Going out to a holiday party? You will probably want to wear your fanciest shoes. Getting ready for a basketball game? To show off your best moves you’ll need to have a lot of friction out on the court. But which shoes will serve you best? To answer this question, you need to know….“the muContinue reading “The Mu of the Shoe”
Tag Archives: inquiry-based learning
Storytelling for Secondary Science
Just a few years ago my school principal informed me that I was required to complete more teacher training. Then came the good news. I was being sent to Greece to attend The Mars Mission Summer School sponsored by the European Union’s Erasmus+ Program and the Space Awareness Project. What better place to think aboutContinue reading “Storytelling for Secondary Science”
Educational Evolution in the Sciences
More than 20 years ago I stepped into my first classroom. Before me sat rows and columns of students patiently waiting for me to teach them something. Today when I go to school things look pretty much the same. The science curriculum has changed little over the years and I still need to cover everythingContinue reading “Educational Evolution in the Sciences”
Strategies to Address Learning Gaps
As the pandemic situation improves around the world, many teachers are able to enjoy face to face instruction again. I’m thrilled to be back in my physics classroom, but that doesn’t mean things are quite back to their usual routine. The challenges of distance learning meant that some students did not manage to complete theContinue reading “Strategies to Address Learning Gaps”
Five Fun and Easy Physics Challenges
One of my favourite things about being a physics teacher is doing demonstrations and experiments with my students. Why start a lesson with a lecture when you can arouse your students’ curiosity by bringing scientific principles to life right before their eyes? I like to start with a provocative question like: How can you pickContinue reading “Five Fun and Easy Physics Challenges”
Why I Switched to PhET Interactive Simulation Labs
Picture this: It’s Friday afternoon and you have just finished a great week of teaching. Everyone is getting ready to leave, but you are already thinking about Monday. You don’t want to spend the weekend preparing for next week’s classes so you stay until you have the first day of the week planned. Double whammy,Continue reading “Why I Switched to PhET Interactive Simulation Labs”
Step by Step Science 