If you want to be "aggressive about going to workshops and trying new
things and become very good physics teachers", as a teacher posted
yesterday, consider this:
A dozen universities nationwide are holding regional Modeling Workshops
this summer. The workshops are for high school physics teachers, and some
are also for physical science teachers. Extensive information about each
workshop site is on our web page: http://modeling.la.asu.edu/modeling.html
. Please look at it if you are interested in physics courses that are
student centered, structured inquiry, modeling-based, and coherent.
The CPU Project is complementary to our project; their summer workshop
schedule is at http://cpuproject.sdsu.edu/ (We have a link to that web
page.)
CPU and Modeling Instruction are similar curriculum designs, in which
students construct models of physical phenomena. The difference is that
the CPU Units, as presently designed, focus primarily on helping students
develop conceptual models, whereas the Modeling materials do include
significant mathematical modeling. Consequently, at schools where students
take a qualitative physics or physical science course prior to a more
quantitatively-oriented physics course, CPU would be better suited for the
first course and Modeling for the second.
Generally speaking, a teacher can receive financial support and/or a
tuition waiver at the workshop if he/she teaches in that state.
REGIONAL MODELING WORKSHOPS NEXT SUMMER:
The following sites have received Eisenhower or other funding to hold
regional modeling workshops. They (and their leaders and tentative dates)
are:
U of Arizona (Ingrid Novodvorsky, Phil Gilbert) July 5-28 (2nd semester
content)
Northern AZ Univ (David Thompson, Ted Lyons) (math & science): May 29 - June 16
Arizona State Univ (Sheila Ringhiser, Dawn Harman): July 12 - Aug. 4 (mechanics)
Arizona State Univ (Jeff Hengesbach): June 7-30 (2nd semester content)
Univ of Michigan at Dearborn (Mark Davids - lead teacher): June 26 - July 21
Univ of Akron (Lou Turner, Gene Easter): July 10 - 22
California State Univ at Fresno (Brenda Royce, Jerry Bodily): June 26 - July 7
Univ of Hawaii (Gheri Fouts & Consuelo Rogers): July 17 - 22.
Univ of Missouri at St Louis (Rex Rice & Mark Schober): July 5 - 21
U of No. Carolina at Greensboro (Patty Blanton, Mike Turner, Nina Morley,
Michelle Halley)
Univ of Tennessee at Knoxville (Ellis Noll, Mark Anderson): June 12 - 30
Mary Washington College in Virginia (Rich McNamara, Tim McLeod, & Katie
Wallet):
July 10-28
Univ of Wisconsin at River Falls (Michael Crofton): June 14 - 30
The following universities have applied for Eisenhower or other funds to
hold modeling workshops next summer and are waiting to hear:
-- Univ of Central Florida (Art Woodruff, Jane Nelson)
-- Univ of New England,in Maine (Jamie Vesenka, Roger Bennatti, Jeff
Steinert): 2 weeks in August (14 - 25?)
-- Black Hills State Univ in So. Dakota (Jerry Loomer): July 3-28.
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Browse our web site, and encourage a colleague to apply if you teach in one
of the above states. And browse the CPU web site for their workshops.
Cheers,
Jane
Jane Jackson, Dir., Modeling Workshop Project
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics, ASU, Tempe, AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7331. http://modeling.la.asu.edu
"In the matter of physics, the first lessons should
contain nothing but what is experimental and interesting
to see. A pretty experiment is in itself often more
valuable than twenty formulae extracted from our minds."
- Albert Einstein