Saturday, August 16, 2014

Why take Physics?

Why take Physics?

Last week I asked the students what they wanted to learn in my class.  The overwhelming response was "I want to learn what is needed to pass the class".  This tells me I have some coaching to do.  I was hoping to find responses like "how a diesel engine works" or "what is dark matter" or "how does my smart phone know where I am".  I want them to look beyond the grade in Infinite Campus.  I seek to rekindle that curiosity they had as children when the took apart things to look in side; to find joy in discovery that you can predict how an object will behave and then run the test and find that you were correct.

What I want our students to learn is the Science and Engineering practices:

  1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
  2. Developing and using models
  3. Planning and carrying out investigations
  4. Analyzing and interpreting data
  5. Using mathematics, information and computer technology, and computational thinking
  6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
  7. Engaging in argument from evidence
  8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information 

    Through practices the students will come to understand the nature of science and the science of nature.

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