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Physics courses for teachers



Dear Colleagues,

Please make this information available to any interested
teachers. Thank you very much.

COURSES FOR HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE
TEACHERS BEING OFFERED BY THE PHYSICS DEPARTMENT AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

SUMMER 2004 DISTANCE LEARNING
PHYS 606 (3 credits) How Things Work II. A graduate credit
course on physical science/physics especially appropriate
for K-8 teachers and nonscientists. This is a practical
introduction to physics and science in everyday life and
considers objects from our daily environment and focuses
on their principles of operation, histories, and
relationships to one another. Physics 606 emphasizes
objects involving electromagnetism, light, special
materials, and nuclear energy. Lectures and demonstrations
are on computer CDs for home viewing. Homework, quizzes,
and tests are administered through WebAssign. PHYS 605 and
606 can be taken in any order.
website:
http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/606.jha7m.summer04/


PHYS 633 (4 credits) Modern Physics. A graduate credit
course for physical science and high school physics
teachers. This advanced distance-learning course is
offered completely on the Internet as an online course.
All homework, quizzes, and tests are administered on
WebAssign. The website has mini lectures for each chapter
(available also on CD-Rom) and many links to simulations.
Although there are completion deadlines, you may work at
your own pace and finish in a short time. PHYS 633 is a
calculus based course and covers relativity, particle and
wave properties of matter, atomic structure, quantum
mechanics, and the quantum mechanical model of the atom.
website: http://modern.phys.virginia.edu/course/


SUMMER 2004 IN-RESIDENCE COURSES
PHYS 632 (4 credits) Classical and Modern Physics II. A
graduate credit course for physical science and high
school physics teachers. This calculus-based course
includes 2 hours of intensive physics
lecture/demonstrations/discussion and 1 1/2 hours of
problems each day for 4-weeks. Topics include electricity,
magnetism, and optics, Emphasis is on physics concepts
geared toward teachers who want to put more physics into
their physical science and physics courses. Problem sets
continue through early Fall through distance learning via
the Internet using WebAssign. The final exam is given in
October via WebAssign.
website:
http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/632.ral5q.summer04/

PHYS 636 (3 credits) Curriculum Enhancement II. A graduate
credit course for physical science and high school physics
teachers. The course consists of laboratory-type hands-on
activities, physics curricula discussions, pedagogical
content knowledge, and inservice activities. During the
four-week summer component, participants will complete
several different kinds of activities including
experiments using probes with both graphing calculators
and computers, table-based labs, and video-based labs.
Technology will be emphasized. During the following fall,
teachers will perform an inservice presentation to their
peers in their local schools or school division.
website:
http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/636.stt.summer04/


FALL 2004 DISTANCE LEARNING
PHYS 609 (3 credits) Galileo and Einstein. A graduate
credit course suitable for any K-12 teacher of science.
This course assumes no prior college physics courses and
was developed for nonscientists. Lectures and
demonstrations are on computer CDs for viewing at home.
Homework and exams are done through WebAssign (an online
homework delivery/grading system).This course examines how
our perception of the stars, solar system,
and space/time developed from the ancient Greeks to
Einstein. Examine how new understandings of the natural
world developed, taking two famous scientists as case
studies. Galileo was the first to appreciate the
importance of experiment, while Einstein was the first to
realize time is not absolute and that mass can be
converted to energy.
website:
http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/609.ral5q.fall04/

SPRING 2005 DISTANCE LEARNING
PHYS 606 (3 credits) How Things Work II. A graduate credit
course on physical science/ physics especially appropriate
for K-8 teachers and nonscientists. This is a practical
introduction to physics and science in everyday life and
considers objects from our daily environment and focuses
on their principles of operation, histories, and
relationships to one another. Physics 606 emphasizes
objects involving electromagnetism, light, special
materials, and nuclear energy. Lectures and demonstrations
are on computer CDs for home viewing. Homework, quizzes,
and tests are administered through WebAssign. PHYS 605 and
606 can be taken in any order.
website:
http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/606.ral5q.spring05/

PHYS 625 (3 credits) Physics Pedagogy. A graduate credit
course on methods of teaching physics. While the course is
useful for certification/licensure, recertification or can
lead to a master's degree, it is not a typical physics
content course.The course is meant to explore current
ideas about the Nature of Science (NOS), introduce
alternative methods of curriculum design and instructional
strategies, and teach new skills for educational
technology.This distance-learning course is offered
completely on the Internet and accompanying CD-ROMs.
website:
http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/625.stt.spring05/

All current info about Physics Education at the University
of Virginia can be found at:
www.k12.phys.virginia.edu
email: PhysicsEducation@virginia.edu




Richard A. Lindgren
Research Professor of Physics and
Director of Masters of Arts in Physics Education Program
Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics
Department of Physics
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400714
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4714
Office 434-982-2691
Fax 434-924-4576
email ral5q@virginia.edu