RAPTOR Physics Teacher Meeting Minutes 1/14/12 #physicsed

I had the privilege of attending the Rochester Area Physics Teachers Out-Reach (RAPTOR) meeting at Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, Jan. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon.  With more than 20 physics instructors in attendance, I was thrilled to meet many great teachers, reconnect with old friends, and walk away with a bunch of new ideas and resources.

The meeting began with some collegial discussions and socialization, followed by introductions — introductions of both the RAPTOR association itself, and of the individuals in the room. RAPTOR is a group of physics teachers centered in the Rochester area focused on sharing ideas, demonstrations, discussing concerns, issues, and solutions, with the goal of improving physics teaching and learning for all involved.

Brendan Noon has created a WIKI depository for teaching materials at newyorkphysics.wikispaces.com.

Special thanks to the RIT physics department for hosting us on a Saturday morning!

Tom Frys provided information on the annual High School Model Bridge Contests.  These are held each year in conjunction with National Engineers Week, and are quite popular both in Syracuse and Buffalo.  Interest is developing in Rochester to expand the program locally as well.  Examples of bridges were presented, as well as design specifications.  Organizers are very willing to work with the RAPTOR teachers to make the event a success in the area.

Dan Fullerton talked about APlusPhysics.com and the Regents Physics Essentials book.  In addition to highlighting what resources were available, I tried to focus on showing ways in which these resources could be utilized in a classroom to provide differentiated and personalized instruction outside of class, leaving more valuable classroom time for active learning, exploration, and instructor assistance.  I also presented an example of how Regents Physics Essentials and APlusPhysics are used at Irondequoit High School to streamline mid-term and end-of-year review activities.

Brendan Noon then presented on Planning a Differentiated Lesson w/ Game Show Review.  Following the style of Jeopardy, students create their own review game shows.  This can be implemented in a wide variety of ways, but leaves many options available for differentiating by level of Regents questions, assigning higher level questions to higher level students, and also assigning less frequently found topics to higher level students, while maintaining heterogeneous class groupings.  Recommendations included having all students answer all questions (check by whiteboard presentations).  It was also noted that TestWizard contains quiz functionality (even if many of the solutions are incorrect and need to be checked in advance.)  Following the meeting, I noted in a recent catalog from the AcademicSuperstore that Jeopardy-style classroom equipment is still being sold.

Next up was a discussion of the Common Core Standards and Assessments, and the wide range of ways they are being presented and implemented in physics classrooms.  Brendan Noon began the discussion by highlighting data showing statewide graduation rates are up, though college readiness has not increased.

This has led to xix shifts in ELA/Literacy and six shifts in mathematics.  Highlighting key shifts, ELA shift 1 deals with applying strategies to reading information text, teaching strategies for informational texts, and scaffolding for difficulties.  Noon shared a Buffalo State “Reading Log” format for physics, which covers the NY State / Common Core standards.  Students diagnose their own vocabulary, interpretations, question themselves, re-read, graph/diagram, etc.  These are typically assigned as homework, and at Buff State, are graded on a five point scale, with five points for completing them correctly the only rubric required.

There is a big focus on getting students to use textbooks at some level.  Schools have been given money specifically targeted for textbooks (and only textbooks).  Schools can also document the use of this money as part of their School Improvement Plan reports.

Questions were raised about what grade level texts must be specified as.  Noon noted that any textbook which is specified by the author/publisher as targeted at a specific grade level, is by design appropriate for that grade level (at least as far as the “legalese” of the current common core documentation is concerned.)

ELA Shift 2 deals with handling primary source documents with confidence.  Many see the text itself as a source of evidence, but it’s also possible to use a wide variety of sources such as websites, fiction and non-fiction books, and even popular magazines as sources.  Further, it’s quite possible to use different interpretation levels within the same texts as well as different texts with different interpretation levels to differentiate student expectations.  The ultimate goal is to stop referring to and summarizing texts, and teachign students to start reading and understanding as we build a community of independent learners.

All teachers are required to create two units of common core materials this year, although there is no statewide system of verifying this is completed.  This is being met in a wide variety of ways from a wide variety of instructors with a wide variety of success:

  • “Read book, answer questions”
  • “Read article, generate an argument”
  • “Some districts not doing anything”

Text can be words, data, or arguments.  A great source for these types of questions is ACT review books with science passages — it’s easy to add one of these to the end of a test for practice and help students build these skills throughout the year.

Next was a sharing/discussion session to close out the meeting. One member demonstrates applications and demonstrations of falling discs and gyroscopes, another showed a quick demonstration to build thinking about conservation of energy and magnetism, yet another discussed challenges and experiences teaching in an urban environment.

Members discussed how RAPTOR should be a terrific resource for new teachers as well as more experienced instructors.

Steve Whitman talked about the use of Interactive Physics as a classroom resource, providing several demonstrations and discussing potential for further development of teacher training and supporting resources through a grant with SUNY Brockport.

Meeting closed with distribution of a number of terrific door prizes!

 

For more information, check out the RAPTOR Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rochester-Area-Physics-Teachers-Out-Reach-RAPTOR/261529007244589

RAPTOR Physics Teachers Out-Reach #physicsed

The first 2012 meeting of the Rochester Area Physics Teachers Out-Reach group (R.A.P.T.O.R.) will be held on Saturday morning, January 14, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The meeting will be located in room 3335 of the Gosnell building, Building 8 on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology (http://maps.rit.edu/). Park in Lot U. There is NO restricted parking on weekends so park at north end, closest to buildings.

We start with refreshments, socializing, and introductions. There are many physics high school teachers new to R.A.P.T.O.R. the meeting provides opportunities for them, as well as for veterans, to communicate with each other.

Thomas Frys (Association for Bridge Construction and Design Board Member) will discuss the possibility of involving Rochester Area high school science students in the annual ABCD Model Bridge Competitions.

Preparing Teachers and Students to meet State Standards is our topic of the Day. Teachers will discuss their strategies in the following presentations:

Dan Fullerton (West Irondequoit High School) will give a brief presentation on the APlusPhysics.com web resource and how it can be coupled with a novel approach to Regents Physics review. Guided by the principle "The best review book is the one students will actually use," Fullerton gathered input from a range of teachers and students to write "The APlusPhysics Guide to Regents Physics Essentials." His presentation will focus on utilizing these resources to enhance instruction and support students in a hands-on, interactive, highly constructivist learning environment.

Brendan Noon (Williamson High School) will discuss using “Game Show Review” as a differentiated source of learning engagement. Students actively participate in collecting questions from past regents exams and preparing “Game Show” style Power Point reviews and video presentations for their peers to compete against each other as contestants. Lesson plan templates and sample Power Points will be demonstrated and distributed during this presentation.

Next, Brendan Noon (Williamson High School) will lead a discussion on the critical components involved in constructing physics units aligned to New York State’s Common Core Standards shifts and how these shifts will impact New York State assessments. He will show the framework used in developing a Unit on Modern Physics and discuss how this framework can be used in developing other units aligned with Common Core Standards Shifts.

The last scheduled item is Sharing. This is a half hour devoted to unscheduled presentations by any participant, of duration between, say, three to ten minutes. It could, for example, be a demonstration, a lab experiment, a way of presenting a topic, a thought on pedagogy, or humor.

Miscellaneous: Parking is available in Parking Lot U .

There are no costs or fees associated with any part of this meeting and it is not necessary to make a reservation in advance.

If you would like a letter of attendance for this meeting please inform me ahead of time so that it can be distributed at the meeting.

The agenda is repeated in capsule form at the end of this message.

Mr. Brendan Noon

Co-Organizer of R.A.P.T.O.R.

Bnoon@williamsoncentral.org

_______________________________________________________________

Agenda

Rochester Area Physics Teachers Out-Reach

Saturday January 14, 2012, 9:00 a.m. to noon

Gosnell Building, Building 8, Rochester Institute of Technology

Room 3335

Parking in Lot U

  • 9:00  – 9:15 a.m. Refreshments, Socializing, Introductions and Announcements
  • 9:15 – 9:20 a.m. Annual Bridge Building Competition for High School Students
    • Thomas Frys Association for Bridge Construction and Design Board Member)
  • 9:20 – 9:40 a.m. Physics Demos that make Students Think!
    • Bring your favorite demonstration that introduces a topic in physics
  • 9:40 -10:10 a.m. A “Novel” Approach to Regents Review with APlusPhysics.com
  • 10:10 – 10:40 a.m. Differentiated Instruction with “Game Show” Review in Physics
    • (lessons and templates will be distributed) Brendan Noon (Williamson High School)
  • 10:40 – 10:50 a.m. Refreshment Break
  • 10:50  – 11:20 a.m. Critical Components of Unit Writing for New York State Common Core Standards Shifts in Physics
    • (Lessons and templates will be distributed Brendan Noon (Williamson High School)
  • 11:20 a.m. to noon  Physics Share-A-Thon

Physics education enthusiasts all over the world can interact and participate in the meetings by registering for free at:

http://www.vokle.com/series/22103-rochester-area-physics-teachers-out-reach

A few other ways you can show your support for physics education and collaborate with other high school physics teachers are by liking the RAPTOR facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Rochester-Area-Physics-Teachers-Out-Reach-RAPTOR/261529007244589

or signing up on the RAPTOR Listserve:

https://lists.rit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/raptor-l

Physics Teacher Out-Reach Web Meeting 1/14/12! #physicsed #physics #edtech

Brendan Noon The Rochester Area Physics Teacher’s Out Reach (RAPTOR) will hold its first meeting of 2012 at the Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, January 14th from 9 am-noon EST.  Physics education enthusiasts all over the world are welcome to attend this meeting live via this link.

The meeting will feature a presentation by Dan Fullerton, author of Regents Physics Essentials, Honors Physics Essentials, and developer of APlusPhysics.com, as well as a presentation and discussion centered around physics lessons addressing New York’s Common Core State Standards and how these changes will affect physics education.

Come for the free donuts and stay for the demos, and if you can’t attend in person, join us online!

Special thanks to Brendan Noon of Science With Mr. Noon for organizing this event.

 

Agenda

Rochester Area Physics Teachers Out-Reach

Saturday January 14, 2012, 9:00 a.m. to noon

Physics Building, Rochester Institute of Technology

Rooms TBD

 

9:00  – 9:15 a.m.     Refreshments, Socializing, Introductions and Announcements

9:15 – 9:35 a.m.     Physics Demos that make Students Think!

                                   Bring your favorite demonstration that introduces a topic in physics

9:35 -10:05 a.m.      A “Novel” Approach to Regents Review with APlusPhysics.com

                                   Dan Fullerton (West Irondequoit High School)

10:05 – 10:30 a.m.  Differentiated Instruction with “Game Show” Review in Physics

                                   Brendan Noon (Williamson High School)

10:30  – 10:55 a.m.   Critical Components of Unit Writing for New York State Common Core Standards Shifts in Physics

                                     Brendan Noon (Williamson High School)

10:55 – 11:00 a.m.    Refreshment Break

11:00 a.m. to noon  Physics Share-A-Thon

 

 

RIT has a nice interactive map at: http://maps.rit.edu/    If you search “Gosnell building, Building 8” it will pinpoint the location and show a photo. The Room # is 3335.

Honors Physics Essentials Only $12.95! #physicsed #physics

Happy Holidays!

clip_image002I am thrilled to announce the release of Honors Physics Essentials, an algebra-based physics book designed to assist beginning physics students in their high school and introductory college physics courses as an invaluable supplemental resource in class as well as a review guide for standardized physics assessments such as the SAT Subject Test in Physics, PRAXIS Physics, and CST Physics exams.  You can find it online at Amazon.com for only $12.95.

Honors Physics Essentials is an easy-to-read guide to algebra-based introductory physics, featuring more than 500 worked-out problems with full solutions and covering topics such as: kinematics, dynamics, momentum, impulse, gravity, uniform circular motion, rotational kinematics, work, energy, power, electrostatics, circuits, magnetism, microelectronics, waves, sound, optics, thermal physics, fluids, and modern physics.

The 384-page 6”x9” paperback book is integrated with the APlusPhysics.com website, which includes online question and answer forums, videos, animations, and supplemental problems to help students master Honors Physics Essentials.  You can find more information at http://www.aplusphysics.com/honors.  Volume discounts and e-book versions are available, as are class and site licenses for electronic versions starting as low as $3 per student.

I have so many people to thank for their contributions to this endeavor that I hardly know where to begin.  First, I’d like to thank all the fans of the first book, Regents Physics Essentials (RPE), and fans of the APlusPhysics website.  It was your requests, feedback, and encouragement that prompted the writing of this book.  Following the release of RPE, reader response was tremendous, and your requests for a similar book extending beyond the scope of the NY Regents Curriculum that could be used in physics classrooms across the country as well as for standardized test preparation made the development of this book a personal necessity.

Second, I must thank my two outstanding editors, Jeff Guercio and Joe Kunz, who graciously took many hours out of their busy lives to help make this book (and Regents Physics Essentials) clear, concise, and readable.  I’d also like to thank my student Emily, who first proposed turning our course notes into a review book, and Andrew, who reinforced that you can do anything if you set your mind to it.  I’d also like to thank Muse, whose enthusiasm for this book has been contagious.

Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to thank all the teachers and professors who contributed to this endeavor.  In attempting to write a physics book that would serve the needs of Honors Physics students across the country (and beyond), the input of these teachers and professors has been instrumental in tailoring this book to the needs of a majority of students, while at the same time keeping the length (and cost) low enough to remain attractive to its intended audience.

I’ve enjoyed working on this project throughout the past two years, but as in any extended project, I’m breathing a sigh of relief to have reached the finish line (at least for now).  I hope you find the APlusPhysics website and family of resources a useful tool in your study / instruction of physics, and I look forward to growing our online learning community in the coming years.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, and best wishes on an amazing 2012!