Foundations in Student-Centered, Models-Based Physics (HS)

Leaders: Paul Feffer

Dates: July 8-12, 2024 (9:00-3:00pm) in person at Trinity School

Foundations in Student-Centered, Models-Based Mechanics for High School Physics (HS)

About the Workshop:

Active and pre-service physics teachers, join us this summer to develop your skills and learn ways to engage your students in a student-centered, model-based, curricular approach that will deepen their understanding of core physics concepts.

As a participant, you will observe instruction from a student perspective (“student mode”) as you conduct lab activities that are central to each unit and which are ready for your own classroom. Alternating between student- and teacher-mode, we will discuss the pedagogical rationale behind each activity, and strategies for adapting to various student populations and classroom resources. The materials and techniques in this workshop are all directly useful in the NYS Regents Physics Curriculum and in most other intro-level high school physics courses, including the AP Physics 1 curriculum. The activities emphasize depth over breadth; as a result, they cover many, but not by any means all, of the topics in the Regents Physics and most other intro curricula.

The workshop will focus on fundamental physics mechanics concepts including kinematics (constant velocity and uniform acceleration), dynamics (Newton’s Laws), circular motion, and the conserved quantities momentum and energy. The models we will navigate are comprised of descriptive, diagrammatic, graphical, and algebraic representations, which are developed through observation, experimentation, and reflection, and “deployed” through prediction and verification. The constructivist process we will explore encourages student teamwork and active, productive discussion, not just with the teacher, but with fellow classmates.

If you are a pre-service physics teacher, this workshop will help you prepare for your first year teaching an algebra-based intro physics course. If you are an experienced physics teacher accustomed to a traditional textbook/lecture approach, this workshop may give you new ideas for presenting concepts and encouraging a hands-on, collaborative, classroom culture.

Cost: (Limited # of tickets!)

Early Bird $275

Regular Teacher Price $350

School Price $500

STEMteachersNYC delivers professional development workshops for teachers, by teachers, about teaching, since 2011. All workshops over 2hrs offer CTLE. CUNY Pre-service teachers may attend for free. Please reach out if your school requires an invoice. We are an NYCDOE MTAC Vendor.

Current CUNY students with valid ID may attend summer workshops at a discount or for FREE! Please email [email protected] for details.

Email general questions to [email protected]. Note this workshop requires a minimum number of participants. In the event there are not enough participants, the workshop will be cancelled, and a refund will be issued.

Interested in an Invoice/Purchase Order Request?

Teachers! Ask your school to pay for your ticket! All the school needs to do is send us a Purchase Order (PO). Fill out our PO/Invoice survey and we will prepare you an invoice for you to submit to your school/district. Or just copy and paste the information above and let them know the workshop you want to attend. Don’t be afraid to ask. There’s always a chance the money will be available and they’ll say yes, but if you don’t ask, there’s no chance at all.

Districts/Schools, to request an invoice for a STEMteachersNYC Workshop, please fill out a quick invoice survey. This is a required step in order to process your request. Any questions regarding the PO process please contact [email protected]

Please send Purchase Orders (POs) to our Billing Office

Via Email: [email protected]

OR Via US Mail: STEMteachersNYC – Billing Office 245 West 107th Street, Suite 10B New York, NY 10025.

Please read the FAQs section below carefully before registering.

Please note: We take screenshots, photographs and record video of our workshops in order to publicize a positive image of science teaching, and of STEMteachersNYC – a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – and to support future teacher leaders. If you register, you are agreeing to be photographed and to have your voice and image video-recorded. You are also agreeing to relinquish all your rights to the photographs and video recordings.

If you do not wish to be photographed or video-recorded – you must inform us before the workshop starts. For in-person workshops, we will take one photograph of your face so that we can erase your image if we happen to catch it by chance during the workshop, and we will do our best to avoid you. We would also appreciate your cooperation in positioning yourself at the edge of the group so as to help us avoid you.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Trinity School, 139 W 91st Street, New York, United States