Rationale for the book design
Are you a student who has a panic attack when asked to write an explanation longer than 4 lines? Who can do the straightforward calculations but struggles with comprehending what harder questions are asking? Whose eyes glaze over when you read your notes? Maybe you are aiming for top marks and would like more challenging, examination style questions right from the start?
Are you a teacher who has students like this? Hi, me too.
Much of the information in Finding Physics comes in the form of cloze passages, making students think while they read. Easy words are removed if ideas are new, harder words are removed to revise previous content.
There are lots of explanation questions – easier, scaffolded ones to longer responses, right through Year 11.
A key skill tested by the HSC physics examination is comprehension. A key motivator is knowing that the material studied has real life relevance. A key obstacle to students reading anything that improves their comprehension and has real life relevance is time – they just want to practise what is going to be examined. Therefore many of the practise questions in Finding Physics are based on real life applications, but distilled so they are simple enough for high school students to analyse without lengthy reading.
The complexity in examination questions often comes from analysing information in various forms, including graphs and diagrams, as well as applying concepts from different topics. The latter half of most worksheets in Finding Physics targets these skills and connections, training Year 11 students for top marks in Year 12.
Finding Physics is designed so that students can independently learn the content in the NSW syllabus, if worked through sequentially with attention to detail. My top students say it is possible to work ahead to teach themselves new concepts if I need to take more time with other students in the class.
Why paper?
No distractions from a screen and no loading time. Space to write out working in the same book as the actual questions. Students can underline the key words as they work through questions. I can see at a glance across the classroom who is on task and who has done their homework. If students need a break, they can read the comics or do the word searches (they do not need to be told).
What started the project
“When I was picking Year 11 subjects, I initially didn’t select Physics. I was intimidated by the subject and felt it was too difficult. But after discovering my interest when doing an SRP, and hearing your encouragement, I changed my preferences, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.”
My student who wrote this to me achieved a HSC mark of 97 for Physics. Her words stunned me, and ignited a burning desire to try and make physics friendlier and accessible. For if even top students suffer from imposter syndrome, how many others feel discouraged from pursuing physics?
By using stories through comics, I hope that all students can put themselves in the characters’ shoes in order to experience physics and feel included in the physics world.
“Physics was interesting, but I don’t want a career in physics. I want to help people.”
Early in my teaching career, a student told me this.
I now understand that while there are many interesting sources of information about applications of physics, typical practice questions often reduce scenarios to ones involving point masses or objects, where students just “plug and chug” numbers into equations.
Year 11 and 12 students are time poor and unlikely to read extra sources of information. So I viewed Finding Physics questions as opportunities to work in how physics is applied and spark curiosity as well.