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Folks, I'm already teaching a bunch of AP summer institutes - you can find details here. But what if you are looking for physics professional development that is NOT aimed at college-level physics? I mean, I meet so many of you each year who teach on-level, honors, college-prep, Regents... to all ages, to all varieties of student. And in my personal mission to spread physics knowledge to as wide an audience as possible, these sub-college courses represent a critical first point of contact with our discipline. I focus as much energy on my conceptual course as on my AP course each year. So I'd like to focus some of my summer professional development expertise on those who teach these first-level courses.
I'm offering a two-day institute on August 1-2 2020 (filled) or July 25-26 2020 (space available). (Online, obviously, broadcasting via Zoom from my lab.) Skip past the institute description for fees and registration instructions. The course will be limited to the first 30 who sign up. The daily agenda is included here at the bottom of the page.
Jacobs
Physics
Conceptual
Physics Institute Description
August 1-2 2020 or July 25-26 2020
August 1-2 2020 or July 25-26 2020
All levels of high school physics can be taught conceptually – where verbal and
experimental reasoning is prioritized over mathematical problem solving. While mathematics are used extensively, they
are used as a tool to create predictions about the workings of the natural
world. Whether you teach “general”, “on-level”,
“honors”, “Regents”, or “college-prep” physics, a conceptual approach can be
adapted to most any introductory physics topic – and to most any state or
district standards.
In our institute, we will discuss, practice, and share
methods of teaching common physics content in a conceptual style. I will be broadcasting from my laboratory via
zoom. Time will be devoted to
experimental methods that are especially useful at the sub-college level; to course
planning on a year-long and a unit basis; and to best-practices physics
pedagogy, which differs substantially from pedagogy in other disciplines.
Participants will be given a full-year’s set of
classroom-ready materials, including fact sheets, in-class and laboratory
activities, assessments, and planning documents. More importantly, through their interactions
with the instructor and with their colleagues, participants will develop skills
and ideas for adapting these materials to their specific classroom environment. Those attending will also earn a certificate
indicating their participation in 15 hours of physics professional development.
How much does it cost: $200 for the weekend. The schedule of events is listed below.
(1) Click the "donate" button below (or in the left column of the blog). It will take you to paypal.
(2) Enter $200.00 as the donation amount, either through paypal or credit card
(3) Click "Add special instructions to seller" or "Add a note"
(4) In the note, please include your name, preferred contact email, and institution
(5) Fill in payment info and click "donate now"
That's all - I'll be back to you within a day or two confirming your registration, and sending you links to the classroom-ready materials.
Cancelation issues: If you register then can't attend, contact me via email. As long as I can replace your spot, I'll send a full refund; if I can't replace your spot, I'll refund all but $25.
Schedule: Each session
will include both whole-group presentation/discussion, and breakout groups for
activities. In between sessions and during breaks, Greg
will be available for informal conversation.
Saturday 1 August or 25 July (all times eastern
time)
9:00 Introductions
What does “conceptual”
mean – defining levels of physics
Different levels of physics:
developing your program
Different levels of
physics: developing your resources
10:30 Eight styles of physics laboratory
activities
Including
the two best-adapted for conceptual physics
My first day activity – reflection
experiment
My first group laboratory
experiment – refraction
12:00-12:30 break
12:30 Sequencing your course
Starting the year right: the most
important physics teaching skill
Justifying answers with facts
Simple ray diagrams for optics in
conceptual physics
Justifying answers with equations
In-class laboratory exercises:
circuits
2:00 The daily “quiz”
Tests and quizzes, targeted to
different levels
Other sorts of
assessment
Preparing for the
trimester/semester exam
Adapting a conceptual
course to external standards
In-class laboratory
exercises: motion graphs
Afternoon –
asynchronous
Read through the shared
files
Read through the Jacobs
Physics blog
Adapt to your district
or state standards
Bring questions and
ideas for the social or for Sunday
7:30 Optional Zoom social: Dinner, dessert,
drinks, and conversation. BYOB,
obviously.
Sunday 2 August or 26 July
9:00 Building
and creating experiments with whatever you’ve got
Developing your own
in-class lab exercises
Using or substituting
inexpensive equipment
In-class laboratory
exercises: direction of force and motion
10:30 Methods to speed your grading
In-class laboratory
exercises: forces in 2-d
In-class laboratory
exercises: motion in 2-d
12:00-12:30 break
12:30 The final third of the year –
once skills are built
How I teach
impulse/momentum
Energy bar charts at the
conceptual level
Laboratory exercises
with harmonic motion
2:00 Sharing: Any Other Demos
Online simulations:
The Physics
Classroom
The Physics
Aviary
Vernier’s Pivot Interactives
Ending
the year: the Physics Fight
Greg - as a first year HS physics teacher, thanks for an excellent 2 day Conceptual Physics class. Your boil it down to the essential physics facts for each topic area, and drill those through the Predict, Justify prediction using the essential facts and then prove it with hands on experiments was awesome. I learned so much by watching you do the hands on experiments. You had a great camera set up to show your experiments both from front of classroom and overhead. Then, the well organized set of files will be extremely valuable to make us successful in teaching CP to our students.
ReplyDeleteI signed up for this as soon as I saw the post about it, and I'm glad to say it was money well spent. For someone with only two years of high school teaching under my belt, and who feels more comfortable with higher-level physics, I feel much better now about teaching physics at a conceptual level. I may even incorporate some of these ideas into my AP 1 class. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI signed up for this as soon as I found out about it, and I'm glad to say it was money well spent. As someone with only two years of high school teaching under my belt, and who was always more comfortable with higher-level physics, I now feel much more comfortable about teaching physics at the conceptual level. I may even incorporate some of these ideas into my AP 1 class. Thanks a lot!
ReplyDeleteThe first session of the conceptual institute was great! Worth while for a seasoned or young teacher. While most summer institutes are aimed toward AP curriculum, it was wonderful to have a workshop to discuss learning styles of the majority of students taking physics. I've taken modeling courses in past summers and this institute gave me additional tools and techniques to bring to my classes where students struggle to uncover material on their own. Greg had a schedule but was flexible to the groups questions and topics that people wanted to cover. I would love to be able to attend this in person one day, but I'm excited to implement what I've learned in the coming school year (in whatever capacity it is).
ReplyDeleteY'all!!! ATTEND THIS IS YOU CAN!!! Even APP1 teachers!! Even though this is focused on Conceptual Physics, you can use this info to supplement/scaffold for your APP1 kids that are having trouble in your class.
ReplyDeleteThis institute was excellent and exceeded my expectations.
ReplyDeleteGreg was nice, professional, organized, and not pontificating from the from of the room. I really appreciated that. He had an organized schedule but was flexible and open to improv. In particular, meetings over zoom are tough but he really nailed how to make that work in less-than-ideal circumstances.
His style is very democratic. I learned a lot of pedagogical tools that will, without question, improve my 9th grade physics class and make it more appealing/accessible to more students. Attending this workshop will up your game. Well worth the time and $$.
This institute was an excellent use of my time. To put this in perspective, it took place the Saturday and Sunday just prior to teachers returning to school so my initial fram of mind was not in the right place as we started on Saturday morning. This quickly changed as I was engaged and learning from the start. Greg is so knowledgeable and we have a common philosophy that physics needs to be more inclusive. Students need to understand the basic concepts of physics regardless of the mathematics they have accomplished. To add to this, learning physics this way will enhance a student's mathematical thinking without them even realizing it.
ReplyDeleteGreg's institutes are always awesome. Full of resources!
ReplyDeleteI just finished my conceptual institute with Greg and I am so grateful he designed this training. The format of being online worked well, he is talented with making virtual sessions meaningful and easy to engage with. Greg is definitely right that there are many offerings on how to teach AP physics, but few on conceptual physics. I intend to use what I have learned to design a sophomore conceptual physics class that can act as a feeder to my AP Physics 1 class. I'm so excited to better understand how to make physics accessible to a wider range of students.
ReplyDeleteI will also add that he did a great job of discussing not just pedagogy, but also classroom culture and many of the other nuances of the teaching profession. If you are looking for a new perspective of physics teaching, Greg has a lot of great ideas to share.
I had really high hope for the conceptual physics institute and boy did it deliver! I can't wait to take Greg's AP Summer Institute, if it is offered virtually again. He really has changed the way I look at several aspects of teaching and learning. There are several areas where I have struggled over the years that I feel much more confident in after just two days: determining the appropriate level of material for my students, grading practice, dealing with parents, and getting students to not only reason from evidence, but also articulate their reasoning. I am excited for this school year that I have been dreading. This is definitely because of this workshop. I feel as if, even if we end up remote, I will be more successful in creating a positive experience for my students and helping them reason based on evidence. If I get nothing else accomplished all year, I will see it as a huge success. I also feel as if this conceptual course will help bridge the gap for those students who are not traditionally strong students, but are wanting to take my AP level course the following year. I think the kids who skip over conceptual physics will be the ones at a disadvantage. Thanks Greg!
ReplyDeleteThis CPSI was awesome! I highly recommend it no matter what level of Physics you teach! The key to real Physics mastery is through a good conceptual understanding of Physics as a solid base. I will be able to use what I learned in my Conceptual Physics course, but also in my Honors Physics and AP Physics classes. This Institute was full of great resources, good demos and productive discussions. I loved interacting with the other participants as well as with Greg. Bravo!!
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend to take this CPSI no matter what level of Physics you teach.Greg has done awesome job in designing this institute and I have learned a lot on pedagogical tools that I can apply to my Physics class!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great workshop. Greg was very organized and personable. It was easy to stay engaged. He provided all kinds of insights and helpful ideas for improving classroom management, engaging students, obtaining parental support, improving laboratory activities, and optimizing assessments for both student learning and teacher time grading. And thank you for the amazing suite of well-organized and useful digital files. I highly recommend this workshop and it is certainly a fantastic return for the price.
ReplyDeleteSuper helpful as always! Thanks for putting this on Greg!
ReplyDelete- Logan
I just discovered your blog (yay!), but have missed CPSI (bummer). I’m a second year Physics teacher here new to block schedule pacing. How can I pay for and access recorded sessions if available?
ReplyDeleteHi, Rosemind! Very likely I'll do another CPSI again... If you'll contact me via email, we can arrange access to the materials. The recorded sessions are for the attendees only - what happens in the room, stays in the room. The Zoom Room, at least. :-) But I hope you'll be part of the next live session!
DeleteI also just discovered you and the CPSI, Greg! I'm going into my first year teaching three levels of Physics, one is conceptual. Anyway to get access to your institute materials? How do I email you? Thanks!
DeleteHi, Sarah! You can get me through Woodberry Forest School... it's greg dot jacobs at woodberry and it's a dot org. Good luck this year!
ReplyDeleteThis workshop was well worth the time and money. A great way to wrap your brain around teaching physics without using math to confuse the kids. I can't wait to use this not only in my physics classroom but also with my biology students. I loved the Evidence, Reasoning, Claim order of organization.
ReplyDeleteGreat conference! I tried using the fact sheet for the unit I am currently teaching on acceleration, and have had positive feedback from my students!
ReplyDelete