Events
- Great Teaching Round-up
- Leading from the middle
- fall conference for faculty leaders
- The Texas Network
"I think there is something more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision."
Events: 2010 Physics and Engineering Schedule
Physics and Engineering Summary
Friday, 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
"How to Increase Physics Enrollments"
Speaker: Paul G. Hewitt, Professor of Physics, City College of San Francisco
Saturday, 9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
"Learning Physics from the Real World"
Speaker: David Weaver, Physics Faculty, Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Friday, March 5th, 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
"How to Increase Physics Enrollments"
Speaker: Paul G. Hewitt, Professor of Physics, City College of San Francisco
The low attendance in physics courses compared with other science courses is related to the view that physics is a “killer course.” Physics often does demand more of a student than do many other courses, which we as instructors try to skillfully navigate. But too often student discontent and frustration goes further than the difficulties with subject matter and has to do with easily correctible ways of teaching. Discussion will be about how physics can be, and should be, a rewarding course in the educational mainstream—especially for non-science majors.
Biography:
Paul G. Hewitt, former boxer, uranium prospector, signpainter, and cartoonist began college at the age of 28 and fell in love with physics. His name is synonymous with Conceptual Physics to physics educators everywhere. Before the advent of Professor Hewitt's textbook of the same name, physics was traditionally taught primarily as applied mathematics — geared to students with high math and science aptitudes. As such, any serious study of physics was out of the educational mainstream for most students. Hewitt's conceptual approach changed all this. By translating the central concepts of physics from mathematical language to common English, and by explaining physics rather than proclaiming physics, and by extensive use of analogies as a teaching tool, Hewitt brought physics into the educational mainstream. His textbook, the leading physics textbook for nonscientists since 1971, has changed the way physics is taught to both nonscience and science majors as well.
In recognition of Hewitt's achievements, the American Association of Physics Teachers honored him in 1982 with their Millikan Award — the once-per-year prestigious prize for outstanding contributions to physics teaching. Prior to this, Hewitt's teaching career began in 1964 at City College of San Francisco, his home base. Since 1980 he has taught an evening course for the general public at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. He has taken leaves to teach physics at the University of California, both at the Berkeley and Santa Cruz campuses, and more recently at the University of Hawaii at both the Hilo and Manoa campuses.
Hewitt’s textbooks include the 4th Edition of Conceptual Physical Science, co-authored with his daughter Leslie, a geologist, and his nephew John Suchocki, a chemistry instructor at St. Andrews College in Vermont. A version for 8th and 9th grade students is Conceptual Physical Science—Explorations, Second Edition, and his only trade book (non textbook) is Touch This—Conceptual Physics for Everyone. Its former title was simply Conceptual Physics for Everyone. All published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Saturday, March 6th, 9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
"Learning Physics from the Real World"
Speaker: David Weaver, Physics Faculty, Chandler-Gilbert Community College
My implementation of project-based physics (PBP) flips the course focus from the way I was taught (and used to teach for more than 15 years): instead of using physics topics (and later, models) as the organizing structure for the course with the applications to follow (if we had time), our projects serve as the context within which students learn the physics. During this workshop, we will do a short project cycle, followed by a conversation about the overall structure of my courses, the typical project itinerary, identify my and my students’ roles, and show examples of various projects we’ve used as well as student products from the projects. In addition, we will discuss why PBP is important to do and why (I think) it works so well.
Biography:
David Weaver has been teaching in the Maricopa Community College District (Phoenix metropolitan area) for 28 years including all levels of community college physics, nearly two dozen different electronics/microprocessor/semiconductor courses along with computer art, freshman orientation, and capstone courses. Prior to that, he graduated from high school in Pampa, TX and college in Commerce, TX. He met Tom O'Kuma in '92 and was ruined as a physics lecturer! David participated in numerous O'Kuma workshops and programs, including a couple of weeks each summer for 4 years in College Station along with a number of visits to TxAAPT meetings. He began using Project-Based Physics in 2000 (after an O'Kuma workshop) and has been using that format ever since. David is currently screwing up his courage to commit to designing and delivering an on-line college physics course that is physics education research and PBP based.
Physics and Engineering Section Chair:
Tak Gurung, San Antonio College