Regional Workshops to Improve Teaching of High School Physics

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The University of Southern Mississippi and Jackson State University will each host a four-week summer workshop for twenty cross-over and certified physics teachers. These workshops will be repeated for a total of three years with participants being selected from school districts in Mississippi and neighboring states. Workshops participants will construct high-quality experimental apparatus from kits of easily obtained materials so that each participant can deliver a series of model experiments to their high schools. Included will be a wooden force table having a computer-generated paper degree circle with fishing rod eye tips for pulleys, a unique kinetics car which leaves a timed pen trace as it moves along a paper track, an optical bench which utilizes magnetically mounted components, and an Ohm's law apparatus which uses an inexpensive AC power adaptor as its power supply. A cross-over teacher will work with a certified physics teacher to design experiments around the constructed apparatus. Experimental activities for each apparatus will be written up by one member of the team, and the other member, in the role of a high school student, will perform the experiment. Each team will then present their results for critique and improvement to the group. The final experiments will only be defined after all teams have contributed their recommendations and improvement. This process will generate over twenty-five tested and proven experiments which emphasize the guided discovery approach. In this manner, cross-over teachers will be trained in physics concepts by building, doing and sharing. At the same time an attractive vehicle will be provided for high schools to improve the quality of their physics laboratories. School districts will participate by supporting peer-led workshops, by designating educational supervisors and physics resource persons, by representative attendance at academic year workshop conferences, and by committing to help construct and perform experiments developed by the workshop. Cost sharing equals 20% of the NSF award.