I teach in a summer program that is dedicated to the teaching of
underrepresented populations in STEM related fields. The students that
I teach during this summer program come from schools around the
Oakland/San Francisco/San Jose area. They range in ability from
students taking Calculus based AP Physics to students who have yet to
take physics. They are all in the 11th grade, so their abilities vary
enormously. In the past, I have put together a program that attempts
to differentiate the curriculum so that the more advanced students can
be challenged, while the lower level students aren't overwhelmed. I
have had some good success in teaching the physics of rocketry. This
allows me to teach some basic kinematics and Newtonian dynamics to the
more basic level students, while teaching more advanced subject matter
such as air resistance and the conservation of momentum for an object
with a changing mass. Again, it has been successful, but not entirely.
At times it is too advanced for some, while not at all for others. I
have been playing around with the idea of changing the curriculum not
so much because I feel it isn't serving the students needs, but more
because I am beginning to get bored. I want to mix it up and try
something different. I was thinking about doing a unit (I have five
weeks) on the physics of music, or something involving electric
circuits (solar, or wind power would be fun!), but I am worried that
without the background, the students who haven't had physics would be
lost. I have always taught kinematics and mechanics before waves and
electricity, but I wonder if that is just due to convention. Obviously
there is a historical reason for teaching mechanics first, but for a
summer program that aims to get students excited about science, I am
curious if anyone has any ideas about this. Any thoughts would be
appreciated.