Does anyone have experience with teaching physics to in-service teachers
(certified in elementary education or biology for the most part)? I'm
involved with helping a large urban school district implement "Physics
First" and we are looking for materials to teach a course next summer.
Many of the teachers need more confidence with the concepts as well as
developing confidence in an inquiry approach to teaching. They are
using CPO's /Physics, A First Course/, in the classroom, at least, that
was the intention. I'm not sure all of them have started doing the
activities yet. [FYI: they have split the curriculum into 2 parts,
teaching half of it at the eighth grade and half at the ninth grade.]
McDermott's /Physics by Inquiry/ seems to fit the situation, but I'd
like to hear from someone with experience, either with this material or
something else. I'd like to fit the course into a 4 week summer
session, M,T,W,TH, both mornings and afternoons to get the maximum lab
time in. Any comments?
Thanks for your input.
Pati
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/Pati Sievert/
/Outreach Coordinator, NICADD and Department of Physics/