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What makes a physics course uniquely “Classical” in the context of the growing Classical Education movement? From high school physics to liberal arts college core physics, are there particular topics, components, or pedagogies, that must be present in a physics classroom to make it uniquely “Classical”? Does physics in Classical Education require teaching from a particular view of science? Does the “Classical” aspect of the course come in the structure (Trivium cycles, classical Quadrivium framework) or is it simply “traditional” physics with classical pedagogy and classical touchstones incorporated? If so, what are the important classical touchstones? We explore and summarize what authors speaking about physics from within the Classical Education movement say concerning what might make a physics course uniquely “Classical”.

AAPT WM 21

Classical Education Touchstones for the Physics Classroom

quadrivium

liberal arts

classical

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poster

This poster describes how design tactics can be used to adapt activities developed for the Paradigms in Physics program to other settings. Design tactics provide practical guidance for&nbsp;developers in designing (and refining) curricular materials in order to meet their specific learning goals. More specific than design principles, design tactics are practical and closely guide specific development processes.&nbsp;We describe the role of design tactics in&nbsp;the context of the ring cycle, a sequence of in-class activities on upper-division electromagnetic theory developed as part of the Paradigms in Physics program. We illustrate how design tactics can be used to adapt activities to different formats and align them with available class components (e.g. small group activity, lecture, Zoom session, homework).&nbsp;By contrasting the original implementation at OSU with two secondary implementations at other universities, we illustrate how design tactics can also be used to adapt activities to different settings.&nbsp;

Design tactics for adapting the ring cycle in secondary implementations

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Development and Design of a Computational Physics Lab Course

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A Sensemaking Foundation for Paradigms in Physics at OSU

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Selecting and Switching STEM Majors at USAF: Associated Retention Factors

The idea of Peer Review is inherent to NextGen PET. Many problems within the curriculum propose a conversation between students where each students defend a different idea. In these cases NextGen PET provides a specific method on how to evaluate the ideas of these hypothetical students. Step 1) Is the information accurate?&nbsp;Step 2) Are all aspects of the argument presented? Step 3) Is the argument presented in a logical way? This semester I wanted to apply this kind of framework as a type of Canvas assignment called Peer Review.&nbsp;Students must complete a rubric regarding a randomly assigned peer's ideas in order to help teach how to evaluate the ideas of others in group discussions.&nbsp; I will present how to set up in the assignments in a Canvas environment and lessons learned during the Fall 2020 semester at Los Angeles Pierce College.

NextGen PET Oriented Canvas Rubric for Online Elementary Education Majors

The start of the spring semester 2020 for universities all over China was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The team of Fudan Physics Teaching Lab actively explored new mode in Physics-experiment teaching for sophomore in special period. We divided the course content into several modules and adopted different teaching methods according to the existing resources, such as recording instructional videos, online Q&amp;A, Physics experiment based on smartphone, virtual experiments, optical simulation experiments etc. As our lives enter into the Network Information Age, it brings us a lot of convenience. We can use a variety of ways to make up for the regret of not being able to teach in class, so that students can complete experimental courses at home.

Physics Experiment Teaching Case sharing in COVID-19 Pandemic

There is abundant research showing systemic biases in STEM and academia. Facilitating a discussion around these issues, and ways to mitigate them, can be challenging. In this poster, I present a board game demonstrating how biases in the system disadvantage some people disproportionately, creating an inequitable system. This generates discussions about sources and consequences of these biases (unconscious bias, socioeconomic strata, etc.) Students brainstorm strategies to 'change the system' and with these new structures, the game is replayed to demonstrate decreased inequity.

Board Game to Facilitate Discussions on Systemic Bias

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Open Source Textbook: Exploring Physical Phenomena

The rapid transition to virtual teaching in March 2020 created opportunities for panic and chaos in high school classrooms across the country. Our physics teacher advisory group (TAG) in Northeast Indiana quickly became an important resource for high school and university faculty. In multiple Zoom meetings, participants shared strategies, evaluated digital tools, created wish lists, and vented frustrations. Grant funding was diverted to schools in need of materials for at-home laboratory activities. Two members shared their personal experience and recovery from COVID-19. While an significant resource before the pandemic, the ability of the group to provide community to otherwise isolated physics teachers demonstrated the need to broaden our mission and increase our commitment of university resources for this venture.&nbsp;

Physics Teacher Collaboration in Pandemic Times

This talk focuses on how a traditional, face-to-face teacher professional development workshop series on electric guitars, acoustic guitars, CNC/Electric guitar hybrids was rapidly switched to be delivered in an online environment using Canvas.&nbsp; The switch posed a particular problem because of the hands-on nature of the workshops.&nbsp; The workshop series also served as a model for teachers as they were considering how to teach a project-based course online.&nbsp; This talk will highlight a roadmap for PD providers who may be facing similar situations.&nbsp; Workshop outcomes and lessons learned will also be shared.

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Design tactics for adapting the ring cycle in secondary implementations

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