with both standards and assessments. |
